1970 / Oil on canvas / 205 x 506 cm / Artist: Jaime de Guzman / Cultural Center of the Philippines collection

This mural-size canvas of heroic theme was done during a period of heightened political consciousness. It has as subject the three martyred priests—Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora—grouped as a composite form upon a large cross that doubles as the garrote, the instrument of their execution. The hooded central figure, the skulls, and the bony, tortured fingers upon the beams acquire an awesome expressionist quality. This is further brought out by the painterly approach with its spontaneous brushwork and direct application of pigment in streaks of reds, blues, and blacks that build up a harsh and intense spiritual drama.

The figures are set against a vast background of endless sky and sea, suggesting history and immortality, marked by lighting and streaked with blood. The subject and theme of this work is clearly historical but, unlike ordinary historical paintings, it goes beyond the illustration or narration of an event with its dramatis personae; this evokes in an expressionist style a heightened mood of heroic martyrdom and sacrifice of great historical significance. The artist is more concerned with conveying the spirit of the momentous event rather than its concrete material circumstances. The execution of the three priests left a lasting impression on the mind of Jose Rizal. For many, it marked the awakening of nationalist consciousness that led to the 1896 Philippine Revolution against Spain.