Works of Juan Luna

and FernaNdo
Amorsolo
 The Parisian Life, also known
as Interior d'un Cafi (also
spelled Interior d’Un Café,literally
meaning "Inside a Café"), is an
1892 oil on canvas impressionist
painting by Filipino painter and
revolutionary activist Juan Luna
. The painting presently owned by
the 
Government Service Insurance Sy
stem
 is currently exhibited at the 
National Museum of Fine Arts
 after the state pension fund
transferred management of its
collection to the National
Museum in March 2012.
 Measuring 57 cm × 79 cm (22 in × 31 in), The Parisian Life is regarded as the last major
work Luna did during his post-academic and life in Paris because from 1894 Luna
travelled frequently that he was only able to paint a few number of landscapes in the
Philippines. When Luna returned to France in 1898, he was an appointed member of
the delegation in Paris representing the Philippine revolutionary government tasked
to work for the diplomatic recognition of the Philippines as an independent Republic.
In 1899, Luna died in Hong Kong while on the way back to the Philippines. The Parisian
Life is one of the masterpieces that Luna created when he stayed in Paris, France from
October 1884 to February 1893. His own personal “Parisian life” was a total of eight
years.
  His own personal “Parisian life” was a total of eight years. This period in Luna’s career
in painting is known as the post-academic or the Parisian period, a time when his style
moved away from having “dark colors of the academic palette” and became
“increasingly lighter in color and mood”.
 As an artist, Luna became renowned on the European continent and became “a
familiar of the French and Spanish royal courts”. During the period, apart from his
heightening artistry Luna was also participating in the Philippine propaganda
movement together with José Rizal, the national hero of the Philippines. Months after
painting The Parisian Life, Luna would be departing from Paris to Madrid, Spain then
to Manila, Philippines in 1894 in order to rejoin Rizal and Dr. Ariston Bautista Lin, and
perform his role in the Philippine Revolution and war of independence in 1896.
 The Parisian Life is regarded as the last major work Luna did during
his post-academic and life in Paris because from 1894 Luna travelled
frequently that he was only able to paint a few number of landscapes
in the Philippines. When Luna returned to France in 1898, he was an
appointed member of the delegation in Paris representing the
Philippine revolutionary government tasked to work for the
diplomatic recognition of the Philippines as an independent Republic
. In 1899, Luna died in Hong Kong while on the way back to the
Philippines.
 PALAY MAIDEN
 Acloser look at this work will reveal brush strokes executed with the
ease of a virtuoso. The featured painting is considered a
masterpiece for the subtlety of its encoded messages, which, in this
case, has been described as national pride. In stark contrast to the
increasing westernization of the urban capital Manila, this work is a
celebration of the pristine, rural Philippine countryside. The scene is
bathed in sunlight and features a country maiden. This work is a fine
example of this National Artist’s favorite subject and setting.
  Amorsolo notes, “My conception of an ideal Filipina beauty is one
with a rounded face, not of the oval type... The eyes should be
exceptionally lively… The nose should be of the blunt form but firm
and strongly marked… The ideal Filipino beauty should have a
sensuous mouth…not…white-complexioned, nor of the dark brown
color…but of the clear skin…which we often witness when we meet
a blushing girl.” For Amorsolo, the Filipino beauty was an important
symbol of national identity. The colors of the Philippine flag are
evident in the blue kerchief, red skirt, and white blouse. The subject
gazes directly at the viewer, holding a generous bundle of newly
harvested rice, a hope-filled moment for the young Philippines.
 Antipolo fiesta
 This oil painting on canvas depicts a rural scene where a group of
people are shown celebrating a fiesta in Antipolo. The main focus is
on a pair of dancers in the field surrounded by revelers both young
and old.  Abundant food is presented in basketfuls of assorted fruits
on the benches and on the ground, as well as the traditional roasted
pig or lechon being prepared by two men. Nearby is a house with
huge windows from where dwellers watch the revelers. At the
background is a huge church, a symbolic town structure.  A vast
number of townsmen complete the essence of a fiesta.
 It can be said that the pair of dancers are in the usual same pose as
those of dancers in Fernando Amorsolo’s various well-
known tinikling-related paintings. A viewer may be quick to surmise
at a glance that this painting belongs to that category, as the
bamboo handlers in the usual tinikling dance often blend in the
crowd and are not easily distinguished. However, there are no
bamboo-handlers present in this painting simply because the
dancers are not performing the tinikling dance.  Thus, this indication
is what makes this painting very unique.