Guillermo Estrella Tolentino was born on July 24, 1980 in Malolos, Bulacan and passed

away on July 12, 1976 in Quezon City. His parents are Isidro Tolentino and Babina Estrella.22
He married Paz Raymundo in 1932 and they had seven children: Liwanag, Dalisay, Soliman,
Magligtas, Marikit, Isagani.

Other than being a visual artist, Tolentino is also known for being a good musician,
particularly guitarist. He knows many languages and is also a translator. Interestingly, he is also
a spiritist, which has been dismissed oftentimes but seems to be a major influence on his works.

OBLATION

The popular statue of The University of The Philippines. When you say U.P. the first
thing that pops into your mind would be that fully naked guy statue with his arms open wide.
That’s the UP oblation by Guillermo Tolentino.
The statue is a symbol for Jose Rizal’s Mi Ultimo Adios. According to him, and I do
quote “The completely nude figure of a young man with outstretched arms and open hands, with
tilted head, closed eyes and parted lips murmuring a prayer, with breast forward in the act of
offering himself, is my interpretation of that sublime stanza.” That stanza being Rizal’s 2nd
stanza in his Last Farewell. It symbolizes also all the unkown heroes who fell to free our country
from the Spaniards. This statue for me really captures the symbolism of being free.
The Formal Elements used in this statue is Organic Shape as it takes the shape of a
human and Tactile texture as you can touch it and feel the bronze like skin.
Principles of Design used would be Unity as the whole thing looks whole, Balance as it
supports itself upright and the body is symmetrical, Emphasis cause it’s the first thing you see
when you go to UP, Rhythm because it gives you a certain emotion and lastly is Scale and
proportion as it gives you a hierarchical scale of an person and it’s proportionate to everything.
The style used would be Realistic art cause its shows realism without idealization or distortion.
The form is of a three dimensional statue.

OR
 The Oblation, Oblacion in Spanish and Pahinungod or Paghahandog in Filipino, has been
the major rallying point for dissent, protest actions, and social criticism, expressions of public
service, nationalism, and patriotism. Its presence in all the U.P. autonomous units and other
campuses symbolize unity in mission, vision, and traditions and has since become a symbol of
academic freedom in the campus.17

Here is Guillermo Tolentino's own words of the Oblation's symbolism18:

"The completely nude figure of a young man with outstretched arms and open hands,
with tilted head, closed eyes and parted lips murmuring a prayer, with breast forward in the act
of offering himself, is my interpretation of that sublime stanza. It symbolizes all the unknown
heroes who fell during the night. The statue stands on a rustic base, a stylized rugged shape of
the Philippine archipelago, lined with big and small rocks, each and everyone of which
represents and island.

The katakataka (wonder plant) whose roots are tightly implanted on Philippine soil, is the
link that binds the symbolized figure to the allegorical Philippine Group.

Katakataka is really a wonder plant. It is called siempre vivo (always alive) in Spanish. A
leaf or a piece thrown anywhere will sprout into a young plant. Hence it symbolizes the deep-
rooted patriotism in the heart of our heroes. Such patriotism continually and forever grows
anywhere in the Philippines.

The 3.5 meter height of the statue stands for the 350 years of Spanish rule in the
Philippines. The rocks on the base of the relic were taken from Montalban (Rizal) gorge, site of
the fierce fighting between Filipino guerillas and the Japanese army during the Second World
War."

Bonifacio Monument
 The monument has become Caloocan City's most famous landmark. To get you started,
here is a brief synopsis of how the historical landmark created.

Andres Bonifacio Monument is a mural commemorate to the lifework of Gat. Andres

Bonifacio. It was created by Guillermo E. Tolentino, one of the National Artists of the
Philippines. The construction of national monument for Andres Bonifacio was led by former
Katipuneros, particularly Bonifacio’s friend and comrade, Guillermo Masangkay. On February
23, 1918, Act No. 2760 was passed by the Philippine Legislature approving the erection of a
national monument in memory of Andres Bonifacio. Eight years later, on 29 August 1930, a jury
created to select the best design for a monument to honor the Great Plebeian convened. It was
headed by Architect Andres Luna de San Pedro and was composed of sculptor Vicente Francisco
and Architect Tomas Mapua. Painter and Director of the UP College of Fine Arts Fabian dela
Rosa was supposed to preside in the deliberation but later declined to ensure fairness when he
learned that one of his colleagues from his college was one of the competitors.