The Unfinished Painting of the Present

Edgar Talusan Fernandez,

Unfinished Painting of the Present

1993

Oil on Canvas

(366cm x 616cm) Set of 10 panels

This painting in my opinion is about agony and a voice that yearns to speak up. This is enforced by the massive size of the painting (366cm x 616cm) made up of ten panels. The huge size of the painting brings importance and grabs my attention for the size of the painting can be equivalent to that of a mural. I personally chose this painting among the others because I find numerous questions and issues raised, as though Fernandez is telling me a story.

Cross-referencing to the artist's background and nationality (Filipino), I deduce that this painting tells a story of Philippines' past agonizing situation, from the colours that are used. Although the colours mainly used here the primary colours red and blue, the shade of each colour is slightly darker. Adding to my deduction, the gloomy clouds that are hovering in the background suggests unhappiness and restlessness too.

The focal point in the painting is an angelic lady standing with feet together carrying a foetus or an infant in her hands protected by magical rays that surround it. From the colour of her skin, it suggests that she is a Filipino local. Her eyes closed and her mouth is slightly ajar shows her in reciting a prayer, looking hopeful. The infant in her hand represents rebirth, or the next generation (future) of Philippines. In conclusion, I believe that the angel praying hoping the best for Philippines’ future hoping that all will be well.




The lady seems holy and sacred because of the rays that bleed through the clouds, shinning on her. She also shows ‘projection’ of Philippines’ situation. On the bottom left, weapons such as riffles and guns bring created and I suppose this is for self-defense or for fighting. Fighting for freedom (evidence is from the bird flying freely in the sky) against the colonial rule. Fighting for their rights.
I can see urbanization starting to take place in Philippines, a country once mostly known for its agriculture and nature from the pictures of the factory blending quite seamlessly to the dark background. This shows that Philippines is moving towards modernization- away from the traditional way of life.

On the right, shows a turn to nature and agriculture. Its shows the importance of industrialization. I say so because the emphasis of the drawing is on the person dealing with the metal work (industrialization). The agriculture and nature elements and drawn smaller and further. Here, the artist uses the importance of emphasis, so that we can understand his message clearer.

Ironically, the angelic figure is standing on a skull. To me this means victory over death. From knowledge that I have gathered from my South East Asia history book, Philippines has faced several internal and external wars. Thousands have perished and with Philippines in its current state today; there are fewer deaths and lesser civil wars that are happening. What makes the painting hold even more patriotic values is the artist’s use of mostly red, blue and white – the prominent colours in Philippines’ flag.



Fernandez chose to adopt the approach of painting smoothly instead of the impasto method. I guess that with the smooth texture in the painting, the pictures in his painting can be projected more prominently and vividly- giving us a clear and unmasked story of Philippines’s story. The use of one-point perspective suggests the flow of moving forward. This painting is almost symmetrical too maybe with a hidden message of wanting a balanced life- Spiritually and economically.

This painting to me has a lot of elements put in together making it the painting look too congested but the use of perspective allows my eye to travel systematically and rhythmically. I can also spot some Christianity influences in this painting as the red and blue rays which are perpendicular to the figure standing; make a mark similar to a cross. From contextual studies, majority of the population is Philippines embrace Christianity.

In my opinion, Fernandez works acted as a social commentary on the living conditions of the Filipino people. Unfinished Painting of the Present represents the author’s hope for future peace and the ending of military aggression in the Philippines.

This painting could have been better is there was more mystery or questions into it. The pictures and symbols are fairly easy to be interpreted with a brief knowledge of Phillipines history. I too did not like composition of the painting because it was closely symmetrical and heavy towards the bottom. Maybe the artist could have experimented with opacity instead to emphasize on certain issues.

Edgar Fernandez reminds me of a popular artist, Alfi Alfa from Kinshasa from Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Beautifully, he paints about the bitter state of his country, Congo, which is facing problems such as corruption, violence and never ending poverty. He serves as a voice for the people just like Fernandez.Personally, I chose Fernandez' work over Alfa's because Fernandez' Unfinshed Painting of the Past has a deeper hidden message compared to Alfa's.

"La Deluge - The Flood"
oil on canvas,
(2005 )89 x 117 cm,

"La chasse aux Rwandais"
oil on canvas,
(2006 )99 x 120 cm,

All in all I feel that the painting, Unfinished Painting of the Present by Edgar Talusan Fernandez is a phenomenal one not only because of its massive size but the painful story behind this painting. Looking at the painting, I feel grateful that I am living in a country that is peaceful, safe and hormonious. It also opens my eyes to understand the world better and mould me into a more sensative human being.

(943 words)