CONTEXTUALIZING AND THE USE OF EXPERIENTIAL-ANALYSIS IN JUAN LUNA'S SPOLIARIUM

BENITO VILLAREAL III, FAR EASTERN UNIVERSITY-MANILA

This paper will attempt to discuss art appreciation technique as it used Jerrold Levinson "artistic value",
and of arriving better on the importance of aesthetic experience in an artwork. Since Levinson claims that
artistic value covers aesthetic value and achievement value. Specifically, an analysis on Juan Luna's
Spoliarium considerably the largest painting in the Philippines and proclaimed as our huge national
heritage. As I argue, arts should have aesthetic engagement from the viewers and that lead to find the
artistic value. To add, I used the contextualizing technique since above all augment in artistic engagement.

The art which has roots of unknown beginning, however, attests man's ingenuity. It sustains traditions of
human creativity, and closely formed in the human expressions, and the historical precedents that adjust
to the taste of time. The ideas that comprise of cultures; it may not absurd, understand the messages that
it will produce. The meanings resemble time which resembles the reality of what is known in the human
understanding. Unknown to some, arts made reality expressive in forms which it helps preserve towards
generations. As it derived "ars", the Latin word for ability and skills. The ability to achieve or craftsmanship
with great skills in action. It covers a wide area of subject matter includes the visual arts or fine arts like
painting, sculpture, photography, architecture and installation art or even performing arts or literature.
Since it requires both imaginations and skill in accomplishing. It produces aesthetic feelings or experiences
which delights our desire of appreciations of arts. Since "art is everywhere" we wish to appreciate more
the relevance and importance of arts in today's condition. The message which it likes to say may not be
easy to understand by ordinary viewer.

Arts may look like easy to understand, and may satisfy aesthetic purpose or activity. Leo Tolstoy once said
"To evoke in oneself a feeling one has once experienced, and having evoked it in oneself, then, by means
of movements, lines, colors, sounds, or forms expressed in words, so to transmit that feeling that others
may experience the same feeling this is the activity of art." The idea of feelings and thrives it has evoked
artistic forms as are necessary for the human experience of arts. It's the same experience although
however, arts differ in practical ways. Words are present in the verbal arts like poetry, prose, and drama,
while in musical compositions used are the notes. In the visual arts like painting, sculpture and
architecture, use lines, colors, and tones or canvass. Operas and novels, on the other hand, tell stories
and so do music and dances. Nevertheless, it is faster and easier to understand and appreciate a song or
a dance than a painting and a symphony. Since artworks express ideas or feelings of people of the specific
time. Jerrold Levinson calls it contextualism of art (2016: 20). There's a historical embedded object of
identity about the relation between the image and that which it represents.

Figure 1 Spoliarium

Juan Luna the illustrious painter of Badoc, Ilocos Norte has produced one of the most important pieces of
Philippine history. The artworks which express his nationality like his award-winning obra maestras the
Spoliarium – this arouses our sympathy and inspires hope for our country. Understanding it or likewise,
appreciations in arts require skills of necessarily to complete the aesthetic experience. The skills brought
from schooled or not the school. They own to develop the fundamentals in art-making and created their

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distinct style while others continue the traditional style. The personnel of not schooled may lack
fundamentals, however, come out the most creative of all. On the other hand, the so-called "artistic value"
is a strong way to illustrate the art values. There is one common element among the works of art, and
they are basically concerned with the audience's or reader's experience. There can be different
experiences of the viewer of the art, but the same delight although the work of art represents or reflects
the individual, the character of the period and the place where it was produced. Goodman (1968: 241)
gives us a clear and the impressive view of how experience in arts requires and creates better encounter
which satisfies aesthetic experience:

…that we had to read the painting as well as the poem, and that aesthetic experience is
dynamic rather than static. It involves making delicate discriminations and discerning
subtle relationships, identifying symbol systems and characters within these systems and
what these characters denote and exemplify, interpreting works and reorganizing the
world in terms of works and works in terms of the world. Much of our experience and
many of our skills are brought to bear and may be transformed by the encounter. The
aesthetic ‘attitude' is restless, searching, testing—is less attitude than action: creation
and recreation.

The aesthetic experience involves more than just associating a work of art with personal experience. If
enough or at least have the necessary knowledge not only to see, view and hear but also to interpret
artworks. According to Wright (2003: 131) "how to respond to it appropriately and sensitively; how to
make discerning judgments about it; how to understand the history, techniques and many styles of
painting and its major practitioners; and where to go to see good examples of paintings". The aesthetic
experience arguably is a personal experience, and proper tooling will give the right amount of
appreciations. Since made by human creativity and imagination. As such, we inquire, isn't art that we want
to appreciate? For every artist, it means many things in art. In every art form conveyed meaning, insight,
and wisdom that pleasurable to human experience. What is something pleasurable when meaning does
not accomplish? Isn't in the art that we would like to know? Does it really require more knowledge,
experience, and articulation? Appreciations of art may not interest a lot of us. Is it the value of what
bothered to know the message of art? Let us start with Jerrold Levinson understanding of artistic value.
His book entitled Aesthetic Pursuits fairly examines the component of artistic value.

Levinson (2016: 48) He writes:

I will understand artistic value as the value an artwork possesses in virtue of its proper
functioning as art or its fulfillment of properly artistic aims. So understood, an artistic
value will clearly cover aesthetic value and achievement value, will most likely cover some
sorts of cognitive and ethical value, and may perhaps cover some sorts of social value and
religious value, to mention no others.

On the basis of this statement, Levinson claims that artistic value is far greater than aesthetic value, or
other than achievement value. The idea of the possession of arts in value. Given this idea I shall discuss
Levinson thought of artistic value in connections directly to the aesthetic value, and achievement value.
For him, "aesthetic value or achievement value" is "inaccessible" to someone engagement in the work of
art. Understanding is of the prime interest in the engagement if necessarily to experience in the work of
art. It is "inaccessible" since artworks are extraordinarily created like the Installation art of Jose Tence
Ruiz's Pabitin. Aesthetic value possessing that it may produce imaginative experience; since the physical

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qualities of the image are strongly recognizable. The idea is to experience aesthetic worth even at the
novice view. It must be seen objectively in arts as may give "pleasure" or "displeasure" and all in all is the
experience of beauty. The radical point of view goes to subjectivism as accorded by Immanuel Kant, is
rooted in pleasure or displeasure of the subject, although however, he made the emphasis that
"universality" goes in the judgment of what is beautiful.

The very idea of aesthetic value is always congruent to any aesthetic experience. The appreciators always
the center for assessing arts. It's more of understanding and clarifying the thoughts in arts. Then find the
best of all forms that manifests its qualities valuable in experiential experience. Another aspect of value
is the achievement in arts. It comparable and interestingly a representational in some artistic objectivity
or that may fulfill. For example, an experience of an appreciator—it is valuable because of experience
produced, visiting a museum, or talking to an artist in his studio or looking a bust sculpture. It is solely
experience based fulfillment which must in its own discovery. As Levinson puts this, "the viewing
experience aimed at is crucial to the value of the achievement admired, to why the work is ultimately
valuable artistically." The personal experience of arts makes great importance in achievement. The
achievement of personal experience greatly an art valuable judgment. Levinson has proposed artistic
value that are consistently essential in the achievement where does not depend on those of experiential
value: "originality (novelty); influential (fecundity); skillfulness (craftsmanship); inventiveness (creativity);
solving a problem in a medium (ingenuity); expressing something in a novel way (imaginativeness)." The
originality is the primary image in the expression of skills, and creativity. As what Albert Einstein was telling
the importance of "irresistible urge in the creative artist" because it allows the uniqueness of innovation
which will bring the whole new range of subject matter. The artists should not stop innovating and
introduce a new conceptualize arts. It looks at art as a creative endeavor that results from experience
both in the level of understanding and level of feeling. The artist imagination is crucial to any creative
works since it all depends on thinking. As well the experience of the appreciator of art may greatly affect,
deepen and broaden the enjoyment. It's a hierarchical proposal to understand now. Let us consider this
painting with an abstract idea—lines were common to its elegant and style. As the artist needed design
because the beauty requires the specific pattern. The pattern which makes the art so beautifully crafted.
Any new design such as the line is the expression of beauty and originality. If there's an expression of
beauty as well of originality this what makes art appreciable. This is an aesthetic concept that needed in
art expression. The originality of art that never been copied proposes an engagement and aesthetic
achievement. If there's originality in art, then skillfulness made the major role in it. The artist great skills
are improved through years of tenacity. Such artistic skills are necessary to create newly art. Its
inventiveness or creativity made art exemplary great, by seeing and understanding the reasons may give
the appreciator revealing concepts of life and beauty, indicating the creative consciousness contained in
the artist work.

The artwork's subject matter is very much affected by the artistic style. In an artwork, to begin the formal
analysis of an artwork resides in the subject matter and style. "The manner in which artists express
themselves constitute their style. Style gives us that body of characteristics that identify an artwork with
an individual, a historical period, a school of artists, or a nation, for example, realism, expressionism,
abstract, and so on" (Sporre 14). Although arts may change through time which gives birth to a new one.
The changes carried away in art forms reflecting on what is the experience. Moreover, it is both reflected
in the experience of the concepts and judgments. The judgment or how the artworks which will afford us
deepen on how the solving of the problems. Like the same manner, the artist choose the right medium

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just for painting can be oil, watercolor or acrylic; in sculpture, other mediums include clay, wood, metal,
and bronze or any sort of mediums for the visual arts.

Levinson argues that aesthetic judgment has levels of "degree of objectivity." In general, aesthetic as
debated on which properties may entail subjective perceptual or observable properties which is important
to any aesthetic value. This objects which are possessed by the subjective experiences. Although
evaluative in nature may also create the dispute in the aesthetic property as follows: the gestalt character,
standardizing its taste, pleasure or displeasure, and the lower-level perceptual properties may require
aesthetic experience brought by imagination (Contemplating Art 2006: 321). Likewise, art scholars suggest
that there is considerable convergence happening of what are perceivable properties which this open-
ended list—taste, beauty, ugliness, sublimity, grace, elegance, delicacy, harmony, balance, unity, power,
drive, and so on. However, aesthetic experience is not just or plainly in a state of mind. This requires
analysis of knowing the disinterestedness, desire free, and pleasure concerns. What on Immanuel Kant
observe by Adler by "disinterested" is that the object "falls outside the sphere of our practical concerns.
It is an object we may or may not desire to acquire, possess, to use, consume or in some other way
incorporate into our lives or ourselves" (Adler 1981: 105). The perceptions, emotions, or distinctive
experience marks of those practical concerns. Since it has mental activity as on aesthetic one just like the
"disinterested."

Now, let me discuss the intention of this paper. I have discussed the evolution of art in general early part
of this paper, this experience requires the great attitude of artistic appreciation for the formulation of
concept in arts. Whether the concept of art is good or bad, sublime or not, physical or mental, abstract or
concrete, singular or multiple then art is still an art and so it necessitates raising of questions properly. I
will consider a question of artistic value. As Levinson argues it is more of proper functioning as part of
fulfilling artistic aims. What artistic value of Juan Luna's Spoliarium can it produce? Why is it generally
important that artworks possess artistic claim? Does can we arrive proper artistic claim in the Spoliarium?
To create this spectacle is to use Levinson instrumentality in an artistic claim of achievements and later
recommends basic artistic adaptability. However, this is the limitation of my studies. Observation of
Levinson to Malcolm Budd an experientialist view that "a work of art is made to be experienced" as it
holds what the artist wishes to experience since experience is crucial to understanding. In contrast, to
what Descartes initially claim about an experience as it will fail to any conceivable experience. Descartes
(1984: 21) shares that:

I remember that, when looking from a window and saying I see men who pass in the
street, I really do not see them, but infer that what I see is men, just as I say that I see
wax. And yet what do I see from the window but hats and coats which may cover
automatic machines?

Here is not suggesting or initiating an original style, solving a problem in choosing a medium, or exercising
a positive or negative influence on art—I think the important piece is to consider about making reference
to valuable perceptual imaginative experiences, or the aesthetic experiences, that the work of art affords
or makes possible to experience and appreciated. The Spoliarium shows wide perceptions of experience
from the original viewer, up to the present Filipinos and from the master Juan Luna itself. Since it pictures
a political situation relative to that of a period of Spanish colonialization. That is, the beaming religious
autocracy, the political independence turmoil, of the marginalized Filipinos in their local languages, the
religious animosity and so on. For experientialist like Budd, any aspect of artwork's which entails artistic

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meaning can result from from artistic claim that of course brought by proper engagement or aesthetic
achievement. Spoliarium if properly engaged in artistically thus creates and may result in the artistic claim.
Moreover, one aspect of consideration is the historical understanding and how the artwork is related to
it. Thus Spoliarium artistic claims in the manners of experiential-historical thoughts: (1) the requisite of
political injunction ; prior to the Spanish presence was an organized Balangay (Barangay) the injunction of
political leaders of the Datu's powers of the executive, the legislative, and the judiciary above the
communities and supreme commander of any territorial disputes. As the Spanish colonizers introduced a
highly centralized form of government which lasted for 300 years, so it is vulnerable to abuses and many
Filipinos were involved in reforms. The Spoliarium gladiatorial scenarios depict the "fate" and the "plight"
of Filipinos. Any viewers would see it as the results of cultural problems, the ethnic identity has been put
towards an end in favor of a more powerful race. Why Juan Lunas' would use the representation of the
gladiators? This is noticeable in the painting were two dead gladiators in ropes being dragged by two men.
Experts are suggesting the colors used by Luna are expressively Filipino: hues of yellow, yellow ochre,
orange, red and brown. As a romanticist and reformer himself, to strategies of political motives is to
express it indirectly upon which political opponents will not be directly scandalized. Just like Jose Rizal
made use of literary fiction to describe a real situation. His novels with the real characters substantiate a
real scenario. It would only be understood with the careful analysis until the real message was unraveled
by the UST faculty. So, the intention of gladiatorial representation unfolds two ideas. First, it tries to hide
the message from the Spaniards who are vehemently castigating traitors of the crown of Spain and Filipino
people were at all odd victims. Second, it tries to hide the message until Filipinos at that time will learn
and be enlightened about Spanish autocracies against the Filipinos mediocrity. The above mentioning, I
converge the contextualization and experiential paradigm to arrive my artistic claims on the Spoliarium
since it created a paradigm for artistic value. As the most used medium at that time Luna chose oil on
canvass to express his nationalistic sentiments. The oil brought out the brightness of the main figures and
made the less important ones recede through dark shades. The Spoliarium was finished in March of 1884,
in time for the preview of entries to the National Exposition of Fine Arts in Madrid. The social content that
exposes Filipino people under the Spanish colonizer. The artistic adaptability (2) the general adaptability
may allow us to explore and enabled us to stretch the potential of Spoliarium, and see through the
objective part of the artistic work. Overall since it is dynamic in composition, there are 17 figures on the
left side of the frame and only two on the opposite side. Juan Luan perfected the control of lights. The
light soaks the corpses, with draggers pulling it while the two onlookers standing. The light diminishes on
the left side, while darkness conceals one-third of the frame with only the back and foot of the seated
woman illuminated with some light. So, it will lead to the viewer's eye or viewer's experience that he or
she can see the human dumping site (Spoliarium) and hear the crying crowds for their dead loved ones,
and may likely smell the decaying corpses. Thus, Spoliarium artistic claims are far relevant of today since
it calls Filipino people about the political and historical representations of the message of the artwork and
its functions serve as enlightenment for any future social-politico upheaval. Also, the importance strikes
the claim of its major achievement in its aesthetic achievement, especially how the figures in the artwork
were placed and feel the connections. Understanding the artwork should entail artistic vocabulary to
properly interpret, understand and appreciate. The illustration which I presented on the contextualization
exhibit a manifold valuable experience that if afford us to do hence added an experiential narrative point
of view.

In summary, Levinson has discussed the experiential approach in artistic understanding on the claim of
any given art as it covers aesthetic value and achievement value. In the meantime, this artistic value above

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all is a communication of establishing aesthetic accomplishment. The famous Spoliarium may constitute
a fundamental means of access to the historical context but its essence, however, lies mainly in sense-
perception and thus it nothing beyond perceiving of course without the concern on its historical integrity.
The so-called contextualization-experiential analysis of the Spoliarium gladly on my opinion share the
same manifests form may, in fact, have the same state, content, or value if only shoots the object from
the human context. In a helpful addition, of course, the aesthetic qualities that an object possesses in any
artwork, in general, differ from something that is indiscernible or from discernible. Spoliarium as a great
work of art is strongly discernable.

August 7, 2017

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Kant, I. (1790/2001). Critique of the Power of Judgement. Edited by Guyer, P., translated by

Guyer, P. and Matthews, E., Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 7

Levison, Jerrold. 1998. Aesthetics and Ethics: Essays at the intersection. Cambridge:

Cambridge University Press.

______2006. Contemplating art. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

______2016. Aesthetic Pursuits. The USA. Oxford University Press.

Luna, Juan . (1884). Spolarium. National Museum of the Philippines. 29 June 2017.

Sporre, Dennis. Perceiving the Arts . 8th ed. The USA. Prentice Hall. 2006

Stoothoff, and Dugald Murdoch (trans.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Tolstoy, Leo. 1897. What is art? New York. Funk and Wagnalls Company.

Wright, Susan. The art, young children, and learning. The USA. Pearson Education Inc.,