Jose Rizal Day

Posted on:  |  National Museum of the Philippines

The #NationalMuseumPh commemorates Rizal Day with his rare oil on canvas painting of her eldest sister Saturnina Rizal Hidalgo.

Born on June 19, 1861, in Calamba, Laguna, Dr. Jose P. Rizal was widely recognized as a polymath with extraordinary intellectual power and remarkable artistic talent. He was educated in Manila and Europe and excelled in poetry, history, politics, architecture, sociology, medicine, and the arts. As an ophthalmologist, he became a well-respected and sought-after physician in Calamba, Laguna, Hongkong, and during his exile in Dapitan, Zamboanga del Norte. As a literary master, his novels “Noli Me Tangere” and “El Filibusterismo” were considered dominating forces in advancing the patriots’ plan for a revolution. And as a visual artist, Dr. Rizal created figurative representations and portraits of significant personalities he encountered traveling to Europe and during his exile in Dapitan.

The National Museum of Fine Arts houses an exhibition dedicated to works by and about our National Hero, the “Inspiring the Nation, Dr. Jose Rizal: The National Hero in Art.” Initially launched in 2012 as “The Hero in Art: Works by Jose Rizal and Portraits from the National Museum,” this exhibition honors the life and works of Dr. Rizal, celebrating his artistic excellence through his works from the National Fine Arts Collection and various private lenders. Among the exquisite works featured is Dr. Rizal’s portrait of his eldest sister, Neneng, or Saturnina Rizal-Hidalgo, which he painted when he was about 17 years old and is probably his only existing portrait in oil. Neneng stood as the hero’s second mother, who financially supported his brother’s education in Europe. Saturnina was married to Manuel Hidalgo of Tanuan, Batangas, and had five children.

Rizal Day is commemorated annually on the day Dr. Rizal was executed by the Spanish authorities on December 30, 1896, in Bagumbayan (now Luneta) to honor his life and contributions to society and the Philippine independence.

To know more about Rizal and his works, you may visit the “Inspiring the Nation, Dr. Jose Rizal: The National Hero in Art” exhibition in Gallery V of the National Museum of Fine Arts. You may also watch the exhibition’s virtual tour through this link: https://youtu.be/HMiP7JB1KFo/ .

#MuseumFromHome

#RizalDay

#NationalHero

Text by NMP FAD

Photo by NMP EEMPSD

©National Museum of the Philippines (2021)