Spoliarium

  Spoliarium

 Juan Luna y Novicio

(Rome,1884) 
 oil on canvas 

 History

 


The Spoliarium measures four meters in height and seven meters in width. The canvas depicts a chamber beneath a Roman arena, where bodies of dead gladiators are being dragged into a shadowy area, presumably to be put in a bigger pile of dead bodies.
In this emotional work, the contrast between the eager audience on the left side of the painting and the mourners on the right creates tension and drama. The cruelty to the victims is thought to symbolize the Spaniards' treatment of the Filipinos at that time.