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WATCH: Fernando Amorsolo’s ‘Bataan’ gets animated rendition for Araw ng Kagitingan

By SAAB LARIOSA Published Apr 09, 2021 4:57 pm

Filipino artist and animator Mark Cañega is back at it again with another masterful rendition of a piece by National Artist Fernando Amorsolo.

This time, Cañega’s latest entry commemorates Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor) through the powerful 1942 Amorsolo oil painting "Bataan."

The work features a young woman caressing a fallen soldier during the Battle of Mactan. With fiery flames behind them, the painting is said to liken war with the downtrodden misery of hell. The World War II-inspired piece was originally titled 'Maid in Bataan', but was soon simply renamed "Bataan."

Speaking with PhilSTAR L!fe, Cañega, who is a part-time animation professor at the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, shared that he chose the artwork to inspire Filipinos to "evaluate ourselves, get inspired with our ancestors, and revive our eagerness for freedom and love for the country."

Cañega also shared that it took him four days to complete the animation, as it required a different approach from the sunny facade of his first two reanimations: "Couple Riding A Carabao During Sunset" and "Dalagang Bukid."

"Since we always see [Amorsolo's] works as colorful, calming with lively Filipino culture, seeing something this political and deep gave me a lot of emotions. This is definitely something for Araw ng Kagitingan."

With the haunting song Kay Lungkot Nitong Hating-gabi by Ruben Tagalog playing in the background, Amorsolo’s artwork is once again given new life through modern tech. With Cañega’s rendition, the woman’s skirt and head cover can be seen softly swaying to the wind, and the added fire embers give the art an extra layer of tragedy. 

Watch his latest piece here:

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A post shared by Mark Cañega (@markcng)

Photos from Mark Cañega. Check out more of his works on Instagram.

With a report from Pinky Icamen