Luna and Hidalgo

“Genius has no country; genius bursts forth everywhere; genius is like light and air, the

patrimony of all: cosmopolitan as space, as life and God.” This is one of Rizal’s statements in
his speech honoring two great Filipino heroes and artists in Juan Luna and Felix Resurreccion
Hidalgo who proved that Filipino talent and skills truly deserved to be presented in international
stage.

The issue of racial divides as well as cultural dominance is strongly addressed in the honoring
speech of Rizal. In the body of the speech, there is a part there that Rizal discussed the rise of
the two artists from the region, and their eternal or undying mission of establishing the name of
their homeland to be in lined with the famous powerful countries in the world. The statement is
“As I utter them, I seem to see two luminous arches that rise from either region to blend there on
high, impelled by the sympathy of a common origin, and from that height to unite two peoples
with eternal bonds; two peoples whom the seas and space vainly separate; two peoples among
whom do not germinate the seeds of disunion blindly sown by men and their despotism.”

Aside from giving glory and recognition to Luna and Hidalgo as Filipino prides and artists, Rizal
also told something about the relationship of Spain and Philippines which directly points to the
idea of equality and racial divides. The statement is “To such belong the names of Luna and
Hidalgo: their splendor illuminates two extremes of the globe-the Orient and the Occident, Spain
and the Philippines.”
The artworks of the two Filipino artists that made the Philippines impressive in international
stage are the “El Expolarium” or the “Spoliarium” by Juan Luna which won gold medal or first
placer in the Exposition of Fine Arts in Madrid in 1984, and the “Virgenes Cristianas Expuestas
al Populacho” by Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo which won Silver the same year.
Rizal referred his two fellow Filipinos to as “Creative geniuses” and their achievement
illuminated the two ends of the world which are the orient and the west. Their artworks also
show some connection or synergy where it has features that complements presented in light
and dark. Luna represents the “dark” aspect which it exhibits oppression and the idea that
Filipinos are not mute, while Hidalgo on the other hand represents the “light” aspect where it
includes melancholy, beauty, frailty, and victims of brutal force. In combination, the overall idea
of expression of social, moral, and political injustices are all addressed within their art. Both
express the spirit of our social, moral and political life; humanity subjected to hard trials,
humanity unredeemed; reason and aspiration in open fight with prejudice, fanaticism and
injustice. Rizal also wanted to appeal for equality and brotherhood between Spaniards and
Filipinos, to seek reform, and acknowledge the rights of Filipinos.
Aside from equality, Rizal of course know that freedom and rights must be included with his fight
and one of his ways to present this is through his speeches.
The Philippines' patriarchal era is passing, the illustrious deeds of its sons are not circumscribed
by the home; the oriental chrysalis is quitting its cocoon; the dawn of a broader day is heralded
for those regions in brilliant tints and rosy dawn-hues; and that race, lethargic during the night of
history while the sun was illuminating other continents, begins to wake, urged by the electric'
shock produced by contact with the occidental peoples, and begs for light, life, and the
civilization that once might have been its heritage, thus conforming to the eternal laws of
constant evolution, of transformation, of recurring phenomena, of progress.
This is the statement of Rizal that made him remarkable in today’s history and victory. Rizal
already knew that the youth would serve as our country’s hope for the next generations. Rizal
praised the youth that fires much enthusiasm where they are also the sacred hope of this
country.
I drink that the Filipino youth-sacred hope of my fatherland may imitate such valuable examples;
and that the mother Spain, solicitous and heedful of the welfare of her provinces, may quickly
put into practice the reforms she has so long planned.
We all know that Rizal in his younger days was already open about the relationship of Spanish
and Filipinos, where this was told to him by his elder brother Paciano. Rizal also fought for his
family against the Dominicans when they experience injustices to them. Rizal might loss
everything in the hands of those Dominicans, but still refused to stop even if his mother already
said that he should keep himself unavailable of joining any Filipino revolutionary movement.
Rizal is an epitome of greatness, not only during his days but also today. The kind of freedom
he conceptualized doesn’t only centers on a bloody revolution but also in a process of peaceful,
righteous, effective, and realistic execution.
Rizal after his speech was actually marked by Spaniards as a threat. With his statement from
the first part which is about the geniuses that can be found somewhere, Rizal put an edge and
wounded the perspective of Spanish in calling us “Indios”, uncivilized, or wild people. We are
not indios, and we can fight for our freedom. That’s what we are, that’s who we are, Filipinos.

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“Genius has no country; genius bursts forth everywhere; genius is like light and air, the

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