A Critique Paper on the artwork The

Making Of Philippine Flag by

Fernando Amorsolo
The making of Philippine flag is a masterpiece painting by Fernando Amorsolo
in Philippines. Fernando Amorsolo was one of the most important artists in
the history of painting in the Philippines. No doubt he created such a
wonderful artwork. The painting shows three women namely Marcella Marino
de Agoncillo (on the right side) refer as the mother of the Philippine flag, with
the help of Lorenza and Delfina Herbosa de Natividad which is actually the
daughter of Marcela. They was tasked by Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo to sew the
first flag for the new republic. The clothes that the women are wearing are an
older style, more vintage and really depict the traditional styles. The skirts the
women’s are wearing are long and their tops were like a traditional “kimona”.
The three women are sewing passionately which
demonstrates elegance.the painting was not that kind of vibrant in the eyes but
canset your mood in calm. The setting is inside of a house which is more like a
“Bahay Kubo” The main colors that was used in painting was brown, red, blue
and yellow. The mood and visual effect that this painting can be considered is
calm and serene.
The painting shows a contrasts of colors of brown to yellow, it is not a
harmonious. The artist balanced his characters and the background in his
painting which makes the painting balanced. There are no real lines in the
painting because it is painted in a pointillist style. The colors of the author set
the moods of the audiences as warm by the usage of brown and yellow colors.
The yellow background signifies that it a beautiful sunny day. The colors of the
characters were also contrasted with the background which made the painting
calm as it seen. The artist shows rough texture in some parts of the painting
namely the dresses as well as in the backgrounds. The artist uses a different
color values for the dresses also to differentiate it from the background. That
made the painting realistic scene.

It is believed that Fernando Amorsolo made this painting to show the citizen
of the Philippines of how the Philippine flag was made and to remind them the
traditions and customs that we did not realize it becomes faded. To take care
and give importance the National flag which it symbolizes as white triangle
stands for equality and fraternity; the blue field for peace, truth and justice;
and the red field for patriotism and valor. The eight rays of the sun stand for
the first eight provinces that the colonizers have put under martial law. The
three stars symbolize Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. These just shows us to
loved our country, be proud of it do not be ashamed because our ancestors
risked their lives for the freedom from the hands of the colonizers. It is really
shown in the painting of Amorsolo that he is a nationalistic person some his
paintings portray and commemorate the different tradition, cultures and
customs of Filipino.

Amorsolo’s painting: The Making of the Philippine Flag is successful because

even though he did not splash a different color values still the shape, light and
gestures all work together harmoniously to became vibrant to the eyes of the
audiences and to portray the mood of this subject. It also allow the artist and
influences the audience to be calm. This is due to the warm colors that
Amorsolo used and the shapes that he draws. The painting depicts the serenity
of place and the people are humble like they have no worries in their minds.
The community can understand the painting and know what Amorsolo was
trying to portray.

“Flag Of Our Mothers”: Little-Known Facts

About The Trio Who Made The Philippine
Flag
Fernando Amorsolo’s “The Making of the Philippine Flag” and Napoleon Abueva’s sculpture with
the same subjects have something in common.
Both works of art, although revered for their outstanding craftsmanship, have perpetuated the
misleading idea that our first flag was made by three grown-up women.

It doesn’t help that our history books are rife with information that put more emphasis on the flag
itself than on the three women who turned Aguinaldo’s sketch into a tangible reality.

No mention of their struggles to polish the flag’s minute details, nor of the fact that one of them was
a child who could have spent her time playing patintero, and that their roles as flagmakers were more
important than we give them credit for.

History in a thimble.
Sitting inside a glass case somewhere at Malacañang Museum is an antique thimble supposedly used
by Marcela Agoncillo to sew the original Philippine flag. It is said that it only took her five days
with the help of her daughter and a family friend to complete the flag.
But the story of how she became the principal seamstress of our first flag started all the way back in
her childhood.

Photograph of
thimble used by Marcela Agoncillo when she sewed the first Philippine flag. Thimble presently on display
at Malacanang Museum, City of Manila, Philippines. Via Wikimedia Commons.

Born in the embroidery capital of Taal, Batangas, Doña Marcela learned the basics of needlework
from the Beaterio de Santa Catalina, a convent school for girls in Intramuros. She married another
Batangueño, Felipe Agoncillo, who would later become the first Filipino diplomat.
The Agoncillos were illustrious but patriotic family. They involved themselves in several causes
concerning their countrymen. Don Felipe even once put a sign on his door that says “To the poor:
Open at all hours, free services.”
Soon, the Spanish colonial officials accused him of being a filibustero or enemy of the State and
Church, prompting him to escape to Yokohama via a Japanese vessel, later transferring to Hong
Kong, then a British colony.
 Marcela Agoncillo. Via Wikimedia Commons.

Doña Marcela, along with their three daughters, followed Don Felipe after 22 months. To support her
family, she had to sell the jewelry that was once part of their family heirlooms. She also sewed and
sold children’s pinafores in Hong Kong to bolster her income.

Their residence at 535 Morrison Hill Road in Wan Chai eventually welcomed other Filipino
revolutionary exiles like General Antonio Luna who, as Doña Marcela recalled, was fond of
cooking European dishes.
Another notable figure who took refuge in the Agoncillo residence was Emilio Aguinaldo, who was
exiled to Hong Kong following the signing of Pact of Biak-na-Bato in 1897.
While in the British colony, the general founded the Hong Kong Junta with Felipe Agoncillo. The
movement served as their eyes and ears that followed the political developments in their home
country.

Having been told of Doña Marcela’s knack for embroidery, Aguinaldo asked the Agoncillo matriarch
to do a pivotal project—the making of the first Philippine flag.

Flag of our mothers.

During the Philippine Revolution, what was once considered a useless art spawned creations that
boosted the morale of men in the battlefields. The fine skill of embroidery was used by women to
create revolutionary flags and banners, which in turn inspired the men, so much so that they
became a source of protection oranting-anting.
Women took pride in lending their skills for the Revolution, so did Doña Marcela when she accepted
the responsibility given by Aguinaldo. With the help of her seven-year-old daughter Lorenza
Agoncillo and Rizal’s niece, Josefina (or Delfina in other sources) Herbosa Natividad, Doña Marcela
meticulously cut, sewed and embroidered the silk cloth she bought from a nearby store.
The painstaking process took a little bit of trial and error. Doña Marcela recounted that she and
Natividad“unstitched what was already sewn simply because a ray was crooked, or because the
stars were not… equidistant.” After five laborious days, the flag was finally complete.
The 1898 flag is slightly different from the Philippine flag we know today. It features an
anthropomorphic sun as well as open and closed laurel wreaths surrounding an inscription in the
center.

The text in the obverse reads Fuerzas Expeditionarias del Norte de Luzon (Expeditionary Forces of
Northern Luzon) while the reverse shows the words Libertad Justicia e Ygualdad (Liberty, Justice,
and Equality).

Doña Marcela personally delivered the flag to Aguinaldo on May 17, 1898 shortly before he set sail
for Manila on board the ship McCulloch. Several days later, the same flag was unfurled from the
window of Aguinaldo’s house in Kawit, Cavite, during which Philippine independence as we know
it today was officially proclaimed.

Three women, one flag.

Although most of us are familiar with what became of the first Philippine flag, the same cannot be said
for the trio who breathed life into Aguinaldo’s design.

Doña Marcela, or Lola Celay as she was fondly called later in life, gave birth to two more daughters.
They all grew up to become accomplished women in the society, with Gregoria (or Goring)
becoming the first Filipina to graduate from the prestigious Oxford University.

Lola Celay continued to support her husband Felipe when he became the country’s first diplomat
who fought hard to make other countries recognize our independence. After returning to the
Philippines, Don Felipe became engaged in public service while Doña Marcela spent most of her
time in charitable activities.
Lorenza or Enchang, the young child who assisted her mother in sewing the Filipino flag, dedicated
her life to teaching. She taught at the Malate Catholic School for 50 years, a feat duly recognized by
the institution through a plaque of merit. Lorenza died at the ripe old age of 81 in 1972.

“The Making of the

Philippine Flag” by National Artist, Fernando Amorsolo.

Delfina Herbosa-Natividad’s life, although short, was equally meaningful. Before she cemented her
place in Philippine history as a flagmaker, she was a Katipunera. She joined the revolutionary group
at the tender age of 13, fueled by the injustices of the Spaniards against her uncle, the martyr Jose
Rizal, and her own father who was denied of a Christian burial simply because he had not gone to
confession.

As a young Katipunera, she fought several battles along with her husband Jose Salvador Natividad,
one of the revolutionary leaders at Biak-na-Bato who were exiled in Hong Kong. Little is known
about her final years but the tragic death of her daughter reportedly sent her into a downward spiral
leading to her untimely death in 1900 at the age of 21.

A housewife, a seven-year-old child, and a young Katipunera. One fateful day in 1898, these three
women had their paths converge in Hong Kong to create a flag that symbolized the rebirth of a
nation.
A flag that brings with it stories of patriotism, heartbreaks, and struggles of the trio who represented
all the unsung heroines of the Revolution, young and old. Stories that will continue to inspire the
heroes in us—if only we open our ears.