Mark Cañega animates another Filipino masterpiece
Among the many Filipino masterpieces, National Artist Juan Luna’s “Spoliarium” is one of the most iconic. It has been immortalized by The Eraserheads with their song of the same title, it’s in the hit the rom-com scene in the “Alone/Together” film, and National Artist Ryan Cayabyab also composed an opera inspired by it. It is safe to say that the 1984 masterpiece has created an indelible mark in Philippine pop culture. This time, the famous painting is making rounds again on social media as it comes to life.
To make National Arts Month more memorable, Filipino motion graphics artist Mark Cañega animates the Juan Luna painting, and its effect is something truly haunting and beautiful. The characters in the artwork move as “Pasiya ng Langit” by Conching Rosal plays in the background.
“The painting also has a hidden message not many realize. The gladiators can be understood as our own country—the Philippines, a land with rich and vibrant culture. But a twist of fate left the mighty nation weaponless and no garment to protect its dignity,” Mark posted.
“The gladiators being dragged to a side depicts our country’s situation of being suppressed and oppressed,” he continued. “The audience was like indifferent Filipinos who had the strength to do something but wouldn’t. And the mourning crowd represents those who were in pain for the situation of the country but still had hope for a better future.”
An invaluable piece of Filipino art and history, the “Spoliarium” took home a gold medal at the Exposicion Nacional de Bellas Artes in Madrid in May 1884. A story by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts stated that Dr. Jose Rizal saw the work as a symbol of “our social, moral, and political life: humanity unredeemed, reason and aspiration in open fight with prejudice, fanaticism, and injustice.” Currently, the “Spoliarium” is displayed at the National Museum of Fine Arts in Manila.
This is not the first time Mark merged motion graphics with noted Filipino masterpieces. Last year, he animated Fernando Amorsolo’s “Couple Riding A Carabao During Sunset.”
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