Note 24 — Chapter VII · AGAIN IN THE PHILIPPINES
Reading edition
The office of the governor-general at Malacañan, Manila, has one painting by Luna that, if he had never painted anything else, would be enough to insure his fame.
Juan Luna was also a sturdy patriot. In 1897 he was arrested in Manila for conspiring in behalf of his country’s independence and by a narrow chance missed the firing-squad. After six months close imprisonment he was released and escaped from the country but returned and was present when the Spanish domination came to an end. (Foreman, p. 394.) His career was picturesque. He had been born in as poor a home as any in the Philippines and had begun life as a sailor. The city of Barcelona purchased and still has one of his paintings that had been awarded a prize at the Madrid Salon. ↑