diariodefilipinas:

Guilty Verdict of Noted Philippine Social Critic Upheld by Polavieja

In an unsurprising development on December 28, 1896, Governor-General Camilo Polavieja upheld the guilty verdict of Jose Protacio Mercado Rizal Alonso y Realondo, better known as Jose Rizal, for subversive activities and fomenting rebellion in the Spanish colony of the Philippines. This comes on the heels of a rushed and controversial trial which some local analysts deemed a guilty outcome as fait accompli from the start.

The fallout from the decision is still to be seen, but already the Spanish government is on alert for additional restiveness in Manila and surrounding areas. The revolutionary-minded Kataas-taasan, Kagalang-galangang Katipunan ng̃ mg̃á Anak ng̃ Bayan, or the Katipunan, led by Andres Bonifacio (a known disciple of Jose Rizal) has been active since 1892. Since August 30, 1896 the Katipunan has been in an open state of revolution against the Spanish government.

Jose Rizal burst on the Philippine intellectual scene in the 1880s with a series of stunning essays and novels deriding the Philippine Church and challenging the political and social status quo in the Spanish colony. His portrayals of friars, especially in his first novel Noli Me Tangere, drew the ire of the Church. While his stirring polemics has effectively instilled a sense of nationalism among the Filipino people of all walks of life, much to the chagrin of the Spanish government.

Rizal’s active involvement with Bonifacio’s revolution remains controversial, he has publicly stated that he does not support the current rebellion. However, analysts have noted that he has steadfastly avoided denouncing any rebellious movement which leads to Philippine independence. A close reading of his novels and essays, including his first publicly hailed poem in 1879, indicate a fervently held hope for Philippine independence and freedom. It cannot be denied that he has become the soul of the Filipino movement in the colony.

In defending the decision, Judge Advocate General Nicolas de la Pena, who wrote the guilty decision, stated, “Rizal, like all revolutionaries, has promoted the real rebellion without specifying the moment at which it was to break out.” While it was well-known that the previous Governor-General Ramon Blanco y Erenas was inclined towards leniency with Rizal, the current Governor-General does not seem to be so. Sources within the Palace indicate that Jose Rizal’s mother, Teodora Alonso petitioned the Governor-General for clemency earlier today but was denied access to Malacanang Palace.

As of writing there has been no public statement from the Rizal clan.

The Quote:

Don’t you see how everything is awakening? The sleep has lasted for centuries, but one day the thunderbolt struck, and in striking, infused life. Since then new tendencies are stirring our spirits, and there tendencies, today scattered, will some day be united, guided by the God who has not failed other peoples and will not fail us, for His cause is the cause of liberty!

- Jose Rizal, The Social Cancer

The Painting:

The Barricade, rue de la Mortellerie, June 1848 (or Memory of Civil War) by Ernest Meissonier, 1848. A haunting piece depicting the aftermath of the workers riots in June 1848 in Paris, France.

The Quote (1)

So, while the Filipino has not the sufficient energy to proclaim, with head erect and bosom bared, its rights to social life, and to guarantee it with its sacrifices, with its own blood…while we see them wrap themselves up in their egotism and with a forced smile praise the more iniquitous actions, begging with their eyes a portion of the booty - why grant them liberty? With Spain or without Spain they would always be the same, and perhaps worst! Why independence, if the slaves of today will be the tyrants of tomorrow?

- Jose Rizal, The Reign of Greed (italics mine)

The Quote (2)

The people do not complain because they have no voice, do not move because they are lethargic, and you say that they do not suffer, because you have not seen their hearts bleed. But one day you will see and you will hear, and ah! Woe unto them that build their strength on ignorance or in fanaticism; woe unto them who are engaged in deception and work in darkness, believing that all are asleep!

- Jose Rizal, Noli Me Tangere [italics mine]

The Painting

Portrait of Ferdinand Marcos by Vicente Manansala (from Quezon.ph). Tyranny in portrait.

The Quote

To the subdued strains of the orchestra there seems to appear in the midst of a shower of light, a cascade of gold and diamonds in an Oriental setting, a deity wrapped in misty gauze, a sylph enveloped in a luminous halo, who moves forward, apparently without touching the floor. In her presence the flowers bloom, the dance awakens, satyrs, demons, angels, shepherds, and shepherdesses dance, shake their tambourines, and whirl about in rhythmic evolution, each one placing some tribute at the feet of the goddess…

- Jose Rizal, Noli Me Tangere

The Painting

The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli, 1486. An almost literal representation of the tale of the goddess Venus rising fully formed (being born) from the sea.

In lieu of my normal long-winded posts (yes, I typically post long essays. Just FYI for my new followers; but you’ve been spared them because of my recently killer schedule) I’ve had to launch some smaller, though no less entertaining posts. One, which I do kind of enjoy, has been the Art + Rizal series. Quite simple in concept, I take some of the more well known quotes of Rizal and pair them with pieces of art; hopefully creating an interesting meld of language and visual senses.

At the heart of it though is the idea that Rizal’s words and ideas, much like art, are timeless; that his words play around with, exhume, and express some of the most eternal of concepts (even creating new perspectives). Whether it’s love, or revolution, or despair, Rizal not only touched on eternalities, but created fascinating visions of the human condition. We forget that Rizal was cutting-edge; he did envision new philosophies that plumbed the frailties and strengths of humanity. Rizal was not just talking about Filipinos; he was a thinker of exceptional clarity and foresight on a global stage.

The Quote

Language has no answer to the questions of love that either shimmer or hide within a glance. The smile must respond, the kiss, the sigh.

- Jose Rizal, Noli Me Tangere

The Piece

Cupid and Psyche by Antonio Canova, 1757. A sculpture that depicts the final moment, when Psyche is awoken by a kiss from Cupid.

The Quote

On the field of battle, fighting with delirium,

others give you their lives without doubts, without gloom

The site nought matters: cypress, laurel or lily:

gibbet or open field: combat or cruel martyrdom

are equal if demanded by country and home.

- Jose Rizal (translation by Nick Joaquin)

The Painting

Liberty Leading the People, Eugene Delacroix 1830. One of the most famous of French paintings, it depicts Liberty, represented by the woman, boldly leading Frenchmen in impassioned revolt to overthrow a repressive and antiquated Regime.

The Quote

The sea, the sea is everything! Its sovereign mass
brings to me atoms of a myriad faraway lands;
Its bright smile animates me in the limpid mornings
And when at the end of day my faith has failed me
My heart echoes the sound of its sorrow in the sands.

 - Jose Rizal, Mi Retiro (translated by Nick Joaquin)

The Painting

Starry NIght over the Rhone by Vincent Van Gogh, September 1888. Van Gogh was fascinated with nightscapes; the result was some of his most compelling and haunting work (including Starry Starry Night). 

The Quote:

…they began to break their looms, abandon their mines, the fields…believing that their rulers would leave them alone on seeing them poor, wretched, and unexploitable…

- Jose Rizal

The Painting:

Workers Returning Home by Edvard Munch, 1913-1915. Oil on canvas. A painting designed to offer a critique of industrialization and its dehumanizing effects.