Professional Documents
Culture Documents
1st Core Content Handout
1st Core Content Handout
1. Painting – is an artwork created using pigments or colors, which are either wet or dry, applied on a canvas.
Ex. Spoliarium by Juan Luna in 1884 using oil canvas which is a Latin word referring to the basement of the Roman
Colloseum where dying gladiators are dumped. It is a Roman history centered in bloody carnage brought by gladiatorial
matches.
2. Drawing – is an art or technique of representing an object or outlining a figure, plan, or sketch by means of lines.
Ex. The Philippine Flag was designed by Emilio Aguinaldo, sewn by Marcela Marino de Agoncillo, Lorenza Agoncillo and
Delfina Herbosa de Natividad in HongKong. White (liberty, equality, fraternity), blue (peace, truth, justice) and red
(patriotism, valor)
3. Sculpture – Is the art of making three-dimensional representative or abstract forms, esp. by carving stone or wood or by
casting metal or plaster.
Ex. The Momument of Lapu-Lapu is a 20-m bronze structure located in Punta Engano, Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu, Philippines
to honor Rajah Lapu-Lapu, the native chieftain of Mactan Island who defeated Magellan duing the historic Battle of
Mactan in April 25, 1521.
4. Dance/Choreography – (a) is a performing art form consisting of human body movements rhythmically synchronizing to
music and (b) is the art or practice of designing choreographic sequences of steps and movements.
Ex. Tinikling is bamboo dance in English which dancers imitate the movements of a tikling bird walking between grass,
running over tree branches, or even dodging bamboo traps set by rice farmers.
5. Literature/Literary Composition – (a) Is a body of written work, books and writings published with a particular style and a
particular subject and (b) is the process of making writing pieces.
Ex. Noli Me Tangere by Dr. Jose P. Rizal was written to expose the injustice experienced by the Filipinos from the
Spanish Catholic priests and ruling government.
6. Music/Music Composition – (a) Is the art and science of ordering tones or sound in succession, in combination, and in
temporal relationships to produce a composition having unity and continuity, (b) is adapted to make musical sounds or
any object that produces sound and (c) is the art of creating piece of music or a new song.
Ex. Rondalla is a Spanish term meaning “serenade”. It is a group which used stringed instruments.
7. Film/Cinema - is an art form of motion pictures.
Ex. Nora Aunor in Himala is a story about Elsa who saw the blessed Virgin Mary who had changed her life by
miraculously healing a poor village.
8. Architecture - is the art and science of building and designing structures, facilities or complexes esp. those habitable
ones.
Ex. The Shrine/House of Dr. Jose P. Rizal is a 2-story building, a Spanish-colonial style house located in Calamba,
Laguna.
9. Fashion Design - is the art of applying designs and aesthetics or natural beauty to clothing and accessories.
Ex. Michael Cinco of Philippines is a Dubai-based designer creating mostly contour gowns and who designed a range of
Hollywood stars.
10. Theater/Performance Art - is a performing art which live actors and performers present experiences of real or imagined
events before a live audience often in a stage.
Ex. Philippine Educational Theater Association or PETA is one of the most top theatre companies in the Philippines which
value culture as medium for change and use theatre arts as a form of education, social change and development.
11. Weaving - is the art of enlacing long threads to produce a fabric or textile. (Ex. Malong with the use of loom)
12. Pottery - is the art or craft of making ceramic materials into pots or potterywares using mud/clay. (Ex. Pot made of
mud/clay using potter’s wheel)
ELEMENTS & PRINCIPLES OF CONTEMPORARY ART
1. Juxtaposition - the process of placing or merging two (2) contrasting images in such a way to create a new meaning. (Ex.
Philippine Eagle + hat)
2. Appropriation - is taking a pre-existing image from another context to create a new work of art. (Ex. Original “The Blood
Compact”+ other random characters)
3. Recontextualization - is an element and principle of positioning imagery in relation to pictures, symbols or texts that are
not usually related to each other. (Ex. Railroad + musical notes)
4. Layering - the overlaying on multiplicity of images. (Ex. Make-up layering or patterns of color)
5. Interaction of Text and Image - creating meaning through the combined interplay of text and imagery. (Ex. Fb users’ photo
+ caption)
6. Hybridity - using multiplicity of media and/or blending of cultural sources to create an art. (Ex. Collage)
7. Gazing - controlling attention through contradictions between what is being looked at and who is doing the looking. (Ex.
Digong or JAE)
8. Representing - Making an imagery that proclaims one’s identity. (Ex. Graffiti/Vandalism or Gothic art)
C1. Dance (BASTE) (Eg. Itik-itk, Sayaw sa Bangko, Binasuan, Pandaggo Oasiwas, Maglalatik, Kuratsa, La Jota Moncadena,
Kappa Malong-Malong, Habaner Botolena, Pantomina, Carinosa, Surtido, Singkil, Polkabal, etc.)
1. Body
o It involves (a) human body parts, (b) initiation, (c) patterns, (d) body shapes, (e) body systems, and (f) inner
self.
o The mobile figure or shape which is relatively still and sometimes changing as the dancer moves in place or
travels through the dance area.
o Dancer may emphasize specific parts of their body or whole all at one; moreover, considering the muscles,
bones, organs, breath, balance, reflexes.
o It is the conduit between inner realm of intentions, ideas, emotions and identity and other realm of
expression and communication.
2. Action
o Is the human movement – steps, facial movements, partner lifts, gestures, and every movements such as
walking, running, jumping, and etc.
o Not only refers to steps and sequences, but also to the pauses and moments of relative stillness.
o Movements that travel through space is called locomotor movement (travelling) and movements that occur
in one spot is called non-locomotor (axial).
3. Space
o It includes (a) size, (b) level, (c) place, (d), direction, (e) orientation, (f) pathway, and (g) relationship
o It refers to the places through which the dancer’s body moves
4. Time
o It consists of (a) beat, (b) tempo, (c) accent, (d), rhythmic patterns, and (e) duration.
o It is the applied musical and dance elements.
5. Energy
o Its components are (a) attack, (b) weight, (c) flow, and (d) quality
o The force applied to dance to accentuate the movements.
C2. Visual Arts (Eg. Spoliarium, Espana y Filipinas, The Blood Compact, Madonna of the Slums, Las Virgenes Cristianas
Expuestas al Populacho, Las Damas Romanas, Philippines Mother and Child, etc.)
Elements
1. Rhythm – movement created by careful placement of elements to cause visual tempo or beat.
2. Balance – combination of elements to add feeling of equilibrium or stability.
3. Emphasis – combination of elements to stress the differences between those elements.
4. Proportion – relationship of elements
5. Gradation – combination of elements by using a series of changes in an artwork
6. Harmony – combination of elements to accent similarities
7. Variety – concerned with diversity or contrast using different shapes, sizes, and/or color.
8. Movement – create the look and feeling of action and to guide the viewer’s eyes.
C3. Music
Elements
1. Duration – length
2. Intensity – strength
3. Pitch – highness or lowness of a sound
4. Timbre – specific sound (Ex. Human voice or instruments. An acoustic guitar fingerpicking sounds much different to a
distorted electric guitar.)
Principles
C4. Literature (Eg. Walang Sugat, My Last Farewell, Indolence of the Filipinos, Letter to the Women of Malolos, Noli Me
Tangere, El Filibusterismo, etc.)
PROSE – a literary medium distinguished from poetry especially by its greater irregularity and variety of rhythm and its closer
correspondence to the patterns of everyday speech. It differs from poetry in terms of tone, pace, and object of intention.
Examples are essay, fiction, nonfiction and prose drama.
POETRY – a writing that formulates a concentrated imaginative awareness of language of experience in language chosen and
arranged to create a specific emotional response through its meaning, sound and rhythm. It differs from prose in terms of
form, meter and rhythm, heightened vocabulary, and freedom of syntax. Examples are narrative, lyrical and dramatic.
Elements
1. Subject - any work of literature is about something and for this reason, it has subject. The subject may be an emotion, an
object, an abstract idea, a person, an event, and etc.
2. Style - it presents ways on how man sees life as evidenced by the formation of his ideas, forms, structures, and
expressions which are marked by their memorable substance.
3. Form - is the verbal and artistic structuring of ideas. In a reading of literary work, you must pay careful attention to its form
because the work of art is in large part and aesthetically shaped structure.
4. Point of View - this refers to the angle of vision of the narrator, creator, composer, writer; it determines the person of the
story, the one who tells it from different point of view.
C5. Theater Arts (Eg. Bidasari, El Consejo de los Dioses, The Day the Dancers Came, Forsake House. Indrapura, Paglipas
ng Dilim, A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino, Walang Sugat, etc.)
1. Script – starting point, domain of playwright in theatre, text or what director uses as blueprint to build a production.
2. Process – coordination of creative efforts, work is brought to realization by various theatrical personnel (director/s, actors,
designers, technicians, dancers, singers, musicians, etc.)
4. Audience – the public which sets the difference from day film/television.
It is important to remember that the art of the so called “past” continued and continues to evolve until the present and are therefore in
that sense “contemporary”.
I. Pre-conquest
Before the coming of the first colonizers
Indigenous (to emphasize the idea that our ancestors have been making art even before colonization)
Pre-colonial (general way of life before colonization)
Natural/environmental resources (materials used in their art)
How did Islam influence art before the coming of the Spanish colonizers?
What are the main beliefs of Islam that influence the ways art is made and interpreted?
The colonizers gained inroads in the Central part of the islands whose inhabitants we now refer as “Lowland Christians”.
Art flourished during the Spanish colonial period conformed to the demands of the church and the colonial state.
Convert the natives to Catholicism - part of the larger project of colonization.
The art forms are referred to stylistically and culturally as religious art, lowland Christian art, or folk art.
To carry out the project of colonization and Christianization, the natives were forcibly resettled in towns structured according to
the plaza complex.
This relocating became a means of organizing and gaining control of the native populace.
The complex was designated as the town center and consisted of the municipio or local government office and the church.
Designed according to the prescriptions of the Spanish crown, the church established its importance in people’s lives through
its imposing scale and overall visual appeal.
Cruciform churches following the shape of the Latin cross were built. (architecture)
In keeping with the prevailing design of Hispanic churches, the baroque (grandeur, drama and elaborate details that purposely
appealed to the emotions) style was employed.
There are baroque churches in San Agustin Church in Manila, Morong Church in Rizal, Paoay Church in Ilocos Norte, and
Sto. Tomas de Villanueva Church in Miag-ao, Iloilo.
The façade of Miag-ao Church features St. Christopher surrounded by reliefs or relleves having tropical motifs like palm fronds
and papaya trees.
Fusion of both native and European influence referring to colonial baroque or Philippine or tropical baroque.
Images of saints and interpretations of biblical narratives were considered essential to worship and produced through painting,
sculpting, and engraving.
Made of ivory or wood, the imagery of the icons, saints or santos would be based on classical and baroque models.
Chinese artisans, under Spanish supervision were engaged in making icons or saints or santos (in the vernacular) in wood
and ivory. An example is a painting of Nuestra Senora del Rosario in Bohol, the image of which was said to be inspired from
Kuanyin, the deity of mercy in East Asian Buddhism.
In colonial churches, santos are displayed in a decorative altar niche called the retablo. (architecture & sculpture)
Via Crucis is an important inclusion in colonial churches which are presented either as a series of 14 paintings or relief
sculptures depicting Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection.
Images of Holy Family, the Virgin Mary, and the four evangelists proliferate in the ceilings and walls of the church, sometimes
in the ornate manner of trompe l’oeil as seen at the Taal Basilica in Batangas or at the St. James the Apostle Parish in Betis,
Pampanga.
Tromp I’oeil is French for “fooling the eye.” It refers to painting that gives a heightened illusion of three-dimensionality.
Church altars are decorated with carved figurative protrusions on the surface called relleves; or with organic designs of
hammered silver or plateria.
The plateria technique is also applied in the body of the carroza, where the santos are paraded during town processions.
Spaniards brought western musical instruments like the pipe organ, violin, guitar and piano. (music)
Catholic liturgical music was introduced in 1742 when Archbishop of Manila, Juan Rodriguez Angel, established a singing
school at the Manila Cathedral that taught western church music. Its curriculum was patterned from Madrid Conservatory of
Music.
Pasyon/pabasa – the biblical narration of Christ’s passion chanted in an improvised melody. The melody is read and chanted
to the tune of love songs popular with younger readers who would spark up this activity in other ways as this last for the entire
length of Holy Week. This practice is popular in Sampaloc.
Awit at Korido – are secular form of music which flourished in Pampanga, Ilocos, Bicol and Iloilo. These are chanted stories
based on European literature and history and were popular even among the peasantry who learned the verses purely by rote.
Kundiman and balitao, love songs and lullabies also evolved.
Kundiman - speaks of resignation and fatalism, became a vehicle for resistance. The lyrics were that of unrequited love,
except that love object was the Philippines who would be cleverly concealed as a beautiful woman.
Kundiman ni Abdon (Abdon’s Love Song) – a kundiman which became a feature of protest actions against Martial Law during
the 70’s
Bayan Ko (My Country) - a kundiman which experienced renewed popularity during the EDSA People Power Revolution of
1986.
Baybayin script – among Mangyans who inhabit the island province of Mindoro, bamboo poles are cut into smaller nodes used
to compose short poems that tell of courtship and other emotional concerns.
In town of Ticao, located in southern province of Leyte, a huge stone was discovered that contained Baybayin writing believed
to be an invocation for a safe journey by sea.
Spanish colonization brought printing technology. Printed literature came in forms of catechism and prayer books in Spanish
used to teach the local to read, write and evangele.
There were pomp and pageantry of religious processions complete with highly embellished carrozas containing religious
tableaus of Catholic saints and scenes from the Bible.
Zarzuela or sarsuwela – a popular musical theatre imported from Spain in 19 th century, an operetta which features singing and
dancing interspersed with prose dialogue which allowed the story to be carried out in song.
Local playwrights like Severino Reyes and Hermogenes Ilagan wrote sarsuwelas in Tagalog with Honorata ‘Atang’ dela Rama
(National Artist for theatre and Music, awarded 1987) as their most celebrated leading actress.
Senakulo/Passion – the first play was written in 1704 by Gaspar Aquino de Belen. It narrative was culled in biblical account of
Christ’s passion and death on the cross. It is performed during Lent and may last for three days. It conveys Christ’s suffering
as a metaphor for the suffering of Filipino under Spanish colonial rule.
Komedya – depicts the conflict between the Muslims and Christians. There were 2 main types: komedya de santo or religious
komedya which centers on the life of Christ or of any saint, and secular komedya (example is moro-moro).
The word moro-moro is derived from the Spanish word for Moor or the North African Arabs who rules parts of Spain from the
8th ro 15th century. The story involves the love between a Christian hero and an Islamic heroine or vice versa, done in verses,
and clashes between Christians and Muslims were done in dance, ultimately resulting in the conversion and baptism of the
leading Muslim character, and ending with a Christian wedding and the protagonists living happily ever after.
Municipality of Sta. Ana in Metro Manila and San Dionisio, Paranaque – there are families and brangaray members who align
themselves with the local parish church to stage a senakulo and komedya. The scripts are handed down to children or to
apprentices who performs it as form of panata or devotion to the Church. Performing it also displays social status.
Provinces of Pampanga and Tarlac – full staging of crucifixion is enacted. Devotees are nailed to a cross as a form of
penance.
Nueva Ecija – the senakulo is calleda araguio or arakyo and is performed all throughout the seven days of holy week.
Iligan – Comedia de San Miguel is performed wherein San Miguel or Saint Michael is the patron saint of the city.
There were folk dances such as carinosa, pandanggo or fandango, polka, dansa, and the rigodon carry traces of the
habanera, jota, and tango dances from Spain, Mexico and its colonies.
In the visual arts, paintings served an instructive function through visual interpretation of biblical texts central to Catholic
devotion. An example is Heaven, Earth, and Hell (1850), a mural by Jose Dans in Paete Church, Laguna. A map of the
universe features a terrifying depiction of hell. A sinful life on earth would lead to torment and eternal damnation.
Basi Revolt – a series of 14 paintings by Esteban Villanueva. It chronicles the defeat of Ilocanos who rebelled against the
Spanish government;s monopoly of basi or rice win in 1821. The bloody consequences of insurgent actions, an overt reminder
of the might of Spain over its colony.
Reprographic art of printmaking was introduced in 16th century.
Applying the technique of xylography and woodcut, Doctrina Cristiana (The Teachings of Christianity) was printed in 1593 in
Spanish and in Tagalog by Dominican priests. The first printed book in the Philippines compiling song lyrics, commandments,
sacraments, and other catechetical material.
Aside from prayer booklet called estampas and its smaller counterpar estampitas, printmaking, particularly engraving, was
developed to produce secular or non-religious works.
In 1734, the Jesuit priest, Fr. Pedro Murillo Velardo, collaborared with homegrown talents, the artist Francisco Suarez and the
engraver Nicolas de la Cruz Bagay to produce Carta Hydrographica y Chorographica de las Yslas Filipinas – first scientific
map of the Philippines.
Litography facilitated the reproduction of color plates as well as the mass printing of newspapers and periodicals. The
Augustinian botanist, Fr. Manuel Blanco, produced an extensive complication of Philippine plants in Flora de Filipinas in 1878.
It contains watercolour illustrations by Filipino artists.
In church, the development of music was largely attributed to the efforts of Pakil-born Marcelo Adonay who was recognized for
his compositions based on the Western tradition of Gregorian chants.
In domestic realm, families tended to their altars comprised of delicate santos placed in a virina, a bell-shaped glass case; or
urna, a humbler, domestic version of a retablo.
Occupying plaza complex were the bahay na bato which housed rich/prominent families.
Simon Flores’ painting Portrait of the Quiazon Family, 1800 documents that family’s affluence; the magnificent interior of the
family’s home, the mother’s jewelry, the delicate fabric and embroidery of their clothing, and their dignified poses.
Letras y Figuras – combining names of individuals and vignettes of everyday life, this painting style became popular when
Filipino natives acquired Spanish names in compliance with a decree implemented in 1884.
Jose Honorato Lozano – was a practitioner of this art where the tipos del pais are rendered within the graphic outline of letters
spelling out the name of a person or family in watercolour on paper. It depicts the person’s specific circumstances such as
family’s trade or business.
Academic painters – Juan Luna and Felix Hidalgo.
In 1821, Damian Domingo, known for his watercolour albums of tipos del pais established the first art school in the country
right at his studio in Binondo, Manila.
Peninsulares – Spanish-born residents of the Philippines
Lorenzo Guerrero – painted The Water Carrier, which exemplifies the use of chiaroscuro – play of light and dark and the
contrast between them to heighten the composition’s sense of drama.
Simon Flores – painted Primeras Letras in 1890, which features a woman teaching a child how to read.
In 1884, Juan Luna and Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo won medals in Madrid Explosion. Luna won gold for Spolarium (lifeless
body of a gladiator being pulled across the coliseum); while Hidalgo garnered a silver medal for Virgenes Christianas
Expuestas Al Populacho (a woman held captive).
España y Filipinas – features two women ascending a flight of stairs. Personified by a woman in flowing red gown, Mother
Spain patronizingly leads her charge, a petite brown-skinned woman representing Filipinas, the duo presumable making their
way toward the path of enlightenment.
What were the changes brought about by American colonization? How are they different from the religious forms of the Spanish
colonial period?
Under Sedition Law, banned writing, printing and publication of materials advocating Philippine independence, and engaging
in activities which championed this cause.
Plays such as Juan Abad’s Tanikalang Guinto (Golden Chain) in 1902, Juan Matapang Cruz’s Hindi Ako Patay (I Am Not
Dead) in 1903 and Aurelio Tolentino’s Kahapon, Ngayon, at Bukas or “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” in 1903 were
medium for political protest, openly attacking Americans.
Drama simbolico – one-act plays came to represent a deep and profound yearning for freedom.
Because the lingua franca was English, poems and stories from books were dramatized in classroom, to facilitate the teaching
of the English language.
American taught English through public school system.
In 1915, Lino Castillejo and Jesusa Araullo – wrote A Modern Filipina, the first Filipino play written in English.
Vaudeville – originated in France and introduced in 1920s. It is a collection of slapstick, songs, dances, acrobatics, comedy
skits, chorus girls, magic acts, and stand-up comic acts would be known locally as bodabil.
During Japanese occupation, players would make fun at the Japanese soldiers or send messages of the hope disguised as
innuendos that only the local people could understand.
Daniel Hudson Burnham – an architect and urban planner who was commissioned by the American government to design
Manila and Baguio.
William Parson – an architect who implemented the Burnham Plan. Inspired by the City Beautiful Movement introduced in
1893 at the Chicago World Fair, the new urban design employed Neoclassic architecture for its government edifices and
integrated parks and lawns.
Buildings in Manila that exemplify Neoclassic architecture include the Post Office and the Legislative Building (now the
National Art Gallery) and are distinguished with thick columns.
Neoclassic architecture may incorporate decorative sculptural elements housed in a pediment, as exemplified by the National
Art Gallery.
Tomas Mapua, Juan Arellano, Andres Luna de San Pedro, and Antonio Toledo were among the Filipino architects who
designed buildings during the period.
Inclination toward genre, still life, and portrait paintings persisted.
Landscapes became travel souvenirs, especially those that captured the exotic qualities of Philippine terrain.
Fabian de la Rosa succeeded the peninsulares Rafael Enriquez as director. He was known for his naturalist paintings
characterized by restraint and formality in brushwork, choice of somber colors, and subject matter, as seen in the works
Women Working In A Rice Field 1921 and El Kundiman 1930.
Fernando Amorsolo – Planting Rice, Fruit Gatherer, Afternoon Meal of the Workers (Noonday Meal of the Rice Workers), Fruit
Pickers Harvesting Under The Mango Tree and Making of the Philippine Flag. was known for his romantic paintings that
captured the warm glow of the Philippine sunlight. He had portraits of individuals; genre scenes highlighting the beauty of the
dalagang Filipina, idyllic landscapes; and historical paintings. He was also a graphic artist who rendered drawings for the
textbook series The Philippine Readers as well as illustrations for the newspaper The Independent. He designed the logo of
Ginebra San Miguel, depicting the saint trampling on a devil, won for him a grant that enabled him to study Fine Arts in Spain.
He was a professor at the UP School of Fine Arts “Amorsolo School”. And among influenced by him were Irineo Miranda,
Toribio Herrera, Cesar Buenaventura, and Dominador Castaneda. He was declared as the National Artist in 1972.
Guillermo Tolentino – Amorsolo’s counterpart in sculpture. He studied Fine Arts in Rome and was influenced by its classical
traditions. He is credited for Oblation (1935m original/1958 bronze cast found at the UP Oblation Plaza) of the UP and the
Bonifacio Monument 1993 in Caloocan.
Bonifacio Monument – consists of life-sized figures in dynamic poses, exemplifying restraint, formality, and elegance in
historical tableaus. Tolentino was proclaimed as the National Artist in 1973.
Academic – an art influenced by European academies.
Victorio Edades – studied arts in United States, where its modern art movement profoundly influenced him. In 1928, at
Philippine Columbian Club unveiled paintings which departed from the conservative style of Amorsolo. His The Builders in
1928, showed distorted figures of toiling workers using dull colors; a shift in the treatment of form and subject matter.
Napoleon Abueva – a later proponent of Modern Art and a sculptor who has worked with a wide variety of mediums, from
hardwood to precious alabaster.
Modernist sensibility was shared by National Artist Carlos “Botong” V. Francisco and Galo Ocampo. Botong Francisco –
known for his magisterial murals particularly Filipino Struggles Through History 1964, one of the largest and most ambitious in
scope, which he did for the Manila City Hall.
Galo Ocampo – recognized for indigenizing western icons, as seen in his Brown Madonna 1938, which sets the mother and
child in a native tropical environment.
Edades, Francisco and Ocampo – have been regarded as the triumvirate of modern art after having worked on several
murals. An example is Nature’s Bounty which portrays a group of women harvesting fruits in a field. At the center is papaya
tree and heavenly beings hovering from above.
Art Nouveau and Art Deco. An example of Art Deco architecture is Juan Arellano’s Metropolitan Theater in Manila (1935).
Edades publicized a roster of Modernist artists and called them Thirteen Moderns. : Arsenio Capila, Bonifacio Cristobal,
Demetrio Diego, National Artist Carlos Francisco, National Artist Cesar Legaspi, Diosdado Lorenzo, Anita Magsaysay-HO,
Galo Ocampo, National Artist Hernando R. Ocampo, Jose Pardo, and Ricarte Purugganan.
Modern art project would slow down in pace. Early moderns and conservatives alike continued to produce art and even
participated in KALIBAPI (Kapisanan sa Paglilingkod ng Bagong Pilipinas) competitions.
In 1943 and 1944, Purugganan and Francisco won KALIBAPI awards.
The Japanese forces led the formation of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, a propaganda movement that sought
to create a Pan-Asian identity that rejected Western traditions.
Slogans such as “Asia for Asians” made its way to the public through poster, ephemera, comics.
Japanese sponsored publication such as Shin-Seiki, and in newspapers and magazines such as Liwayway and Tribune.
National Artist Felipe P. De Leon – was said to have been “commanded at the point of the gun” to write Awit sa Paglikha ng
Bagong Pilipinas. It conveyed allegiance to the nation reared in East Asia.
Amorsolo’s paintings have little or no indication of atrocities. Examples such as Harvest Scene, 1942 and Rice Planting, 1942.
These evoked a semblance of peace, idealized work in the countryside, and promoted values of docile industriousness.
Sylvia La Torre sung Sa Kabukiran which was written in Tagalog in 1940s by the composer Levi Celerio (National Artist for
Music and Literature, awarded 1997) La Torre’s operatic singing along with an energetic tempo offered an escape from the
troubles of the war.
Portraits of high officials such as His Excellency, Jorge B. Vargas Chairman of the Philippine Executive Commission, 1943
and “Independence this Year,” said His Excellency, Premier Tojo, 1943 were also produced at this time.
Crispin Lopez’s Study of an Aeta 1943 – showed ethnolinguistic representation.
Amorsolos Bombing of the Intendencia 1942 and Ruins of the Manila Cathedral 1945 – draw attention to the elegant handling
of value in the billows of smoke or the pile of ruins rather than the urgency of the disaster itself.
Works which depicted the horrors of war such as Diosdado Lorenzo’s Atrocities in Paco and Dominador Castaneda’s Doomed
Family were painted after 1945.
E. Aguilar Cruz – an artist-writer who named the movement Neo-Realism, a new kind of modernism.
Manansala, Legaspi and HR Ocampo were among the National Artists associated with Neo-Realism.
Vicente Manansala’s The Beggar 1952 – consists of the image of 2 women with emaciated bodies, their forlorn faces set
against the dark background capturing the dreariness of poverty.
His style was cubism which marked by soft fragmentation of figures using transparent planes instead of hard-edged ones, as
exemplified in the painting Tuba Drinkerrs 1952.
Cesar Legaspi’s Gadgets II 1949 – depicts half-naked men almost engulfed in the presence of machines. Their elongated
limbs and exaggerated muscles indicate the hardship of their labor; their expressionless faces and repetitive actions rob them
of their humanity as they function like machines.
HR Ocampo’s The Contrast 1940 – exposed dire human condition amid the backdrop of modernity. His style was geometric
and biomorphic shapes with vibrant colors. His painting Genesis 1968 which puts together warm-colored shapes, became the
basis of the stunning tapestry hanging at the Main Theatre or Bulwagang Nicanor Abelardo of the CCP.
Other artists identified with Neo-Realism are Ramon Estrella, Victor Oteyza, and Romeo Tabuena.
Art Association of the Philippines (AAP) – was established in 1948 under the leadership of artist Purita Kalaw-Ledesma
Philippine Art Gallery (PAG) – a venue and laid out early programs for modern art was put up in 1951 through the efforts of the
artist-writer Lydia Arguilla
Martino Abllana – Job Was Also Man
Fernando Zobel – Carroza
Modern architectural structures particularly churches – Church of the Holy Sacrifice 1955 and Church of the Risen Lord, which
both employed concrete as primary material and experimented with rounded or parabolic forms. And Chapel of St. Joseph the
Worker in Victorias, Negros built by the Czech-American architect Antonin Raymond. It features a striking mural of Christ by
the Filipino-American artist Alfonso Ossorio. Referred as the Angry Christ, the mural delivers pictorial overload, filling up the
walls and ceiling of the altar space.
Another strand of art is abstraction. It consists of simplified forms, which avoided mimetic representation, non-representational
or non-objective art as relationship of line, color and space or flatness of the canvas.
National Artist Jose Joya – application of thick and vigorous application of paint
Fernando Zobel – application of paint through syringe
Arturo Luz – uses stark linear elements as seen in Street Musicians 1952 which pared down the figures into lines and basic
shapes.
Nena Saguil – studied at UP, United States, and Spain, is known for her canvases filled with circles and cell-like forms.
Cargadores, 1951.
Discussed art examples:
Tanikalang Ginto (Golden Chain) by Juan Abad - a love story of Liwanag and Kaulayaw; a rise of the spirit of indepence and
struggle as defended by the Filipino revolutionist from the American government
Hindi Ako Patay (I Am Not Dead) by Juan Matapang Cruz – a play about acquiring Philippine independence against American
authorities
Kahapon, Ngayon at Bukas (Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow) by Aurelio Tolentino – image of Inang Bayan; a play of struggle
vs imperialist powers; thus, not forgiving Spain and China which both wanted for colonizing the Philippines; Haring Bata
(China), Halimaw (Spanish friars), Dilat-na-Bulag (Spain) and Bagong Sibol (America)
A Modern Filipina by Lino Castillejo and Jesusa Araullo – 1st Filipino play written in English; a modern Filipina speaks frankly
and intelligently, makes her own decisions, keeps an open mind and is charming; in short, a play about a charming Filipina
Burnham Park – designed by Daniel Hudson Burnham for recreational activities
Neoclassical Architecture – began in mid 18th century; classical antiquity. Examples are Manila Post Office Building and
National Art Gallery (formerly known as Legislative Building)
Women Working In A Rice Field by Fabian de la Rosa – Filipino experience from the field of labor or interpretation of Filipino
life during American rule
Rice Planting by Fernando Amorsolo – scenes of Filipino countryside/provincial life
UP Oblation – built by Guillermo Tolentino; symbol of University of the Philippines, man facing upward with arms outstretched
symbolizing selfless offering of oneself to his country
Bonifacio Monument – built by Guillermo Tolentino; to commemorate Philippine revolution under Andres Bonifacio who fought
for Philippine independence from politically and socially ruthless Spanish rule
Art Deco – meaning modernist styles with craftsmanship and rich materials (Metropolitan Theater)
The Builders by Victorio Edades – a campaign for modernism, his knowledge and skill in modern art; linear and structural
composition; essence of men engaged in labor through contortion (meaning hardship in labor)
Filipino Struggles Through History by Carlos “Botong” Francisco – Bulwagang Katipunan of Manila City Hall; history of Manila
and the Philippines; and episodes of Spanish colonial
Brown Madonna by Galo Ocampo – Filipino identity by freeing Filipino from colonialism of religious rule
Mother Nature’s Bounty by Edades, Francisco and Ocampo – group of women harvesting fruits in a field; at the center is a
papaya tree & a heavenly being hovering above
Awit sa Paglikha ng Bagong Pilipinas by Felipe P. De Leon
Sa Kabukiran by Levi Celerio as sung by Sylvia La Torre
Study of an Aeta by Crispin Lopez – representation of entnolinguistic group
Beggars by Vicente Manansala – poverty over industrialization
Gadgets II by Cesar Legaspi – hardship of labor or dehumanization of human beings as they are treated like a gadget than a
person
The Contrast by Hernando R. Ocampo – contrasting human condition regarding economic and psychological conditions
brought by World War II
Angry Christ by Alfoso Ossorio – a statement from the painter “a judgment with sacrifice of the mass that is the continual
reincarnation of God coming into this world”; in short, judgment of Jesus Christ; located at St. Joseph the Worker Parish
Church in Victorias City, Negros Occidental
Street Musician by Arturo Luz – she was fond of painting musicians, vendors, cyclists and carnival performers
Cargadores by Nena Saguil – Filipino men selling rice
V. 70s to Contemporary
How was the modern interpreted in the 70s? How did contemporary artists rework it influences of the Modern?
Under Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos in 1965, cultural projects ensued amid the backdrop of poverty and volatile social
conditions.
Amidst claims of national chaos of emergency proportions, Martial was declared on September 21, 1972.
Under Martial Law, Marcos envisioned a New Society or Bagong Lipunan, which worked toward the rebirth of a long lost
civilization, aspiration, modernization and development.
Fine arts, architecture, interior design, tourism, convention city building, engineering, urban planning, and health
The rebirth also discerned in anthem or songs
Levi Celerio and Felipe Padilla de Leon – New Society or Bagong Pagsilang
National pride through murals, folk festivals, and museums devoting to collect and display ethnographic artifacts and natural
specimens such as National Museum.
Cultural Center of the Philippines – premier bureaucratic entity through which art acquisition, exhibition making, workshops,
grants, and awards were implemented.
It was created on June 15, 1966 through E.O. 30 and inaugurated in 1969, as Marcos was elected to his second term.
Leandro Locsin – chief architect of Imelda Marcos, designed the modernist cantilevered building described as a cross
between vernacular bahay kubo and art brut minimalist structures.
High Art on land reclaimed from historic Manila Bay.
Folk Arts Theater – became venue of the first Ms. Universe Pageant in the Philippines in 1974
State-of-the-art Philippine International Convention Center – housed the 1976 IMF-World Bank Conference
Tahanang Filipino or Coconut Palace – built in anticipation of a papal visit
Manila Film Center – build to host the Manila International Film Festival
National Arts Center in Mt. Makiling designed by National Artist Architect Leandro Locsin appropriated the style of vernacular
houses like Ifugao fale, while the Coconut Palace designed by Architect Francisco Manosa, utilized indigenous building
materials and fashioned the roof to look like a salakot, a pointed hat used by farmers in the field.
Roberto Chabet – called himself the Flux artist, he did collages, drawings, sculptures, and installations.
For the exhibition Objects, held at CCP in 1973, he tore up a copy of coffee-table book on Philippine contemporary art and
placed it in a trash bin. The work, entitled Tearing into Pieces, was seen as a scandalous critique of the conventions of the art
world.
The Struggle for Philippine Art – Purita Kalaw-Ledesma, an artist, collector, critic and founder of the Art Association of the
Philippines, described the work as “anti-museum art”.
Albano – Chabet’s successor, initiated projects under the rubrics he termed as “developmental art” aimed at exposing art to a
learning public. He characterized the period 1971-1975 as the “exposure phase” in which advanced art – experimental in
nature.
Junyee’s Wood Things 1981 – was an example of installation art made of kapok or cotton pods installed on the walls and
floors of the CCP’s white cube spaces to make these look like crawlers on the museum.
Social Realism
Is a form of protest art that exposed the socio-political issues and struggles of the times. It is conscious with its regard for the
oppressed and underrepresented masses. For example, marginalized, inequality, and forms of repression.
Posters, illustrations or street art
Kaisahan – was composed of Antipas Delotavo, Neil Doloricon, Renato Habulan, Edgar Talusan Hernandez, Al Manrique,
Jose Tence Ruiz and Pablo Baen Santos.
Salingpusa – a group of UP Fine Arts Students. It was composed of Elmer Borlongan, Karen Ocampo Flores, Emmanuel
Garibay, Mark ustiniani, Lito Mondejar, AndFederico Sievert.
Beyond Manila, the strain of political art could also be observed in Bacolod, where artist groups such as Pamilya Pintura were
formed with Nunelucio Alvarado, Charlie Co, and Norberto Roldan.
Roldan runs the Green Papaya Projects in Manila.
Co runs Orange Gallery in Bacolod.
Ocampo-Flores curates, teaches and organizes, and is known for his Tutok.
Project Space Pilipinas – based in Lucban, Quezon and founded by artist Leslie de Chavez in 2007.
Dogfight painting of National Artist Ang Kiukok, hinting of conflict and aggression
Onib Olmedo – painted which feature men with ovoid faces often donning a mysterious expression bordening on ennui.
Eduardo Castrillo – gigantic metal work Pieta 1969, evoked a strong feeling of anguish and loos through the expressive poses
of Mary the mother and the oversized body of Christ.
Roberto Feleo – installations re-tell creation stories drawn from indigenous myths and combine them with foreign interventions
such as vitrines or altar niches normally used to house saints.
Brenda Fajardo – foreground the histories of ethnic communities through her tarot card series.
In other words, the native or the folk, self, environment, nation, past and various variations of the Modern continue to be
revisited by artists as sources of inspiration in contemporary art.
Festivals – art working with communities, mobilize organizations, spaces, and people who do not normally engage in art world.
Galleries inside mall spaces with experimental and DIY projects of art
Past artists broaden our knowledge and inspire us to seek what and how Philippine contemporary art might continue to mean
something to us today.
Studio – classrooms, streets, cyberspace.
Art is not just a tool to a certain ideology, advocacy or purpose but a methodology in itself, with specific and independent
modes of seeing, doing, and feeling, from where new knowledge springs.