Juan Luna and King Alfonso XII

Last week, I decided to catch the exhibit of Juan Luna's artwork at the Ayala Museum. Aptly titled "Splendor", the exhibition showcases the ‘Hymen, oh Hyménée!’ a marvelous work by artist and revolutionary hero Juan Luna which has never been seen in the Philippines until now. The first time it was unveiled to the public was on June 12 of this year and it is slated to be available to the public for a reasonable entrance fee (which will also be given to Ayala Museum’s charities) until December 31, 2023. The picture is a recreation of a Roman wedding ritual specifically depicting the bride's entrance into the groom's home.

Many of us grew up learning that Juan Luna was the brother of Antonio Luna, and that both brothers were involved in the revolution. Perhaps some have also learned that Luna murdered his wife, Paz Pardo de Tavera, in a fit of jealousy; however, he was acquitted due to “temporary insanity” as the crime was considered a crime of passion.

Juan Luna was one of very few indios from the Philippine colony recognized by the Spaniards for his artistic genius, winning several prizes for various works. His first major win was in 1881 when his ‘La Muerte de Cleopatra’ won him a silver medal and came in second in that year’s Exposición Nacional de Bellas Artes (National Demonstration of Fine Arts). His artistic recognitions led him to receive a 600-peso pensionado (pension) scholarship annually through the ayuntamiento or local government of Manila.

In exchange for the pension, Manila required him to paint something which captured the essence of Philippine history, which he fulfilled in 1886 with his work ‘El Pacto de Sangre’ (The Blood Compact), which now hangs in Malacañang. In 1884, he submitted the ‘Spolarium’ to the Exposición Nacional de Bellas Artes in Madrid and though he was one of three to receive a gold medal, he was denied the Medal of Honor because he was a colonial subject and prejudices ran very high back then.

In a surprising move, the king of Spain at that time, Alfonso XII, decided to compensate Luna for the denial of the medal and commissioned him to create an artwork depicting ‘La Batalla de Lepanto’ (The Battle of Lepanto), which was to be displayed at the halls of the Senate of Spain alongside Francisco Pradilla Ortiz's ‘La Rendicion de Granada’ (The Surrender of Granada), which won the grand prize in the 1878 competition.

This was truly a remarkable honor for Luna; the medal would have given him temporary prestige but would be ultimately forgotten, but the artwork he was tasked to do would forever hang in the halls of the Spanish Senate. The artwork Luna was commissioned to do was not just any ordinary painting. The battle is considered as Spain’s victory against the Turks, as well as the triumph of Catholicism over Islam. Thus, the painting was a depiction of Spanish national pride as well as a portrayal of pride in the Spaniard's Catholicism since the battle resulted in a Catholic victory.

After Juan Luna’s death in 1899, ‘Hymen, oh Hyménée!’ disappeared and many people believed it was either lost or destroyed by Luna's wife's family. However, it resurfaced in the collection of Spanish noble family, who refused to sell it even when two significant offers of purchase were made. Jaime Ponce de Leon, the founder of the Philippine-based auction house León Gallery, was finally able to buy it from the Spanish aristocratic family in 2014 and loaned it to the Ayala Museum starting June of 2023.

The same as historical events and facts where new historical truths continuously get unearthed every day, some artworks also come to light only after more than a century of being “lost”.  All it takes is the dogged pursuit to discover the truth or find what has been lost for years.