Horse of Aguinaldo

by

Teofilo Martin

This artwork was done by Teofilo Martin dated 1985. It made use of metal as its medium. It involved three dimensional expression as a technique. It was donated to Vargas Museum but mysteriously, no other information was found with the sculpture, which made it hard for us to trace its history, but according to one of the museum staff, Martin implored the traditional sand casting which involves the making of a mould of special sand from an original model of Plaster of Paris, inserting a core and pouring in the molten metal.

Diagonal lines are very visible in the sculpture thus giving an effect full of energy, dynamism, impulse, will power, passion and emotion. The contour lines on the body of the horse and on the face of Aguinaldo outlined the silhouette, that is uncluttered and realistic, and this corresponds to the subject represented.

In terms of color scheme, it is considered monochromatic since only one color was used in its tonal vibrations. In this case, the color signified the personal approach to color use of the artist. As observers, we saw the feelings and emotions as well as the spontaneous impulses and whims. Martin also used color for symbolism, because black represents mysterious depth as well as loss and deprivation.

Value was applied in the artwork (to set the mood) by using black which dramatically conveyed mysterious forces translated into symbolic plane. Since the material used was metal, light is reflected, thus intermediate tonalities are brought out in the sculptural form itself.

Texture, as seen in the artwork, is dependent on the medium used. Martin chose to enhance and modify the original qualities of the material, which turned the metal texture hard, cold and unyielding to touch.

In terms of shape, of course, living shapes can be observed. The sculpture is considered "sculpture on the round" for it freed itself from the tyranny of the block. In addition, formal balance was used since both values of the figure correspond to each other with minor variations, like with the sword and gun. Vertical balance was also achieved. Relative proportion can also be seen. It was achieved by properly sizing Aguinaldo in a scale proportional to the size of the horse.

Moreover, the sculptor used the linear perspective because when the observer is on the level ground, the object appears above the viewers' eyes, creating converging lines from bottom to top. The movement was achieved through the use of contour lines and by elevating one side of the object 45 degrees from the ground.