Hernando R. Ocampo

was born on April 28, 1911and died on December 28, 1978. He was a Filipino National Artist in the visual arts. He was also a fictionist, a playwright and editor. He was a self-taught painter, and most notably, a leading member of the pre-war Thirteen Moderns, the group that charted the course of modern art in the Philippines.

Hernando R. Ocampo

“Mission Accomplished”

1949

Oil on Canvas

1867x2500

Hernando R. Ocampo’s abstract works left an indelible mark on Philippine modern art. His canvases evoked the lush Philippine landscape, its flora and fauna, under the sun and rain in fierce and bold colors.

I chose this artwork because this particular piece alluding to a battlefield on land and in the air, with planes ablaze, raised awareness about the harsh social realities in the Philippines immediately after the Second World War (The Philippines was embroiled in the bitter war between the Allies and the Axis, as it was under American rule when the Japanese army marched on our islands to conquer the resource-rich and strategically-located paradise).
and contributed significantly to the rise of the nationalist spirit in the post-war era.