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Madonna of the Slums by Victor Manansala

Madonna of the slums is a painting by Victor Manansala. It is a modernist art that

presents a woman holding a child in the urban slums. This is an art that en-captures the

socio-economic status of the locals after world war II. In which it is the period of recovery

for urban areas like manila, In which the latter was destroyed similar to the battle of

stalingrad and without enough funding. The slums are going to be part of it. (McFerson,

2002).

This can be also interpreted in our modern times, without historical context. It

captures the socio-economic status of a rural woman migrating to the cities to find a better

life but her luck brings her to the slums. In which she looks distastified and uncertain if she

makes the correct decision.

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According to Akmaliah, This painting was inspired by Galo Ocampo's Brown

Madonna. An artwork that also takes inspiration from the iconic Raphael's Madonna. In

which it represents Mary holding his baby Jesus. But Ocampo localized it by depicting Mary

as a Malay (Austronesian) woman with a brown skin tone. This was a nationalist adoption

by that time because it tries to represent the Filipino Identity, distinct from the West.

Contrarily, Manasala made the painting more realistic for the common Filipino, and its

distinction cannot be said of Mary and holding his baby. Thus, It is not revered as a holy

painting. Mary or the woman does not have proper clothes, and she feels anxiety contrary

to the popular Madonna that shows no emotion or joy. She lives in a slum, not a peaceful or

holy place. Furthermore, The child is the same; he does not comfort his mother or his

expression shows fear.

Manansala’ Madonna can be said to be an original art piece because it challenges

the conventional wisdom that Mary has always been wealthy when she gave birth.

Contrarily, This is still being debated whether she was poor or not. The only close painting

where there is a depiction of Mary being poor is by the painting of Roberto Fuzzi. But that

painting at first sight fails to capture where Madonna was poor.

The title having a word of "Madonna" is an interesting choice of word by Manansala.

In its definition it can give three meanings. The first is Mary, the mother of Jesus. As

discussed above, it is an important painting in the christian art. It has plenty of variation

from different artists. Hence, during the creation of the Madonna of the slums, there are

also contemporary artists that depict the same concept but different objects: Madonna of

the bamboo, and Madonna of the well.

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The second is that Madonna is called for an Ideal woman that a man wants to seek.

In which it can be a positive that they seek for a woman who can care for their children, she

is morally pure even if her surrounding area is awful. It can be also interpreted in a negative

aspect due to being poor, the ideal woman being in the slums is different from the people

who live in comfort.

While the last definition can be interpreted from the Queen of Pop, Madonna, the

singer is famous for her song Material Girl. The latter is a song about a woman living in the

comfort of having all the things she desires, Independent from material constraint. While

contrary to this, the woman in the painting lacks all the material things needed for her

better life. She is not independent, she cannot be assured that she can provide security for

her child.
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Gadgets by Cesar Legaspi

The artwork Gadgets was made by one of the pioneers of art in the country – Cesar

Legaspi, awarded as a National Artist for Visual Arts in 1990. He was well-known as a great

Neo-Realist artist who created great influence in the culture of arts here in the Philippines.

Legaspi was known to have a distinct style to which he portrays his art pieces with bold

colors. His style also uses various art styles like the geometric style of painting which sets

his pieces aside from other works. Legaspi is also one of the artists who became the

gateway in the acceptance of modern art in the Philippines.

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Carlos Legaspi is one of the artists who became part of the 13 Moderns. The 13

Moderns are a group of Filipino artists, hand-picked by art historians, that paved the

pathway of modern art in the country, to which the Philippines is known for having the

longest traditions of Modern Art in the continent. Other artists in this group are the famous

Carlos “Botong” Francisco, Victorio Edades, and many more talented artists. This has

become a tradition and institutional award for CCP, Cultural Center of the Philippines, to

award 13 great artists who, in CCP’s criteria, hovered away from traditional art making and

instead showed great potential in modern art.

Legaspi was known to belong to the era of post-war artists wherein the country was

undergoing a transitional period after World War II. Post WWII is known to be the birth of

the industrialization period. After World War II and also the independence of the

Philippines from the USA, came the need for rapid rehabilitation of the country both

politically and in terms of infrastructure. Among many of Carlos Legaspi’s masterpieces,

Gadgets is one of the most prominent and well-known. Gadgets were made by Legaspi

during 1947. This artwork shows bright and bold colors which lean more towards red,

black, and green. This artwork portrays men as machines or men turning into machines.

This can be seen as a depiction of the birth of the industrialization period in our country to

which there has been threats of people working like machines, hence, gadgets. This artwork

is known to hold such tremendous power and influence in our society both in the past and

especially in the present.

From a standpoint, this artwork has given relevant interpretation in the

modernization of society. This shows the shift of human labor to machine-processed labor.

While this may show great effects and positive interpretations, this may also show a rather
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saddening reality in the perspective of humans. It is true that machines have become a

necessity to humans, and it is to an extent that we can no longer live without them.

Factories and establishments are in need of such machines and gadgets to quicken their

production as there is also rapid increase in the demand of the needs of the people. With

the rapid increase of product consumption, be it food or objects, there is a need for increase

in production of these products as well, in which machines and gadgets can be supplied.

Machine-powered labor is as strong and faster compared to human labor. This can also be

seen in the ideology of fast-food restaurants as the lives and lifestyle of humans are also

quickening in pace – quick meals as lunch breaks are also short and businessmen may have

a meeting in 15 minutes. These fast-food restaurants need the aid of machines to match the

pace of their customers.

Truly, great positive effects to humans, but it still has its negative side. Increase in

machine-intensive labor would decrease the need for human physical labor that would

constitute lesser available jobs. If the packaging of products used to need at least ten

laborers, that would then be lessened to only five laborers as the company might have

purchased a packaging machine that could package three products in a minute. This is why

people have become rather unaccepting with machines during the industrial period as most

have lost their jobs and had difficulty finding jobs due to them.

We can also relate this to the persistent presence of smartphones in the lives of

people. We can see that there is a rapid shift in the lives of the society as everything can be

packed inside this small device. Restaurants have fewer dine-in customers as it can be

ordered online through applications inside their smartphones. E-books can also be bought

instead of physical books which shows the declining need for printing presses. Another
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related issue with the latter is the decline of usage of newspapers. We can see that there are

little to no individuals who purchase newspapers from stalls as the news can be seen

through numerous news and tabloid websites. This shows how even an almost 73-year-old

artwork shows relevance in this day and age. It is admirable how Carlos Legaspi was able to

grasp this prospective idea of machines’ role in the lives of humans. Truly, Gadgets was able

to grasp the society in which it was made. This also shows the power of art, the power to

depict and illustrate the lives of the community, the world. Most people are ignorant of how

powerful this art piece is as it opens the eyes of those who truly see what has become of the

society and it is up to them whether they see it in a brighter light or through the dark eyes

of those truly affected.

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Camote Diggers By Carlos “Botong Francisco”

Camote diggers were painted by one of the known National Artists for painting,

Carlos V. Francisco or also known by his nickname Botong. Camote or sweet potato is one of

the famous crops here in the Philippines, it is one of the foreign crops introduced to our

country from Mexico during the 16th century. Camote is a root vegetable harvested

underground, as Francisco depicted in his recently controversial work “Camote Diggers”

(Ocampo, 2019). This painting was based on Vincent van Gogh’s Potato Eaters. However,

the painting was left unfinished due to Francisco dying after a heart attack in 1969. Camote

Diggers became an important piece with sentimental reasons as for its historical reasons

and how Francisco illustrates his working methods and creative process.
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According to Ocampo, Francisco illustrates an old woman and a young man digging

for camote due to poverty, also as you can see at the painting the red, white and blue on the

left portion of the painting references to our Philippine Flag an implication to our miserable

republic. The painting was stored inside Botong’s studio until 1973, then it was gifted by

Francisco’s widow to our former president Ferdinand Marcos and Imelda Marcos. This

painting was considered as one of the most expensive Filipino paintings to date, it was sold

for roughly PhP 22,192,000 in 2017. My first thought of this painting was negativity since it

depicts two individuals working hard to dig camotes(Stephanie, 2019). Digging camotes as

their main income sources and at the same time could be their food for daily needs. The

question that first comes up to our idea is why? Are they suffering due to the system of our

government? Is the government not doing anything to fight against poverty? This could be

the negative side of this painting; it depicts the victim mentality of an individual.

This artwork may also portray the pertinent presence of poverty in the Philippines

wherein this has been an ongoing issue for Filipinos both in the past and in the present.

Camote can be considered as cheap food that can be purchased by the masses. Seeing that

both the woman and the child were tattered clothes and the color scheme can be somewhat

emotional and saddening, with red and blue hues, we can see that the focus of this artwork

may be the situation of the two individuals portrayed. This masterpiece may also portray

the never-ending will to survive of Filipinos in any given situation. Despite the

poverty-stricken situation of the woman and child, they seem to continue to dig for food –

for survival. Filipinos are known to be hardworking in difficult times and this is evident in

this portrait.
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However there is also a positive illustration of this painting, it is that despite being

poverty-stricken it is still possible to achieve our dreams and improve our livelihood. We

can’t deny that everyone started from nothing, that is why we need to strive, there is

nothing wrong with digging camotes from the ground. It became their primary source of

food and income; it is better to dig some camotes from the ground rather than do

something that is against the law (Stephanie,2019).

This painting is truly meaningful and powerful, it illustrates the reality of how

Filipinos suffer from poverty. It also shows how an individual strives for their livelihood, it

doesn’t matter if you don’t have a job as long as you have your own strategy, as long as you

have soil to plant with some crops as a way to earn money and to have something to eat.

But if we will ask the painter whose soil are these individuals using? It still wouldn't matter

because a Pinoy wherever they go, as long as the individual knows the difference between

right or wrong they will find a way to live, they will find a way to earn money, and they will

find a way to survive and afford to live. If we will compare it to our present day there are

lots of Filipino are earning money even though without a farm to harvest, some Filipinos

these days are earning through internet, even teenagers are earning a lot of money just by

playing video games through these days there are lot of improvements because of

technology. We can’t deny that every person started from nothing then to something. If we

focus on why do we suffer from poverty, then we won’t be able to escape from those reality

because all we needed is to act and strive for our dreams.

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The Builders by Victorio Edades

One of the famous artworks that gained recognition and has become one of the

collections of the Cultural Center of the Philippines is “The Builders” by Victorio Edades.

However, there had been contradicting views about the painting since numerous people

had been interested in Amorsolo’s style of picturesque scenes, which is the opposite theme

of the artworks of Edades. The use of heavy brushstrokes, dark scenes, and dark figures

made his artworks the opposite of a picturesque scenario that everyone was used to seeing.

Nonetheless, Edades continued with his style of painting as he wanted to emphasize the

importance of self-expression (Santos, 2014). Finally, Victorio Edades paved the way for

modernism as he led the revolutionary Thirteen Moderns and was referred to as the Father

of Modern Art in the Philippines (Camiling, 2017).

In 1928, Victorio Edades went back to the Philippines with one goal in mind - to

change the art scene that is pre-existing in the country. With this, he launched an exhibit at

the Philippine Columbian Club in Ermita, Manila. One of the paintings included in the show

is his masterpiece - The Builders (Victorio Edades, Father of Philippine Modern Art, 2006).

The painting is, in fact, his Master’s Thesis, which emphasized linear and structural
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composition that portrayed the essence of men engaged in labor and the complexities of

human bodies (CCP Visual Arts, 2014). The Builders, the most controversial painting of

Edades, was made of heavy texture with a dark background. The nude builders and the

dark color represent progress. It was interpreted that despite having peers or co-workers

around, you still work alone. The painting portrayed the dark side of progress and

industrialization where men or laborers do not get enough credit and gratification for the

work they did - let alone enter the places they built (Galeria De Rojo, 2012).

The builders reconnected the viewers to their own emotions and thoughts by

showing the dark reality that they were currently facing. Edades made use of different

techniques to portray and give meaning to the symbolism of the painting. He used heavy

brushstrokes in the elements of the painting - symbolizing pain and burden. Furthermore,

the rough texture in his painting looked like a wound that is about to burst (Galeria De Rojo,

2012). This gesture made the viewers connect to what Edades was trying to point out in his

painting - that these anonymous men at work are also a victim of progress and

industrialization. It may not have been a picturesque painting, but one cannot ignore the

deep meaning that the painting tried to depict.

Creating an artwork that would encompass all these elements and connecting it into

a viewer’s imagination is truly a remarkable piece of work. Edades proved that his

masterpiece, The Builders, is worthy of a collection in the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

The deep meaning behind each stroke made people connect with the current society they

all lived in - a dark reality where men work for hours a day without receiving just

compensation and recognition. Sadly, the painting is an embodiment of what workers have

to experience all day - individualism and anonymity. They had to work alone to finish their
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tasks, unlike in bayanihan scenarios where people would work together. Also, the painting

shows anonymous men in labor, which means that no matter what efforts they had to put

through in their work, they would still not gain recognition at the end of the day.

Ultimately, The Builders had an extraordinary theme that portrays the suffering and

exclusions of men - one of the most common themes in the works of other modernists. The

painting allowed individuals to experience Edades’ work without having to abandon their

thoughts and feelings. To recognize his efforts in promoting modernism in the country, he

was recognized as a National Artist in 1976 (Benesa, n.d.). Truly, Victorio Edades, along

with his artwork had been a great contribution in the era of modernism. He was a

prominent figure in the evolution of art in the Philippines as his paintings became an

extension of reality and imagination, which made the human soul tangible.
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Angry Man by Ang Kiukok

The Angry Man painting was made by the famous Ang Kiukok, a Filipino painter who

is well-known for his expressive cubic-like artworks and some illustrations of powerful

symbolism. He was born in Davao City, Philippines, on March 1, 1931. He liked topics with a

vigorous and disturbing subject matter such as, battle cocks, pets with aggressive behavior,

and many more. Most of his horrifying artworks were made during the oppressive

dictatorship of the late President Ferdinand Marcos.

In the year of 1982, he painted the Angry Man, in which we could see a man without

clothes raising his middle finger and shouting in frustration. It portrays an image filled with

so much rage, sadness, and sorrow. The color yellow in the painting represents hope that

was stained with some dirt. His eyes were filled with white which serves as a symbolic

figure as if he was completely blinded by pure and absolute anger. The empty hole in his

stomach could probably signify his extreme hunger for freedom. And lastly, his clenched fist

symbolizes his strengths as if he is ready to strike anyone. The intense portrayal of this

painting is to show the artist’s true feelings during the martial law, under the

administration of Ferdinand Marcos.

The main message behind the Angry Man painting is that Kiukok wants us to open

our eyes, look at our surroundings, and have some time to reflect on how brutal the regime

of President Marcos was. Martial law is considered as one of the darkest chapters of

Philippine history. It includes the violation of human rights under its military rule, political

rights were eliminated during that time, and the suspension of civil laws, civil rights, and
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habeas corpus. There are no words that could ever describe the insanity and misery

painted in this canvas.

Anger is a common emotional problem that usually arises in regards to stress. Ang

Kiukok’s point is that perception rules reaction. There are situations that will surely upset

us and always keep in mind that it is okay to be angry. Because it is an ability that helps us

defend ourselves. You can release anger and frustration in screaming. Scream or even raise

a middle finger at someone if it will make you feel better, but always remember, you paint

your own color in someone’s life space in doing so.

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References

Benesa, L. (n.d.). Victorio Edades. National Commission for Culture and the Arts. Retrieved

March 29, 2022, from

https://ncca.gov.ph/about-ncca-3/subcommissions/subcommission-on-the-arts-sc

a/visual-arts/victorio-edades/

Camiling, A. Z. (2017, December 24). Remembering The Father of Philippine Modern Art:

Edades' 122nd. Metro.Style.

https://metro.style/culture/art-theater/remembering-the-father-of-ph-modern-art

-edades-1/7650

CCP Visual Arts. (2014, October 13). CCP Visual Arts.

https://ccp-visualarts.tumblr.com/post/99901862191/mga-konstruktor-1928-the-

builders-1928

Galeria de Rojo. (2012, May 14). Galeria de Rojo.

https://galeriaderojo-blog-blog.tumblr.com/post/23020150328/victorio-c-edades-

the-builders-oil-on-canvas#.YkJCQzdBxNs

Santos, J. (2014, January 21). Artist:Victorio Edades Painting: The Builders. Arts.

http://arttistik.blogspot.com/2014/01/6-artistvictorio-edades-painting.html

Victorio Edades, father of Philippine modern art. (2006, March 5). WebRTC World.

https://www.webrtcworld.com/news/2006/03/05/1429592.htm

McFerson, Hazel M., editor. Mixed Blessing: The Impact of the American Colonial Experience

on Politics and Society in the Philippines. Greenwood Press, 2002.

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Akmaliah, W. (2012). Remembering the Legacies of the Marcos Dictatorship: The Formation

of Historical Memory and the Struggle for Justice in the Post-Marcos Period.

ResearchGate. Retrieved from

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/292970625_Remembering_the_Legacies

_of_the_Marcos_Dictatorship_The_Formation_of_Historical_Memory_and_the_Struggl

e_for_Justice_in_the_Post-Marcos_Period

Social Terrorism: Painted. Retrevied June 16, 2019 from

https://socialbridger.com/social-terrorism-painted/

Hildawa, S. (2003). Thirteen Artists and an Award. Retrieved from: Thirteen Artists and an

Award | Philstar.com

National Commission for Culture and the Arts (u.d). Order of National Artists: Cesar

Legaspi. Retrieved from: Order of National Artists: Cesar Legaspi (ncca.gov.ph)

Ocampo, A. (2019). Botong’s ‘Camote Diggers’—ethical questions waiting for answers from

https://lifestyle.inquirer.net/339944/botongs-camote-diggers-ethical-questions-wa

iting-for-answers/

Stephanie, L. (2019). Camote Diggers: Why Is It Both Powerful and Significant. Retrieved

From:https://palabasindapast.wordpress.com/2019/06/10/camote-diggers-why-is

-it-both-powerful-and-significant/