Cueto, Joanne O.

Professor Ma. Andrea Passion-Flores

Creative Writing 10
9 September 2014

Artwork Description
Visiting an art museum when youre an inartistic person is admit it is kind of
boring. But there will be a time that you will need to appreciate art even though you
have no interest or knowledge about it, like in a required class activity in the Vargas
Museum. There are many artworks inside the museum, on the first floor different
Christianity themed artworks with waxy design. Exhibited on the second floor were
collections of artworks by Filipino artists, different themed paintings bordered with
wooden sculpted frame. Lastly presented on the third floor were Islam themed artwork
and vivid colored displays.

Browsing around the gallery on the second floor, what can catch your attention
was an artwork with a golden metallic paint with warm sunrise colour in a cool air-
conditioned gallery. That artwork was made by a Filipino artist named Antonio
Dumlao on 1954. Drawn was a woman carrying a naked baby with a brood of chicken
on her lower right side, a carabao on her lower left side and a small crucifix on top of
the pod like structure behind her. The warm but cloudy atmosphere presented is
usually seen in farm scenery during early morning or late afternoon. Commonly the
crowing of rooster was like an alarm clock announcing the time of day. Whereas, the
carabao was associated with being industrious in ones work. Filipino time is governed
according to the way of nature.
This painting symbolizes early Filipinas as plain, gentle and caring. This Filipina
wore a Filipiaa dress called barot saya a plain dirty white blouse, red slit skirt with
green longer skirt underneath have no accessories and wears no make-up in a modest
manner. Unfortunately, being a woman in that time was just limited to be a housewife.
Naked baby guided by the early Filipina or Ina ng Lahi to be the promising light to
the next generation. In this artwork, the Filipina looking straight forward seeing off her
husband that will go to the farm or she is patiently and trustfully waiting for the return
of her husband from the farm.

After Researching about it, found out that there are two copies of Ina ng Lahi
made by Mr. Dumlao the first and original was bought by his boss Don Andres Soriano
while the other one was displayed at the vargas museum. There were small cracks
within the art displayed in the museum because Mr. Dumlao used oil and metallic paint
on his art. Marvellously this painting was awarded third prize for overall category and
got a special award - best female figure for sultana The Title which is Ina ng Lahi is
written in characters of alibata. This artwork is the representation of a Filipina as God-
fearing woman that cares for her family, that works diligently and on a routinary
lifestyle.

In this artistic trip take some time to understand and interpret the ideas made by
the creator of the work. Feel the emotions shown in their art. Reminisce the cultural
background of the art. And lastly appreciate the art.