A Closer Look At The “magnifica
Magnificat. “My soul doth magnify the Lord.” It is a painting that had caught my attention at the museum in Yuchengco Building. It is not just a mere painting; it has meanings and symbolisms that are beyond what is perceived by the naked eye. The artist of this chef d’ oeuvre is Renato Habulan. The “Magnificat” painting is horizontally divided into three segments, and each segment has its own appearance and meaning.
The first segment is in the shape of a horizontal half circle. One can see heaven with three angels standing in the middle, each holding a white cloth. At their backs, there’s a vibrant, red sun, bluish sky and fluffy clouds which looks like cottons. The angels’ eyes are looking above, as if they are looking at the kingdom of God. The whole picture looks holy and magnificent. If a person were to look more at the picture, he/she would be motivated to bow down.
The second segment looks a little dim, with only a little light on the background. The picture portrays the earth. There are about ten mothers, holding a child each. One can see the sadness in their faces. Their lips are curled down, and their eyes look dry. But the most noticeable feature in the picture is the two fallen angels that almost covered the mothers and children. They look scary, and their skin tone is dark green. Their faces are nearly devil-like. As they fall, they form a letter “X”, crisscrossing each other. The mothers are trying to avoid the children from looking at them, but the eyes of the children are focused on the two fallen angels.
The bottom part of the painting is the third segment. It is very dark and frightening to look at. It is obvious to the eyes that the picture talks about hell, because it is mostly in color red, and the content is full of scary creatures with their evil gestures. The background has a dark red color, which is the color of blood and a symbol for violence. One can see a wooden institution on fire at the left...
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