Las Virgenes Cristianas Expuestas al Populacho
| Las Virgenes Cristianas Expuestas al Populacho | |
|---|---|
_by_Felix_Ressureccion_Hidalgo_1884.jpg) |
|
| Artist | Félix Resurrección Hidalgo |
| Year | 1884 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 115 cm × 157 cm (45 in × 62 in) |
| Location |
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Collection On loan to the National Gallery Singapore |
Las Virgenes Cristianas Expuestas al Populacho or The Christian Virgins Exposed to the Populace is a famous 1884 history painting by Filipino painter, reformist, and propagandistFélix Resurrección Hidalgo. The painting is alternately known as The Christian Virgins Exposed to the Rabble,Jovenes Cristianas Expuestas al Populacho (Christian Maidens Exposed to the Populace),Christian Virgins Presented to the Populace,The Christian Virgins Being Exposed to the Populace, and Christian Virgins Exposed to the Mob.
The painting was a silver medalist (ninth silver medal award among forty-five) during the 1884 Exposicion General de Bellas Artes in Madrid, Spain, also known as the Madrid Exposition. According to Raquel A.G. Reyes, Hidalgo's winning the silver medal for the painting was a landmark achievement that proved the ability of Filipinos to match the work of Spaniards and laid claim to Filipino participation in European culture.
Regarded as one of the national treasures of the Philippines, a copy of the painting is part of the art collection of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (Central Bank of the Philippines). The original was destroyed in a fire at the University of Valladolid in Spain. Since 2015, the painting is currently on a five-year loan to National Gallery Singapore as part of its Southeast Asian art galleries.
An oil on canvas painting measuring 1.15 m × 1.57 m (45 × 62 in), Las Virgenes Cristianas Expuestas al Populacho is a "landmark painting" depicting the persecution of Christians in Ancient Rome. Described as a masterpiece remarkable in the aspects of quality, composition, and historical context, it portrays two scantily clothed Christian female slaves being mocked by a group of boorish Roman male onlookers. One of the women is posed seated naked at the foreground of the painting with her "head bowed in misery". The semi-nude women have been stripped not only of their garments but also of their dignity. Created in the academic style of Europe, the unfortunate women in the artwork are considered by some indigenous Filipinos as virgins "being led out, stolen from, and ridiculed". The women are young virgins cornered by a mob of "sexually hungry" Roman men. One of the men has his hand over one semi-naked female whose eyes are "looking up to heaven" asking and begging for "help that never comes".
...
Wikipedia