Author: National Museum of the Philippines

Burnay Making: Lecture and Demonstration

Date: May 23, 2022

Posted on:  |  National Museum of the Philippines Posted in Heritage Month.

As we celebrate the National Heritage Month, the #NationalMuseumPH Ilocos invites
senior high school students to join our activity entitled, “Burnay Making: Lecture and
Demonstration” at Ilocos Regional Museum Complex, Heritage City of Vigan on May 23,
2022 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 nn.
National Folk Artist Mr. Fidel A. Go shall serve as our resource person. Try-outs by a
limited audience shall be conducted.
LIMTED SLOTS ONLY!
For registration and inquiries, please contact Ms. Frolaine Aprilyn D. Dannang,
Information Officer III, at 09355819408 or message us through our Facebook page.

#PamanangLokal
#NHM2022
#NationalMuseumPH

Roundtable Discussion on Archaeology

Posted on:  |  National Museum of the Philippines Posted in Heritage Month.

In celebration of the #NationalHeritageMonth, the #NationalMuseumPH will host a roundtable discussion, “The Past, Present, and Future: Archaeology and its role, impact, and directions in the Philippines”. It aims to gather the archaeology community, institutions, and organizations on heritage studies and relevant fields and the general public to a discourse on the relevance of archaeology in the country. The program will open with presentations from three speakers, from which the succeeding forum will be based. 

The RTD is co-organized by the Archaeology Division and Maritime and Underwater Cultural Heritage Division of the National Museum of the Philippines, and the Kapisanan ng mga Arkeologist ng Pilipinas, Inc. (KAPI). 

Register now through this link to participate in the lively discussions on archaeology: 

#NHM2022
#NationalHeritageMonth
#PamanangLokal

Text and poster by NMP Archaeology Division

© 2022 National Museum of the Philippines

Usapang Pamana: BOAC Cathedral

Posted on:  |  National Museum of the Philippines Posted in Heritage Month.

Date: May 25, 2022

BOAC CATHEDRAL. In celebration of National Heritage Month, the #NationalMuseumPH
Marinduque-Romblon Area Museum invites you to a free webinar entitled “Usapang Pamana:
Boac Cathedral” on May 25, 2022, 9AM-11AM via Zoom Meeting.


The webinar aims to raise public awareness on the significance of Boac Cathedral and inspire
appreciation of its historical and cultural importance.


An important cultural property (ICP), Boac Cathedral is a built-heritage constructed in 1792. It is
located at the top of the hill of Brgy. Mataas na Bayan in Marinduque’s capital town. The 230-
year-old Baroque church has survived several earthquakes and wars. It has adobe walls and
fortresses. Boac Cathedral, also known as the Immaculate Conception Parish Church, played
an essential role in religious and significant historical events of the province.


The church was a spiritual sanctuary and a refuge for the community, especially during the
pirate attacks in the 18 th Century. To date, Boac Cathedral symbolizes the province’s religiosity,
as expressed in the sea of devotees that join the yearly Moryonan every Holy Week. The
National Museum declared Boac Cathedral an ICP in 2018 for its “exceptional cultural, artistic,
and /or historical significance” to the Philippines.


Zoom participants can pre-register at this link: https://bit.ly/396jXSW. Those who can’t join in
Zoom can watch the webinar simultaneously at the National Museum of the Philippines
Marinduque-Romblon Facebook page. For inquiries, please call (042) 332-0507 or 0919-077-
9858 or email us at nm.mramso@gmail.com or marinduqueromblon@nationalmuseum.gov.ph
Meantime, you can visit the museum at Brgy. Malusak, Boac, from Tuesday to Sunday, 9AM to
4PM.

SENAKULO

Posted on:  |  National Museum of the Philippines Posted in Uncategorized.

The #NationalMuseumPH is one with the Filipino Catholic community in remembering Christ’s sacrifice through his crucifixion this Good Friday. For our #MuseumFromHome feature this Holy Week, we highlight one of the Lenten traditions that have evolved throughout the centuries since it has been first performed—the Senakulo. 

The Senakulo (or cenaculo) is the staged re-enactment of Christ’s passion and death. It is also known as pasyon y muerte, passion play (Rizal, Bulacan, Bataan, and Pampanga); centurion or hudyuhan (Laguna); tanggal (Bicol region); and pamalandong (Leyte). The performance of the Senakulo is traced to the late 17th and early 18th centuries when the first Pasyon text was written. Unlike the Pasyon which is chanted in a mournful tone called tagulaylay, the Senakulo aims to dramatize scenes while also deriving from the contents of the Pasyon.

Drawing from the text of the newer Pasyong Henesis or Pasyong Pilapil, which became popular among the folk community in the early 19th century, has caused the Senakulo to be lengthier. In some provinces, the traditional performance of a Senakulo may last from 7 to 8 days. Shortened versions however have been staged during Good Friday, beginning only from the agony of Christ, particularly in the urban areas.  

The town or church plaza, as well as the streets, serve as the venue of most Senakulo performances. In some instances, during the early 20th century, it has also been performed in sabungan (cockpits) in areas near Manila. As with other Holy Week traditions marked by community participation, the staging of the Senakulo is no different. Senakulo actors would prepare the props and sew their own costumes in anticipation of the Holy Week while the stage is built in the plaza using scaffolding and wooden boards, which are painted to serve as the backdrop. While the stage is central to the performance of main scenes such as the crucifixion, many episodes of the Senakulo are performed while going around the town streets. After which, they circle back to the plaza where the stage is located. As the plaza is usually located in front of the church, the end of the Senakulo will serve as a transition for the viewers to attend the succeeding activities such as the Seven Last Words or the procession of the Santo Entierro (image of the dead Jesus Christ) around the town. 

#MahalNaAraw2022
#BiyernesSanto
#Senakulo

Text and poster by the NMP Ethnology Division
Photo courtesy of Michael Dalogdog (2018). 

© 2022 National Museum of the Philippines

Via Crucis studies by National Artist (NA) for Visual Arts Jeremias Elizalde-Navarro (1924–1999)

Posted on:  |  National Museum of the Philippines Posted in Uncategorized.

The #NationalMuseumPH celebrates World Art Day and joins Roman Catholics in the observance of Good Friday #OnThisDay, with an exhibition of the two sets of Via Crucis studies by National Artist (NA) for Visual Arts Jeremias Elizalde-Navarro (1924–1999) in the Museum Foundation of the Philippines Hall (Gallery X) of the National Museum of Fine Arts. 

These two sets of studies—one on pen and ink, and the other, graphite and ink wash on illustration board, were completed in 1973, the same year that Navarro was appointed Director of Graphics of the Design Center of  the Philippines. These significant additions to the National Fine Arts Collection were made by the National Museum of the Philippines through acquisition in 2020 from the late Emma Villanueva Navarro. The Via Crucis or the Stations of the Cross depict the events of the Passion of Christ, from his condemnation to his entombment. 

In 2019, UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), during its 40th session, proclaimed April 15 of every year as World Art Day. This is to “promote the development, diffusion, and enjoyment of art.” Art continues to unite us and connects to us even in the most difficult circumstances—most especially in this time of the pandemic.  

Born in San Jose de Buenavista, Antique, Jeremias “Jerry” Elizalde Navarro graduated from the University of Santo Tomas (UST) with a degree in fine arts in 1951. He pursued his graduate studies in New York City, returned to teach at the University of Santo Tomas, and later on taught at the Randwick University in Australia. Navarro experimented with various media and techniques. He also represented the Philippines in numerous art competitions abroad. Navarro was proclaimed National Artist for Visual Arts in 1999. 

In observance of Holy Week, the National Museum complex in Rizal Park will be closed from Maundy Thursday to Black Saturday. You may view National Artist Navarro’s Via Crucis starting Easter Sunday, as we resume our regular museum hours. Admission is free and walk-in visitors are accepted. 

#WorldArtDay
#GoodFriday
#MuseumFromHome

Text and photos by NMP-FAD

© 2022 National Museum of the Philippines

Launch of Remembering Fernando Amorsolo on his 50th death anniversary
A special exhibition at the Museum Foundation of the Philippines Hall (Gallery X) 

Posted on:  |  National Museum of the Philippines Posted in News and Events.

The #NationalMuseumPH opens a special exhibition on the works of National Artist for Painting Fernando Amorsolo y Cueto (1892-1972).

Inside the Museum Foundation of the Philippines Hall (Gallery X) at the National Museum of Fine Arts is a special exhibition, “Remembering Fernando Amorsolo on his 50th death anniversary.” This gallery features 11 oil paintings of National Artist Fernando Amorsolo from the collection of the Philippine Normal University (PNU), the National Fine Arts Collection (NFAC), and the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) which were previously exhibited at the GSIS Northeast Hall (Gallery XX). Also included are two rare oil paintings of his younger brother, Pablo Amorsolo (1898-1945) from the NFAC, which also deserve to be exhibited in this hall alongside his brother’s paintings.

Shown to the public for the first time and one of the main highlights of this exhibition are two noteworthy paintings of Amorsolo from the collection of the Philippine Normal University entitled, “Mother and Child” and “Paoay Church”. These two pre-war works of oil on canvas, completed in 1943 and 1933, respectively, show the mastery of the artist in his use of light and color and were produced during the height of his artistic career. In 2020, the paintings were transferred to the NMP for safekeeping, conservation, and exhibition. The NMP expresses its heartfelt thanks to PNU, represented by its President, Dr. Bert Jazmin Tuga, for its generosity in lending these masterpieces for public appreciation.

Fernando Amorsolo y Cueto was born in Paco, Manila on May 30, 1892. At a young age, he began studying art under his uncle, Fabian de la Rosa, and sold watercolor postcards at a local bookstore for 10 centavos each to help his family. His formal studies in art began at the Liceo de Manila where he gained honors in drawing and painting, after which he enrolled at the University of the Philippines School of Fine Arts (UPSFA), becoming one of its first of its graduates in 1919. He also studied at the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in Madrid, Spain in 1916 through a grant from entrepreneur Enrique Zobel de Ayala. During his training abroad, he acquired the techniques he needed to improve his art further. His style included rapid, fragmented brushwork in impasto, portraying genre scenes, and landscapes of the countryside that he is known for. After his studies, he worked as a draftsman for the Bureau of Public Works, as an artist at the Pacific Commercial Company, as a part-time instructor in UPSFA and later as its director from 1938 until 1952. He was bestowed the official title “Grand Old Man” with the inauguration of Manila Hilton’s art center on January 23, 1969 exhibiting a selection of his works.

Amorsolo passed away on April 24, 1972 at the age of 79 and was posthumously proclaimed as the first National Artist of the Philippines three days after his death.

Visit us after the Lenten Holidays and head on to Gallery X to view this special exhibition. Admission is free and walk-in visitors are accepted.

#FernandoAmorsolo
#MuseumFromHome

Text and photos by NMP-FAD© 2022 National Museum of the Philippines