Tuesday, October 13, 2015

THE NATIONAL ART GALLERY, NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE PHILIPPINES

THE NATIONAL ART GALLERY, NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE PHILLIPPINES

Exhibitions

Exhibitions at the National Art Gallery begin onat the main visitor entrance in Padre Burgos Avenue, and cover Philippine art from the 17th to 20th centuries. Exhibitions continue and feature modern and contemporary Philippine art from the 20th to 21st centuries as well as temporary exhibitions

The Old House of Representatives Session Hall

This historic hall was the site of the 1934 Constitutional Convention chaired by Claro M. Recto, as well as of many other significant events. It houses one of the country’s most well known paintings, the Spoliarium by Juan Luna Y Novicio. It is displayed across El Asesinato del Gobernador Bustamante (The Assassination of Governor Bustamante), the largest known work by Luna’s contemporary and friend, Félix Resurrección Hidalgo. Outside the entrance of the hall are two large wood reliefs by National Artist Napoleon V. Abueva, assisted by Renato Rocha and Jose Mendoza. They portray Rajah Sulayman, His Court, and the Palisades and Miguel Lopez de Legazpi and the Founding of Manila.

SOUTH WING GALLERIES

GALLERY I (Luis I. Ablaza Hall)
Religious Art from the 17th to 19th centuries

Christian themed art in the Philippines was prevalent in the 17th to the 19th centuries when parts of the country was under Spanish colonial rule. Many of these religious images were of carved wooden santos (saints) made by unknown artists, as well as reliefs and paintings of the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ. This gallery also features a National Cultural Treasure, a retablo (altar piece) from the Church of San Nicolas de Tolentino in Dimiao, Bohol.

Art Prints from the Archives of the Royal Botanical Garden in Madrid

In the mid-1700s, Spanish pharmacologist and botanist Juan José de Cuéllar commissioned Filipino artists to make drawings of Philippine plants that he had collected from his field work in Luzon. The drawings were kept in the archives of the Royal Botanical Garden in Madrid for over a century, and were rediscovered in 1988 by researcher Maria Belen Bañas Llanos. In 1996, the Spanish government gifted a special copy of the collection to the Philippines, presented by King Juan Carlos I of Spain to President Fidel V. Ramos. The collection now hangs in this galleryAcademic and Romantic Art

The 19th century brought master Filipino sculptor Isabelo L. Tampinco (1850-1933), a contemporary of Jose Rizal who was known for developing the Estilo Tampinco style of carving and ornamentation. His sons Angel and Vidal followed in his craft, and helped him carve the sculptures in the Old Senate Session Hall on the third floor of this building. Tampinco’s contemporaries and artistic successors are distinguished by a strong academic and neo-classical style, including Graciano Nepomuceno, Anastacio Caedo, and Florentino Caedo, whose works are also on display here.

Homage to Dr. José Rizal

This gallery honors Dr. José P. Rizal (1861-1896), known widely for his patriotism and acclaimed novelsNoli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. Displayed here are several portrait busts and paintings of Rizal by eminent Filipino artists from the early to mid 20th century, such as Isabelo Tampinco, Graciano Nepomuceno, Guillermo Tolentino and Martino Abellana. A prominent doctor and writer, Rizal was also a skilled artist. Included in this gallery is his drawing of the view of Gendarmenmarkt from his 1886 visit to Berlin, as well as his sculptures Bust of Ricardo Carnicero, San Pablo Ermitano, Oyang Dapitana, andMother’s Revenge, a declared National Cultural Treasure

BY;

JUVELYN T. PREZA
ART TOPIC

Friday, October 2, 2015

Composer Gallery

Here are quick and easy reference guides to the all-time great composers, a roster that we're always expanding. For each composer, you'll find vital statistics (birth, death, nationality), a short biographical sketch and a few fun facts, plus a basic guide to the music and a list of weblinks and resources, plus a few of the most famous tunes and one or two videos. Whether you're heading off to a concert, writing a research paper, looking for reliable, current information, or just want to explore some cool music and video, this is the first stop on your web search.

20TH-21ST CENTURIES

Adams, John

The most performed living American composer, Adams builds on the rhythmic momentum of minimalism, but introduces sharp contrasts and a wide range of musical references.
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BAROQUE

Bach, Johann Sebastian

Bach was a formidable intellectual and technical composer, but his music is also uplifting and spiritual, melodic, and rhythmically irresistible. Few names in music are as revered as Bach’s.

20TH-CENTURY

Barber, Samuel

American composer noted for craft and emotional power. His Adagio for Strings is one of the more popular classical works of the mid-20th century.
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20TH CENTURY

Bartók, Béla

One of the most celebrated early 20th-century composers. He collected and studied Eastern European folk music, which became the basis of his mature compositions.

CLASSICAL

Beethoven, Ludwig Van

The most famous and influential composer in music history. His life and music provided the template for musical Romanticism.

20TH CENTURY

Berg, Alban

A Viennese composer whose romantic modernism is unique and multifaceted. His music communicates with audiences despite his adoption of "atonal" musical techniques.
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ROMANTIC

Berlioz, Hector

His heart on his sleeve, fanatically dedicated, disillusioned, bushy-haired—Berlioz was the archetypal Romantic composer. He composed mostly large-scale orchestral and choral works.

20TH CENTURY

Bernstein, Leonard

American composer of everything from popular musicals to symphonies. He was also the most eminent and successful conductor born in the United States.

ROMANTIC

Bizet, Georges

Composer of the opera Carmen and a handful of other popular works.

ROMANTIC

Borodin, Alexander Porfir′Yevich

Full-time chemist, part time genius composer.
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By: Mary Grace Pineda

Music

Achieving a Strong, Healthy Mind

1
Learn to be mindful. Mindfulness is basically taking a moment to be aware of your feelings and senses at a particular point in time, without trying to analyze or judge anything. Many of the day-to-day things we do with our mind can be stressful and tiring. Taking a moment to be mindful, on a regular basis, can help relieve stress and anxiety, improve your mood and feelings, and help you concentrate on the more important things in life.^[20] Some methods of being mindful are as follows^[21]:
- Pay close attention to other people. Learn more about someone - how they think, why they are the way they are - without using any judgements or applying any stereotypes.
- Look at the world as if you’ve never seen it before. Try to take notice of things you take for granted.
2

Meditate. There is almost nothing bad about meditation. It helps increase your immune function, relieves pain, decreases inflammation, helps depression and anxiety, helps you regulate your emotions, physically changes your brain for the better, makes your memory better and much more.^[22] If you have never meditated before, learn how to concentrate first - sit still, close your eyes if you want, and focus on a single point. The point can be your breathing, a specific word, staring at a specific object, or even counting something. Focus on the object for as long as you can. If you notice your mind wandering, bring it back into focus. Once you get good at this method of concentration meditation, move onto more difficult forms of meditation^[23]
3
Boost your self-confidence and self-esteem. Self-confidence and self-esteem are an important part of having a strong and healthy body. Decreased self-esteem/self-confidence can be brought on by physical events, and can start an endless cycle of feeling bad mentally and physically.^[24] There are, however, many things you can do to help yourself increase your self-esteem/confidence every day:
- Look the part. Pay attention to what you wear and how you look. Wear things that make you feel comfortable and yourself. Don’t dress in a trend that isn’t you. The more confident you look, the more confident you’ll feel.
- Start crossing things off your to do list. Sometimes we have so much on our plate that the little, mundane things like doing the dishes or laundry get put aside. Take the time to get those small things out of the way - they’re accomplishments too!
- If needed, don’t spend time with people who make you feel small, or break down your self-esteem. And stay away from places that make you feel bad or have negative memories. If that isn’t possible, develop a plan to re-build your memory of a person or place in a more positive light.
4
Think positively. Take the time to recognize when you’re feeling down, or thinking negative thoughts. Try to overcome negative thoughts with positive ones. Think about the good things in your life.^[25] Try to be optimistic. Think about the things you feel guilty about and formally forgive yourself. Turn mistakes into learning opportunities. Don’t hold onto grudges. Reward yourself for the good and positive things you do in your life.^[26] Try not to aim for perfection in everything you do.^[27]
- Have fun! Do what you actually enjoy doing - on a regular basis. Try new and exciting things. Do something nice for someone else.^[28] Set some goals for yourself, easy or challenging, or both, and work towards them. Make sure you take the time to relax every now and again, and if necessary, do nothing. Just be yourself.^[29]
By: Rochelle Salazar
"Health Topic"

Health Tips for Heart, Mind, and Body

If you only do 5 things to boost health, what should you do?

Unhealthy lifestyle. It's a common contributor of our biggest health problems: stroke, heart disease, diabetes, cancer. What do the nation's top physicians recommend to keep your heart, mind, and body in optimally good health?

For the secrets to a long healthy life, WebMD turned to Richard A. Lange, MD, chief of cardiology at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. His advice:

1. Daily exercise.

You brush your teeth every day; exercise is equally important for your daily routine. Turn off the TV or computer, and get at least 30 minutes of exercise every day.

To work your heart, it's got to be aerobic exercise. You've got lots of options: walking, jogging, biking, rowing machine, elliptical machine,swimming. But don't feel like you have to be an athlete. Walking is great exercise. Get 10 minutes here and there during the day. It all counts.

Start with something simple, like parking in the far corner of the parking lot -- so you get those extra steps to the door. Take the stairs one or two flights instead of the elevator. If you take public transportation, get off one stop early and walk the rest. Get out at lunch to walk. Or walk with your significant other or your spouse after work. You'll get a bonus -- relaxation and stress reduction.

2. Healthy diet.

Quit eating junk food and high-fat fast food. Your heart, brain, and overall health are harmed by foods high in saturated fats, salt, andcholesterol. There's no getting around it. You've got to replace them with healthy foods: lots of fruits, vegetables, fish, nuts, olive oil -- what we call the Mediterranean diet. Eat like an Italian, a Spaniard, a Greek! Enjoy!

3. Weight loss.

Too much body weight puts your health at great risk. When you take in more calories than you burn, you get fat -- it's that simple. You've got to eat less. You've got to exercise more. You've got to push yourself to make these lifestyle changes -- but you've got to do it to help avoid serious health problems like heart disease, diabetes, or stroke.

4. Regular physical exams.

Tell your doctor your family medical history. Learn your personal risk factors, and the screening tests you need. Women may have mammograms to screen for breast cancer and Pap tests for cervical cancer. Men may have prostate cancer PSA tests. Routine screening forcolorectal cancer should start at age 50, perhaps earlier if colon cancerruns in your family. You also need regular diabetes, blood pressure, andcholesterol tests. Make sure your immunizations are up to date. You may need flu and pneumonia shots, depending on your age.

5. Less stress.

When a person says they're too busy to exercise, it tells me other things are crowding out what's important in life: They don't spend time with family and friends; don't exercise enough; don't eat right; don'tsleep properly. All these things reduce stress in your life, and that is critical to your health and longevity.

To be healthy, we need to set boundaries -- and set limits on work hours. We should not be working so hard that we're neglecting the things that keep us healthy. This is important advice, too, for people who take care of elderly parents or young children. Make sure you're getting proper exercise and sleep -- and that you're not trying to do too much.

By: Michelle Ann J. Ynot

"Health Topic"