Panganiban, Roman Cyril A.

February 18, 2015

2008 03955

English 10

Message in a Canvass
Artists touch peoples lives through their artworks. As Vincent Van Gogh once said I
want to touch people with my art. I want them to say 'he feels deeply, he feels tenderly. Their
masterpieces serve as a medium to convey a message from the artist to the audience. The
message may be different for every individual because of different perspectives but, the artist is
will undeniably be able to create a connection with the audience. The Vargas Museum does just
this. Through its collection of paintings by different artists, the museum is able to create a
connection especially to Filipinos since the artworks represent parts of Philippine History.
There are four periods that can be seen in the museum and each is characterized by
artworks that let us have a glimpse of our history. First is Light (1886-1898) that shows the
Philippines as a fragile country seeing the light at the end of Spains colonization. Second is
Province (1899-1934) that displays our condition under the American rule. Then, third is
Unease (1935-1946) that presents the Philippines trying to be a sovereign government from
the United States through a Commonwealth Government only to be invaded and ravaged by the
Japanese to earning freedom again with the help of the Americans. Last is Passage that
shows the country rising from the effects of war and being an independent nation (1947-1960).
Of the four, Unease stood out for me because of four reasons.
First is that Unease is more comprehensive since it is able to capture a full cycle of
freedom-invasion-reconstruction-freedom unlike the other three that shows only a part or two of
the cycle. Second, it is the only period able to picture in a candid manner the state our country
was in and the events that transpired during the years it represents. Third, the works of the
period that includes Woman Devotee and Child by Vicente Rivera y Mir (1939), Bombing of
Intendencia by Fernando Amorsolo (1942) Reconstruction and Rehabilitation by Gregorio

Sibug (1943), and Quiapo Ruins by Oscar Espiritu (1946), created a more distinct connection
because of the familiarity with the places and subjects depicted by the artists so it was easier to
identify myself with the artworks in this period compared to the others. Last is that I am quite
fascinated by ruins and wars that I think influenced my decision to choose Unease over the
other three. Nonetheless, whichever of the four periods one will like, I am sure that it will create
a connection same as Unease made a connection with me.
They say that a picture paints a thousand words and I believe paintings also do. Artists
and their masterpieces really share messages to its audience that can range from a lesson like
history, ideals like freedom, experiences like war, or even emotions during a certain period of
time. Whats remarkable is that artists are able to do this with just the use of color and canvass.
We may have different interpretations of their artworks but, we do receive a message in one
way or another. Their works give us a connection with the artist and we may not know it but, it
may also give us a connection to our own selves based on our perceptions.