In the time and world we live in today, Filipinos have seemingly taken the unique nature of their identity for granted. They may have embraced characteristics that make up their one-of-a-kind selves with open arms; however, little to no acknowledgment has been made to their existence primarily because of the fact that there are quite a number of things man has to do in the limited time they have in their everyday lives. An exception to this scenario are artists who have publicly recognized these traits by cleverly hiding and incorporating them in their masterpieces. In this paper, I look at fellowbeing portrayed in Fernando Amorsolo’s “Antipolo Fiesta,” at religiosity represented by the Manila Cathedral, and at nationalism exhibited in Eduard
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Soon enough persistent difficult questions would surface on the mind such as “What has happened,” “Has anyone ever done anything to solve these problems,” and the like. Ever since I was conscious of my thoughts and feelings, I have always classified myself as a person who is neither proud nor ashamed to be a Filipino citizen as I am admittedly indifferent on this particular issue. But then, even with this belief, I cannot help but agree with the theory of Benigno (2002) that the main reason behind the downfall of the Philippines is the culture of Filipinos. Filipinos are known to be hospitable, hardworking, and optimistic people, yet they tend to be greedy and to forget other people in favor for oneself (see capitalism and anthropocentrism as discussed on what makes art valuable). This causes corruption to be forever present since an individual seeks to improve the lives of oneself instead of the many. Though I am naturally a pessimist, I am still not giving up on my hope to see the Philippines change for the better in terms of culture and politics as I believe that these are the essential cores to lift up this country and be in par with other successful states. Hopefully, these pieces of artwork may remind Filipinos of who they really are and that there is more to the routine they partake in their everyday
Soon enough persistent difficult questions would surface on the mind such as “What has happened,” “Has anyone ever done anything to solve these problems,” and the like. Ever since I was conscious of my thoughts and feelings, I have always classified myself as a person who is neither proud nor ashamed to be a Filipino citizen as I am admittedly indifferent on this particular issue. But then, even with this belief, I cannot help but agree with the theory of Benigno (2002) that the main reason behind the downfall of the Philippines is the culture of Filipinos. Filipinos are known to be hospitable, hardworking, and optimistic people, yet they tend to be greedy and to forget other people in favor for oneself (see capitalism and anthropocentrism as discussed on what makes art valuable). This causes corruption to be forever present since an individual seeks to improve the lives of oneself instead of the many. Though I am naturally a pessimist, I am still not giving up on my hope to see the Philippines change for the better in terms of culture and politics as I believe that these are the essential cores to lift up this country and be in par with other successful states. Hopefully, these pieces of artwork may remind Filipinos of who they really are and that there is more to the routine they partake in their everyday