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- Notes - Oil on canvas. 60.33 x41.91 cm. Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo''s answer to Luna''s "Espana y Filipinas," was "Per Pacem et Libertatem"(Through Peace and Liberty), an allegorical painting depicting conditions of peace and liberty in the Philippines under American sovereignty. This government-commissioned work took Hidalgo about a year to finish and for this he reportedly received a fabulous sum. The painting shows Filipinas offering to America an olive branch symbolic of peace and homage. America, in warrior''s attire, has her sword sheathed, signifying the end of hostilities. Liberty is shown in white robes illuminating the world with a torch. In the background are human representations of the arts, commerce and industry. The original life-size painting, completed in 1904,used to hang in the Marble Hall of the Ayuntamiento before the Second World War, was burned , unfortunately, together with other precious national treasures during the liberation of Manila in 1945. Preserved in the Lopez Memorial Museum are several studies of the canvas in pencil, crayon and oil, showing the figures in various stages of deshabille. Hidalgo usually made nude studies of his figures for anatomical precision and to capture the graceful movement of the body. Hanging at the Museum gallery is the only oil study of the canvas, showing all the details of the final work.
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