34 Facts About Juan Luna

Juan Luna became one of the first recognized Philippine artists.

Juan Luna's winning of the gold medal in the 1884 Madrid Exposition of Fine Arts, along with the silver win of fellow Filipino painter Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo, prompted a celebration which was a significant highlight in the memoirs of members of the Propaganda Movement, with the fellow Ilustrados toasting the two painters' good health and the brotherhood between Spain and the Philippines.

Well regarded for work done in the manner of European academies of his time, Juan Luna painted literary and historical scenes, some with an underscore of political commentary.

In 1861, the Juan Luna family moved to Manila, and he went to the Ateneo Municipal de Manila where he obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree.

Juan Luna excelled in painting and drawing and was influenced by his brother, Manuel N Luna, who, according to Filipino patriot Jose Rizal, was a better painter than Juan himself.

Juan Luna enrolled at the Escuela Nautica de Manila and became a sailor.

Juan Luna took drawing lessons under the illustrious painting teacher Lorenzo Guerrero of Ermita, Manila.

Juan Luna enrolled in the Academy of Fine Arts in Manila where he was influenced and taught how to draw by the Spanish artist Agustin Saez.

In 1875 Manuel and Juan Luna travelled to Europe, where Manuel studied music and Juan painting.

Juan Luna entered the Escuela de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, where he befriended the painter Don Alejo Vera.

Juan Luna was unhappy with the style of teaching in the school and decided that it would be much better to work with Vera.

Vera brought him to Rome for some of his commissions, and Juan Luna was exposed to the art of the Renaissance painters.

Juan Luna's growing reputation as an artist led to a pensionado scholarship at 600 pesos annually through the Ayuntamiento of Manila.

In 1883, Juan Luna commenced work on the painting commissioned by the Ayuntamiento.

Nevertheless, King Alfonso XII commissioned Juan Luna to create La batalla de Lepanto for the halls of the Senate of Spain, intending for it to be displayed alongside Francisco Pradilla Ortiz's La rendicion de Granada, the grand prize-winning artwork from the 1878 competition.

The king's intention was to provide compensation to Juan Luna, who had been overlooked for the Medal of Honor with his renowned work, Spoliarium.

Juan Luna's signed and dated 1884 oil canvas portrait of Adele della Rocca, niece of Count Enrico Morozzo Della Rocca, First aide-de-Camp, Honourary General Adjutant to King Umberto, was sold for P31 million at the Leon Gallery auction on September 14,2024.

In 1885, Juan Luna relocated to Paris, where he established his own studio and formed a friendship with Hidalgo.

At first, Juan Luna was praised for his grandiose historical works of art in the Graeco-Roman fashion at prestigious European art salons that conformed to classical requirements.

Contrary to the presumption of abandonment of academic tradition or a newly found appreciation for impressionism, Juan Luna joined forces with the progressive factions within the Paris Salon.

On December 4,1886, Juan Luna married Maria de la Paz Pardo de Tavera, a sister of his friends Felix and Trinidad Pardo de Tavera.

However, the jealous Juan Luna frequently accused Paz of having an affair with Monsieur Dussaq.

Juan Luna was arrested and murder charges were filed against him.

Juan Luna was acquitted of the charges on February 8,1893, on the grounds that it had been a crime of passion.

Juan Luna was ordered to pay the Pardo de Taveras a sum of 1,651 francs and eighty three cents, and an additional 25 francs for postage, in addition to the one franc of claims for damages.

Five days later, Juan Luna went to Madrid with his brother, Antonio Juan Luna, and his son, Andres.

In 1894 Juan Luna moved back to the Philippines and traveled to Japan in 1896, returning during the Philippine Revolution of the Cry of Balintawak.

On September 16,1896, he and his brother Antonio Juan Luna were arrested by Spanish authorities for being involved with the Katipunan rebel army.

Juan Luna was pardoned by the Spanish courts on May 27,1897, and was released from prison and he traveled back to Spain in July.

In 1899, upon the signing of the Treaty of Paris, Juan Luna was named a member of the delegation to Washington, DC to press for the recognition of the Philippine government.

Juan Luna traveled back to the Philippines in December 1899 upon hearing of the murder of his brother Antonio by the Kawit Battalion in Cabanatuan.

Juan Luna traveled to Hong Kong and died there on December 7,1899, from cardiac arrest.

Juan Luna's remains were buried in Hong Kong and in 1920 were exhumed and kept in Andres Luna's house, to be later transferred to a niche at the Crypt of San Agustin Church in the Philippines.

Five years later, Juan Luna would be reinstated as a world-renowned artist and Peuple et Rois, his last major work, was acclaimed as the best entry to the Saint Louis World's Fair in St Louis, Missouri.