Mga Timailhan sa Reporma ug Rebolusyon: Usa ka Semyutiko-Hermenyutikong Pagbasa sa Rizal the Reformist ni Martino Abellana

English Title

The Signs of Reform and Revolution: A Semiotic-Hermeneutic Reading of Rizal the Reformist by Martino Abellana

Authors

• Trizer Dale D. Mansueto, Unibersidad ng Pilipinas CebuFollow

Abstract

Karaniwang inilalarawan si Jose Rizal sa mga monumento at kulturang biswal bilang isang martir na dapat dakilain. Nais pag-aralan dito ni Mansueto kung paanong may ipinapakitang ibang pagkabayani ni Rizal sa pintang Rizal the Reformist (1960) ni Martino Abellana. Isa ditong kalmado at mapagnilay na pantas at repormador si Rizal na gumamit ng pluma sa halip na espada sa pagharaya ng kinabukasan ng bayan. Sa pamamagitan ng semyotika ni Charles Sanders Peirce at ermenyutika ni Hans-Georg Gadamer, binabasa ni Mansueto nag mga biswal na tanda sa loob ng pinta ni Abellana sa konteksto ng kasaysayan. Nilalayon din ng artikulo na suriin ang pinta ni Abellana sa pamamagitan ng paghahambing nito sa iba pang bantog na likhangsining nina Richard Kissling, Guillermo Tolentino, at Carlos “Botong” Francisco upang maipakita ang kaibahan nito, lalo pa’t madalas na nakalilimutan ang yugto ng reporma sa kasaysayan dahil sa mas matimbang na naratibo ng rebolusyon at pakikibaka.

English Abstract

Jose Rizal is commonly depicted in monuments and visual culture as a martyr to be revered. In this essay, Mansueto aims to study how Martino Abellana highlights a different heroism of Rizal in his painting Rizal the Reformist (1960). In this painting, Rizal is a calm and contemplative figure and reformer who used the pen instead of the sword in imagining the nation’s future. Through the semiotics of Charles Sanders Peirce and the hermeneutics of Hans-Georg Gadamer, Mansueto reads the visual signs within Abellana’s painting in the context of history. The article also aims to analyze Abellana’s painting by comparing it with other famous artworks by Richard Kissling, Guillermo Tolentino, and Carlos “Botong” Francisco to showcase its uniqueness, especially since the advocacy for reform in history is often forgotten due to the weightier narrative of revolution and struggle.

Recommended Citation

Mansueto, Trizer Dale D. (2025) "Mga Timailhan sa Reporma ug Rebolusyon: Usa ka Semyutiko-Hermenyutikong Pagbasa sa Rizal the Reformist ni Martino Abellana," Katipunan: Vol. 13: Iss. 1, Article 9.
Available at: https://archium.ateneo.edu/katipunan/vol13/iss1/9