Politics in Art

I like museums. Now, I don't know if that statement makes me more or less interesting. See, it's quite rare to hear such a statement, even among the academically inclined. Everyone has a taste for the arts one way or another yet it gives a small number of people the reason to flock into museums. It's not the museum's fault, nor of the organizers' for art is everywhere. One need not pay to see art. For me though, a museum is still one of the best places to visit. I like art in general and museums showcase what critics would call 'true art.'
One good thing about viewing art in a museum is that it holds collections. Collections are the best references when critiquing any artist. All pieces result come from the same hands, hence the perspective. Viewing a collection by itself is a good means to better understand and appreciate an artist.
The Vargas museum, among other galleries, showcases various collections from time to time. A recent collection contained paintings that were more or less political, tackling the Philippine culture, it's relations to the culture of witchcraft, sorcery, and tarot, and American colonialism. I did not find much of it interesting for there was very little variation. There was one piece that stood out. It was most peculiar among all the pieces. The piece was a wood sculpture by Dudley Diaz, catering a summary of Philippine religion. It was a constructed somehow like a pyramidal diagram, each frame containing a different picture.
The topmost level shows a man falling. The man was wearing a robe, making him seem like a monk. I guess the picture depicts the fall of man, the reason being his religion. Perhaps the artist was trying to tell that it is man's own beliefs that makes him weak. Or it could also symbolize the fall of Catholicism (it no longer has the prestige it had before) giving room for other religions and beliefs.
The second level was composed of two frames. The first one depicted a woman possessing breasts below her neck and down. The breasts had milk leaking from them. This could symbolize anything. This one though could represent a radical view or something. The woman is a mother able to provide for a lot of people through means of her own self. She is the source, the provider. Now a mother could come from anywhere, depending on the circumstances playing on the scene. The image could symbolize any form of society, community, or community in a society. Whatever it is, it seems to boil down to a communistic point of view. The second frame was a sculpted Buddha. This symbol obviously stands for Buddhism.
The third level was a three-part series of the mother-and-child image. It shows Mary carrying Jesus in her arms in childbirth, in his childhood, then lastly, in his death. The image of the Virgin Mary is very strong in Catholicism. One would wonder where God the Father is in the picture. The virgin who gave birth was given much credit and it lives on until today.
The fourth level was one rectangular frame comprising the creation of man. A naked woman is lying on the grass asleep and surrounding her are different animals in their natural habitat. This promotes the look on creation as something that occurred naturally. It represents the harmony in nature without the struggle. I'd like to say that this image represents the pagan religions, closing what I have already tackled. But somehow, the last image brings forth a new air altogether. Perhaps what the artist was trying to point out is that no matter what our beliefs are and no matter how disparate they seem, at the end of the day we are always one with nature—all of us. That is where we all end up, no theories or theology tying us down to anywhere. Man is man and man is nature. Then again, the last output may just be considered taoist.
Every museum, collection, and gallery holds something that will be remembered. These are those that art makes us learn, realize...discover.