FILIPINOS' NATIONAL HERO DR. JOSE RIZAL: @artguildph Contest #1 Entry

Good day Steemians! My today's post is an entry for @artguildph's contest. The theme was about to create an artwork of Jose Rizal.

Who is Jose Rizal?

José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda or Jose Rizal is considered as the Philippines' National Hero. He was a Filipino Nationalist and polymath during the tail end of the Spanish colonial period of the Philippines.

He was born on June 19, 1861 in the town of Calamba, Laguna province. and died on December 30, 1896. He was executed by the Spanish colonial government for the crime of rebellion after the Philippine Rovolution. Actually he was executed by the Filipino firing squad. But then, there are the Spanish Army Troops who stood ready to fire the executioners if they fail to obey orders.

His way of fighting for the right of the Filipinos was not about war or guns, instead, he used his writings for the Philippines' Independence.

RIZAL'S DEATH

Before he was shoot by the firing squad, Rizal asked the Captain who commanded the force to permit him to face the firing squad when he was to be shot. He wants to demonstrate that he has no fear over death. The Captain refuses to acknowledge his request. He said that he has orders to shoot him in the back. Rizal insists that he has not been a traitor to his country and to the Spanish Nation.

"Man ought to die for his duty and his convictions. I maintain all the ideas that I have expressed concerning the state and future of my country and gladly I’ll die for her, nay, to obtain justice and tranquility for you.”

“I have always loved my poor country and I’m sure i shall love her until my last moment, should men prove unjust to me. I shall die happy, satisfied with the thought that all I have suffered, my life, my loves, my joys, my everything, I have sacrificed for the love of her.”

But still, the Captain refuses. But there is another one wish that they granted, Rizal wishes not to shoot him in his head. The Captain asked him to kneel down, but Rizal refused. Then the squad fired the guns. As the guns shoot, he face the firing squad, then he fell on the ground, face upward and died. His last words were,

"dulce et decorum est pro patria mori"

which means,

"It is sweet and honorable to die for one's country"

Now there are rumors that one of the descendant of one of the executioners said that only one of the rifle was loaded with a live bullets, the others were blanks. This is to ease the guilt of the executioners who knew that Rizal is innocent.

MY ARTWORK

Here I'm gonna show you the process of my artwork.

MATERIALS:

Brushes
Graphite pencil
Tissue and cottonbuds (to blend)

I used my new sketch pad which I bought last week.

PROCESS

Here is the process of my artwork. I'm just gonna show you guys the process and won't elaborate each step. I used the 2B pencil for the outline, and used the 8B pencil. I used the tissue and cotton buds to blend.

There you have it guys!

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SUPPORTING AND READING MY POST!!!