Editing Oblation (section)

== Style ==

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Guillermo Tolentino's inspiration in his works is the methaphor of Pygmalean and Galatea where you have an artist creating a masterpiece and wishing it come to life. When the wish was granted, Pygmalion fell in love with her artwork who is Galatea. This simply means that Guillermo believes that art should represent life and should create an impression about life. 

Generally, the artistic style of Tolentino, as seen in the Oblation, is a combination of Classicism, Realism and Romanticism. Classicism for Tolentino is "a living assimilative process which forges all forces into a dynamic unity."<sup>29</sup> It is not just a style or a set of rigid rules, while his realism is  in his concern for observed detail as a way of stating truth. The Oblation is classical nude in form & spirit (neo-classicism). Though realistic details overshadows classical schema, concept of making human figure symbolic of an idea or value is classical. His Romanticism is similar to those of the French (like Gericault and Delacroix) that is filled with emotions and passions Guillermo also became well-known because of his debates with painter-educator, Victorio Edades because of their conflicting ideas on how art should be. Guillermo stressed that art should symbolize beauty and reality of life in contrast with Edades' modernist view."The aim of the ancient masters was to transfer beauty and perfection in nature to their works of art", Tolentino wrote for an article for the Sunday Times Magazine.<sup>30</sup>

Still much different from the Western style is his nationalist orientation which gives a genuine feeling for the subject. It was said to have been sparked by militant nationalist movements of the Rome in his student days, and his admiration of the Philippine Revolution of 1898, especially Bonifacio. He loved the intense & charismatic, tragic hero & leader of the revolution. Tolentino was involved in secret rites of the Kapatiran Millenarist Groups with occult symbols, magic of numbers & ancient tagalog or malay script.<sup>31</sup>

 
Some of his other famous works include Saluto Romano, which also won abroad, and the Bonifacio Monument in Caloocan whose design won the first prize in 1930. The Cry of Balintawak, the other name for the montage of 70 figures, is known as the apex of his career. It was completed on eve of the Commonwealth 1933 which stirred hope for independence versus colonial rule. This work also made him win the National Artist title in 1973.<sup>32</sup>