Conquest of the Philippine Islands

An imagined interpretation of a colonial-era battle between the Indigenous peoples of the Philippines and Spanish forces. The Spanish are outfitted with firearms and an armada of ships, while the Indigenous people defend themselves with bows and arrows. The dynamic composition gives preference to the Indigenous people on the left and recedes toward the Spanish forces in a seemingly formulaic manner.

Recto: A broad landscape with Philippine Islanders, shirtless, dressed in layered skirts and pointed hats, in the left foreground and at center. These Islanders shoot arrows towards Spanish troops, who approach, dressed in armor and carrying guns, from the right. In the background at right are five large Spanish ships, moored at sea. Small boats, sent from those ships, approach the bay.