The Virgins Exposed to the Populance

By Felix Resurreccion HIdalgo

The Virgins Exposed to Populance Painting

This painting was made by the Filipino painter, reformist, and

propagandist, Felix R. Hidalgo. This painting depicts the persecution of
Christians in Ancient Rome which thereby portray the exiguously clothed
female Christian slaves that are being derided by a group of uncouth
Roman men spectators; the woman who is located at the lower right side
of the painting that is posed nakedly seated at the foreground with her
head that is bowed down in agony; and the woman who is standing on
the left side of the first woman mentioned, who is partially nude, has been
exorbitantly harassed and stripped not only of her dress but also the
dignity and rights of hers - Those helpless women in the painting who are
looking up to heaven for the divine intervention, that does not save them
from the iniquitous experience of them; a help that is promised to be
incurred upon, yet never comes and instead to be abused and taken for
granted the trust that was conferred upon the heavens above. Taking its
relevance and significance to the Filipino context, the innocent Christian
virgins pertains to the Filipino men or to the Filipino nation that were being
fooled, led-out, lured, ridiculed, belittled, and taken-for-granted to
something that the Filipino people do not deserve. Specifically, the Filipino
people that were fooled to the hypocritical views with regard to the
divine salvation and among unjust beliefs by the bad friars that were
being inculcated upon the minds of the Filipino people, which thereby
actually untrue and contrary of what really is factual. Henceforth, the
Filipino people were frighten to disobey the general standards being
imposed upon them because they might go to hell if not or the will be
persecuted. The Filipino people, who are innocent and who are somehow
illiterate, for they are forbidden to accumulate such education because
the bad friars know that if the one and only group of people left that they
can fool, will be open minded to the reality that will lead to an escape to
the fake world they build upon the Filipinos, for which they will not be able
to incur such of benefits anymore; that they will be the ones who will be
persecuted or exiled to their rights. That is why the bad friars continue to
deride and belittle the Filipinos by making so much of ways and reason to
prevent the Filipinos towards the true enlightenment of reality.