Our mother is our first teacher who teaches us how to be good people and abiding citizens, raising us to be the country's future leaders.

By Ma. Jared Kagne Garcia

Part of the proceeds will benefit NU’s community outreach projects in Sampaloc, Manila 

(The artwork is on display at National University Museum, 408 Sampaloc, Manila from October 14 to 19, 2024.) 

La Naval de Manila, or Nuestra Sra Del Santisima Rosario, was accredited with the deliverance of Manila from the Dutch pirates in 1646. It was believed she guided the Spanish ships into victory against the Dutch fleets, thus earning herself the name La Naval de Manila.

When the Franciscans arrived in the Philippines in 1578, they built a church made of nipa, bamboo, and wood, which was inaugurated on August 2 and was dedicated to the Our Lady of Angels. On November 5, 1739, the cornerstone of a new church was laid. It was destroyed in the bombings of Manila during the Second World War.

Known as the old legislative building, the neoclassical structure was built in 1921 and originally served to house the various legislative bodies of the Philippine government. 

Intramuros is the only district of Manila where old Spanish-era influences are still plentiful.

The Bahay na Pula (red house) was constructed in San Idelfonso, Bulacan, in 1929. It was mainly made of wood and painted red on the outside, giving it its name. The house was surrounded by extensive gardens filled with tamarind, camachile, and duhat trees.

San Beda was established in 1901 by monks of the Ordo Sancti Benedicti (OSB) or Order of St. Benedict, also known as the Benedictines. Its founder, St. Benedict, is acclaimed as the "Father of Western Monasticism" and the "Patron of Europe."

The historic arch of Pagsanjan, Laguna, was built during the Spanish era.

Along Crisologo Street in the City of Vigan, Ilocos Norte 

Malolos, Bulacan was officially opened on March 24, 1891, as Barasoain Y Malolos. The northern end of the recently proposed North-South Commuter Railway Phase I would end at the Malolos station.

The church of Las Piñas

Before the tranvia, the mode of transportation in Manila was mostly horse-drawn, consisting of the calesa, the carromata, and the caruaje. The tranvia served as the first railway transport to run across the Philippines. It was hailed as "state-of-the-art" in East Asia.

The Philippines' postal service began during the Spanish period with horse-riding couriers until it implemented some marked improvements, which the Americans initiated. Today, the building hums daily with fast postal service, with letters pouring in daily from every country corner.

I took some inspiration from a photograph found in a book titled "Lucon et Palaouan; six années de voyages aux Philippines" (1886) by the Frenchman Alfred Marche.

The American writer George Waldo Browne used the same photograph in his "The Pearl of the Orient: The Philippine Islands" (1990), but he simply captioned it "Mestizos."

I've been studying Baroque style lately, and that is also my inspiration for this piece.

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder," according to the well-known saying. Yet, it is only today our eyes need to make some effort to find beauty in so many faces. But when it comes to the Filipiñanas of the past, their appearance was unquestionably pure. One can be sure these beauties are as real as it gets.

Here’s a glimpse at the first chapter of Dr. Jose Rizal’s novel “El Filibusterismo," which was a follow-up to "Noli Me Tangere."

Inspired by Leonardo Tayao Cruz’s paintings, “Sa Ibabaw ng Kubyerta” depicts the social stratification evident since the Spanish Colonial Rule in the Philippines.

The lights and shadows cast on the buildings made a picturesque scene as they reflected on the waters of the famous city of canals.

You can't help but admire the structures and be mesmerized by the reflections on the water. 

This painting was inspired by the annual event, "Manila Carnival," from the American colonial period. It held five parades, which were called the "Floral Parade," to highlight the festival.

This painting was made when I was in Dubai.

It's one of the old towers in Al Fahidi.

Here, I present a parody of one of Johannes Vermeer's greatest masterpieces, the one they called the Mona Lisa of the North: "Girl with a Pearl Earring," with a touch of modernity.

Enjoy!

Neuschwanstein Castle is a 19th-century Romanesque Revival palace on a rugged hill above the village of Hohenschwangau near Füssen in southwest Bavaria, Germany.

"Lasigero," 2010

An original monochromatic oil painting made on a canvas panel, with a two-inch gesso primed border and coated with a matte picture varnish. At the back, it is covered with kraft paper tape. The subject was inspired by a photograph I took in 2017.