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... royal use of color expressed the feelings and emotions of the subject and the painting itself as well as the feelings and emotions of the artist himself. Amorsolo's trademark technique of backlighting is seen here; backlighting is a technique employed in which the figures are situated against the light, thus outlining them with a golden glow. In the case of Burning of the Idols, the backlighting technique was used in the painting of the young woman. Some critics have tagged Amorsolo's work to be that of an Impressionist; however, this would be a hasty and false generalization. Though Amorsolo made use of bright colors and had the style of blurring details outside the central area, he never truly deviated from the style he learned from Don Fabian dela Rosa, his mothers first cousin and mentor during his younger days.
Amorsolo, as in this painting, did not use the Impressionists spectrum palette of bright, prismatic colors and still made use of the color black. Amorsolo merely took from the Impressionists theory and practice what he needed and blended them together with his other styles to form a unique technique that was purely Amorsolo. Amorsolo never conformed to one particular art technique or movement such as Expressionism or Magic Realism; he combined elements of several techniques those he found suitable for his work and his tastes and came up with a style totally his own that would be his trademark and that would distinguish him from other artists and set him apart. A touch of romanticism is apparent in his adjustment in the light to create an appropriate mood and the portrayal of a woman half-naked. Amorsolo painted using the direct method or alla prima (i.
e. , paint is applied directly on the surface with a brush as it would look in the finished figure). He also made use of contour lines to set one figure apart from another or from the background. Contour lines, as defined in Art and Society, define the borders or outer limits of a figure, modeled or shaded to give the illusion of three-dimensionality, as viewed from a particular angle. It is clear while looking at the painting that he never solidly outlined the forms with black lines; rather, the forms were set apart with the use of contour lines. Slightly vigorous brushwork was also employed by Amorsolo. The fire, in particular, was made with short, energetic strokes to create the illusion of a real fire the white smoke emanating from the fire, the flames that licked and danced and crackled.
The texture of the painting varies from smooth to slightly rough. For instance, the young womans body gives the appearance of being smooth, and nubile. The childs body, as well, appears smooth. Meanwhile, the clothes of the various figures have the texture of being quite rough, yet also quite soft, and the folds and wrinkles are realistically shown.
The mens bodies, though also a bit smooth, appear rougher than that of the womans and childs, making a distinction between the bodies of the two opposite sex, and that of bodies between two different ages. The fire takes on the shape of a circle, with blackness surrounding it on the top right corner. This could signify closure the natives are burning their idols and turning their back on paganism forever and embracing the new religion of Christianity. There is a balance in transition in the painting. From the leftmost corner, there are several lines of movement (from the men leaning forward) leading the viewers eye from one part of the canvas to another, until it comes to rest on the young woman, the fire and the child. Proportion is also utilized in the painting.
The young woman looms as a larger figure among the rest, in connection with its being the central focus of the painting. The dominant element in the painting is that of value. In line with this is the technique Amorsolo employed called backlighting which was discussed earlier. Through this technique and use of the element value, the mood of the painting is produced. The painting, with its dark tones almost throughout the entire canvas and sudden burst of light in the area of the fire and the young woman, conveys a mystery and drama in the portrayal of such an intense time in the history of the Philippines. The darkness enveloping most of the canvas could be taken to mean the dark times of barbarism and supposedly crude civilization before the arrival of the Spanish.
The fire and the woman burning the idol would then signify the light of Christianity and of an enlightened people because of the arrival of a more civilized religion and a more civilized culture. The cross in the upper-left hand corner of the painting perhaps symbolizes the pending dominion of the Catholic faith and its emissaries (the friars and priests) over the native Filipinos in the years to come. Likewise, the watchful Spanish soldier above the fire could represent the Spanish government which would rule over the Philippines for more than 300 years, as well as the sovereignty and control they would exercise over the natives in the centuries to come. The men, with their apparent movement and emotions, could be taken to symbolize the Filipinos of olden times fierce warriors such as Lapu-Lapu, Rajah Solomon and Lakandula who would fight for what they thought was best. The child, as a passive observer in the gathering, could represent the new breed of Filipinos who would keep quiet and submissive for more than 300 years of Spanish colonial rule. The woman probably stands on the middle ground between the fierce warriors of long ago and Filipinos of colonial rule the Filipino who was immediately drawn to something foreign, something new.
Indeed, at any period, we Filipinos have always been receptive of new ideas. The gathering of numerous natives around the cross could signify the zeal of Christian Filipinos. Ever since the Filipinos had been converted to Christianity, they had been fervent and passionate in their new religion. For instance, Rajah Human of Cebu went so far as to go against his own kind that of Lapu-Lapu and Lapu-Lapu's kingdom because Lapu-Lapu refused to submit under the Spanish. During the Spanish colonial rule, we see this zeal and passion in Filipinos among the manage and meanings in the churches.
They are portrayed in Rizals novels Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo as those who help out in the Church and during the masses and other services, weighted down with many rosaries and scapulars, and primary buyers of the priests indulgences. The Filipinos would go out of their way to ignore an excommunicated person because it is strictly forbidden by the Church even if the person is innocent and someone of their own blood. They would rather keep quiet rather than bear the wrath of God and of the priests (actually, they didnt even make a distinction between God and the priests). They were blind followers of a religion and of that religions emissaries who abused this ignorant discipleship. The Burning of the Idols is a powerful and moving piece of art fraught with symbolisms and hidden meanings. Its theme and subject matter is unique because it deviates from the usual scenes of rural life (such as planting rice, young maidens in the field, bayanihan, etc. ).
Amorsolo's choice of a subject is commendable and I wish that many more artists would be inspired to paint such scenes from our history. It is important for everyone to be more familiar with our culture, our history, and to be proud of it. Indeed, when I walked the entire length of the Amorsolo Gallery, this painting was the only one that stopped me in my tracks and arrested my attention. Amorsolo is truly a maestro who has created not just one, but many, masterpieces. He is certainly deserving of his National Artist title and most especially, to be the first recipient of such a distinction.
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Research essay sample on Burning Of The Idols Fernando Amorsolo
