Filipino Struggles Through History 1964

Botong Francisco made this epic mural, Filipino Struggles Through History, with paint on canvas, and the making of it feels so connected to the sweep of history itself. The earth tones and reds create a fiery backdrop, as if the paint itself is rising up. I am drawn to the layering of figures, the way they emerge from this roiling scene. There's a real sense of physicality, especially in the way the artist renders the bodies straining against the weight of their struggle. Look at the brushstrokes on the central figure's chest, the way the light catches his muscles. You can almost feel the tension. The spears in the painting point in all different directions and act almost as lines in an abstract drawing, each mark adding to a sense of urgency and unrest. It reminds me a little of José Clemente Orozco, another muralist who wasn't afraid to get messy and political. And just like Orozco, Francisco reminds us that art isn't just about pretty pictures, it's about wrestling with the big questions.