Vargas Museum Education Guide

Over Rizal: Monuments to a Hero

Using the Education Guide This educational guide aims to help teachers and students in viewing the exhibition and to facilitate incorporating the exhibition to their lessons. It consists of two major parts: first, Rizal as a Monument, and second, Rizal as Public Art / Sculpture. Included in each of these two divisions are Pre-visit Activities, which prepares students prior to the actual visit, Actual Visit Activities and Guide Questions, which functions as guide throughout the course of the visit, and Suggested Post-Visit Activities, which serves as optional activities to process the museum viewing experience.

About the Exhibition The exhibition features the numerous monuments installed in honor of the National Hero all over the Philippines and abroad. Images from personal and institutional collections, works of contemporary artists (Denis Lagdameo, Kawayan de Guia, and Manny Migrio), film, documents and archival materials survey the various forms and styles through which Rizals image is articulated, and explores the multitude of meanings and sentiments evoked by his ubiquitous presence in public spaces as well as in the Filipinos consciousness. I. Rizal as Monument Themes: Memory and Remembrance Individual/Personal and Collective Memory Nationalism Pre-visit Activities: 1. Conduct a brief review of the biography of Jose Rizal and highlight key events in his life, from his childhood in Laguna to his execution in Luneta. 2. Assign students to read the eighth chapter of Rizals Noli Me Tangere to set the frame for relating memory and recollection to nationalism, and to serve as background for the Enchantment of Affinities exhibition. Discuss the chapter with the students in class. 3. Ask students to think about how Rizal looks like in monuments that they see in public spaces as well as in images from books, postcards, coins, and other objects. Ask them to enumerate the features that make them recognize a particular figure as that of Rizal. Actual Visit Activities and Guide Questions: 1. What specific events or episodes in Rizals life story can you identify in the photographs of monuments in the exhibition? Choose one and narrate this particular incident or stage in Rizals life story.

Glossary of Terms Art Deco Art Deco is a style that first flourished in 1920s focusing on linear symmetry. Streamlined forms and simplified lines and shapes are some of its characteristics that influenced styles in visual arts, architecture, fashion and design. New materials such as plastic and glass also became widely used with Art Deco. Beaux- arts Beaux-arts is a neo-classical expression mainly in architecture and design that originated in France in the late 19th century. It is characterized by classical forms, symmetry, and rich ornamentation, oftentimes built or executed in a grand scale. Landmark Landmark is originally a geographical feature that can aide in pointing an estimation of a certain location. Nowadays, a landmark can be any physical structure that serves as indicator for a certain place/space/location. Monument A monument is a structure built to commemorate a person, important place and event. It instills memory and remembrance, sometimes to the point of veneration for a certain person or historical event.

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2. Look at the series of sculptures titled R1 R13 (2011) by Denis Lagdameo installed on the Third Floor overlooking the Landing Gallery. How do you interpret the repetitive miniature of the Luneta monument of Rizal in various colors? What about the absence of an actual Rizal statue on the pedestals, but with a golden silhouette of Rizal in its place on different sides of the obelisks? 3. Compare and contrast the work of Lagdameo with the two other representations of Rizal at the Ground Floor Lobby Gallery by contemporary artists, namely, Kiri Dalenas Monument to Rizal (2010) and Kawayan de Guias Dugot Barya (2005). Examine the media used in the two works as well as their iconography. a. Dalenas work is constructed from scraps of wood and wire mesh. What can you say about this representation of Rizal in which the hollow framework is not only exposed but is the statue itself? How do you interpret this representation of Rizal as opposed to the statue of a heroic persona with a polished veneer? What about the iconography? How does the figure resemble the numerous representations of Rizal in the exhibition so that it can still be identified as a Rizal statue? b. De Guias work, on the other hand, is a paper mache. Identify the iconographic features of Rizal which the artist followed in crafting this work. Look closer at the surface and try to read the printed texts. Can you identify the source of the pages used in the paper mache? What do you think does this say about the role of Rizals writings in reinforcing his lingering presence in Philippine society? In what ways do Rizals writings help keep his memory and legacy alive in contemporary times? c. The title of de Guias work is Dugot Barya. Do you notice the small slit on the book Rizal is carrying? This statue of Rizal is meant to be a huge coin bank. What do you think does a coin bank in the form of a Rizal figure suggest? How does this relate to the writing of the nations official narrative?

4. The execution of Rizal played a pivotal role in Philippine history. Rizals death served as catalyst to national awakening during the last years of Spains colonial rule over the emerging nation. a. View the monuments of Rizal depicting his execution. What similarities and differences can you see in these monuments which portray a single historical event? What emotions and/or moods are evoked in you upon seeing images of Rizal being executed? b. Look for two other materials in the exhibition depicting this incident in Rizals life: the photographs of the diorama at the Ayala Museum and the actual execution of Rizal at the Vargas Library and Archives. Compare and contrast these two images vis--vis the representations of Rizals execution in the monuments. c. Take a look at the vitrine in the library showcasing the rivalry between two Americans, Albert Yearsley and Edward Gross, in making the first full-length feature film about Rizal. Read the excerpt taken from the forthcoming book of Nick Deocampo and browse through the reproductions of archival materials documenting the race for the first Rizal movie. i. Why do you think there was such an intense rivalry between the two American filmmakers in translating Rizals life story into moving pictures? ii. Since the Yearsley and Gross films, numerous other films followed which dramatize and reenact Rizals execution as a national tragedy. In what ways does film as a popular medium help enhance Rizals place in Philippine history and revitalize his presence in the memory of the nation?

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5. Visit the other exhibition at the Third Floor South Wing Gallery titled Enchantment of Affinities by a Madrid-based Filipino artist, Kristoffer Ardea. a. Watch the video projected at the end of the gallery. What do you see in the video installation? b. The olive oil and the soy sauce being mixed in a pan are presented as possible metaphors for the colony and the empire. How is the relationship between the colony and the empire described in the video through the behavior of the olive oil and soy sauce when mixed? What is the effect of the mixture? c. The title of the exhibition was taken from the phrase el demonio de las comparaciones in the eighth chapter of Rizals Noli Me Tangere. In the said chapter, the novels main protagonist, Ibarra, is confronted by various images while traveling in a street in Manila. Upon seeing a botanical garden, he recalls the botanical gardens of Europe, igniting a comparison between the lifelessness of his homeland and the vitality of the empire and its other colonies. i. In this particular scene in Rizals novel from a chapter aptly titled Memories, how did memory and recollection affect the main protagonist? What thoughts and/or emotions were triggered in him upon remembering places, persons, and events? ii. As an indio or native who has travelled to Europe, how do you think did Ibarra feel upon realizing the stark contrast between the more progressive life in other places and the backward condition in his homeland? Was he enchanted by the allure of the empire and thus convinced to maintain his affinity with Europe and its culture, or was he appalled by the fate of his homeland which in turn made him sympathize and identify with his fellow indios? d. Conversing with the video installation are reproductions of images from Misterios de Filipinas, a 19th century Spanish novel by Antonio del Canto, and some works by Filipino artists from the Vargas art collection. i. Look at the reproduction of the illustrations from the novel. These images created by Spanish artists are meant to depict the Philippines during the Spanish Colonial Period. Are the images accurate or imaginary? Are they in accordance with your own idea of how the Philippines looked like during that time? Point to specific details that made you say so. ii. Turn to the paintings by Vicente Genato, Ricardo Gloria, and Alfredo Carmelo. Who are being represented in their works? e. The Enchantment of Affinities and Over Rizal exhibitions gather various subjectivities held together by their common displaced sensibilities: Ardea, a Filipino artist living and working in Madrid and Oviedo; del Canto, a Spanish novelist who sets his literary piece in faraway Philippines; and Ibarra and Rizal, who straddles both the realms. i. How did the encounter between the Self and Other affect the various personalities mentioned above? How was it manifested in their works or their actions? ii. Take a look at the photographs of Rizal monuments overseas which underscore Filipino diaspora in the age of globalization. How do you think this present-day increase of displaced sensibilities among Filipinos affect our sense of belonging to the nation?

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6. Look for photographs in the exhibition with people consciously posing with Rizal monuments. In these photographs, we find an overlapping of the personal/individual memory as people take snapshots of themselves for posterity, and the collective memory of the nation as people choose to be photographed with a prominent figure in Philippine history, relating themselves as individuals to a collective body in which they belong. a. Describe the people in the photographs. How do they pose beside a Rizal monument? What do their behaviors reveal about how we regard the national hero? b. Compare these photographs with Manny Migrios work, Becoming (1999). How do you interpret the juxtaposition of a familiar image, the Luneta monument of Rizal, with images of anonymous persons? 7. A section in the exhibition located at the Third Floor deals with representations of Rizal with other heroic figures in Philippine history. a. Who are these personalities and can you identify their contributions and roles played in forging the Filipino nation? b. How are they depicted with Rizal? Did the representations follow the same set of conventions like Rizals? c. Why do you think these monuments included other figures with Rizal? How do these representations contribute to the collective memory of the nation? How important is the official narrative of the nation, with its set of characters and personalities, in fostering a sense of identity among the members of the nation? Suggested Post-visit Activities: 1. Conduct a film showing of the more recent films about Rizal, such as Marilou Diza-Abayas Jose Rizal (1998), and Mike de Leons Bayaning Third World (2000). Assign students to write a reflection paper about the movies in relation to the Over Rizal exhibition. 2. Divide the class in groups. Assign each group to prepare a short skit narrating a particular event in Rizals life or a scene in Rizals novels. II. Rizal as Public Art / Sculpture Themes Landmark Art Deco Beaux-arts Pre-visit Activities: 1. Ask students to research about the terms beaux-arts and art deco. In class, discuss the stylistic features of each and some common examples, especially their manifestations in the Philippines.
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2. Ask to think of popular landmarks in the Philippines as well as in other parts of the world. Ask them to bring a picture of it and discuss in class their significance. Actual Visit Activities and Guide Questions: 1. Look at the schematic diagram of a typical Rizal monument at the Ground Floor Lobby Gallery. Take note of the parts, stylistic features, and other information indicated on the diagram. Try to look for these features and/or any deviations from them in the monuments that you are viewing in the exhibition. Choose one Rizal monument and discuss it in class in relation to the schematic diagram. 2. As a public sculpture which functions as a national symbol, the representation of Rizal is governed by certain norms and conventions. But some Rizal monuments have ventured off from the archetype, manifesting certain idiosyncrasies as individuals or groups have taken liberty in interpreting the image of the national hero. a. Look for the images of Rizal statues in Catbalogan City, Samar, Ilocos Norte Provincial Capitol in Laoag City, and the Rizal monuments in which the hero is wearing a barong tagalog at the Third Floor. How did these examples deviate from the archetypal Rizal monument in the schematic diagram? b. Look for other monuments of Rizal in the exhibition which you find odd or peculiar. What do you think of these representations of Rizal are trying to express? To what extent do you think an artist or benefactor can modify the norms and conventions in building a Rizal monument? 3. What beaux-arts and art deco motifs can you see in the monuments of Rizal? Focus on the section on the Third Floor North Wing Gallery about Rizal monuments with allegorical figures. What concepts and/or abstract ideas do you think are being represented by these figures? Choose one monument of Rizal and discuss the possible meanings in relation to Rizals significance in Philippine society. 4. Look at the photographs of the entries in the Rizal Monument Competition launched in 1905, from which the template for Rizal monuments was taken. How did each design entry interpret Rizal? Are there any similarities and/or differences? Pay attention to the allegorical figures that the artists included in their designs and interpret their meanings. 5. If you were a judge in the said competition, which would you chose as a winner? Justify your choice and discuss it in class. 6. Aside from housing the remains of the National Hero, the Rizal monument in Luneta also functions as an important landmark. It is where Kilometer Zero is located, from which distances in Luzon and other parts of the country are measured. a. When you hear the word, Luneta, what ideas and/or images come up to your mind? b. View the film installed at the Third Floor Landing Gallery titled Luneta (1954) starring Nida Blanca and Nestor de Villa, and the blown-up picture of a scene from the movie Big Shot (1956) featuring Charito Solis and Nestor de Villa. How did Luneta as a marker of place figure in the two movies? How important is Luneta in the narratives and how do you think it affects the audience watching the two films? Suggested Post-visit Activity:

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1. Design Your Own Rizal Monument a. Suppose you were commissioned to design a new Rizal monument. Draw a study of your design in the form of a schematic diagram similar to the one you saw in the exhibition. You may incorporate the common features found in Rizal monuments or go against them. Present the drawing to the class. b. Aside from drawing a schematic diagram, you may also present your design or concept in the form of a collage. Cut out various images of Rizal and other figures from newspapers and/or magazines and paste them together on a paper to come up with a composite Rizal monument. Present your design to the class.

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