CONTEMPORARY ART FORMS FROM THE REGIONS

Different kinds of local artworks have sprung not only in the urban centers of the country and in schools of arts
of different educational institutions but also a lot more of never before seen or heard art forms from the countryside
have made known and have become renowned.
The seeming isolation and distance of many communities in far flung regions have kept the beauty and
significance of countless forms of Philippine art. It is real good news that they have been exposed and have been
expressed.
The role of diverse art forms from the different places of the Philippines to the country’s culture, tradition, and
identity is highlighted and greatly appreciated in the previous lessons. With that, let us check your ideas about Arts in
the Philippines.
Various art forms are known from the different regions or island groups of the Philippines; generally, from
Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
Through these various art forms, we tend to picture out the different practices of Filipinos from the different
regions that, when integrated, describe what the Philippines is.

These are the guide questions:

1. Which of the following images of art is an example of literature?
2. Which of the following images of art is an example of dance?
3. Which of the following images of art is an example of sculpture?
4. What is the significance or importance of those art works depicted in each images?

The Philippine Contemporary Art can be classified into seven major art forms. These are painting, sculpture,
architecture, film, literature, music and theater, and dance.
Knowing these classifications will guide us in identifying and exploring different contemporary art forms from
the regions of the Philippines.

PHILIPPINE CONTEMPORARY ARTS

Philippine contemporary arts can be described into visual arts, literary arts and performing arts.
Visual art is an expression of artistic ideas through images, structures,and tactile work.
Some visual artworks are integrated which means it combines several mediums to create new and unique
artwork.
Painting, sculpture, architecture, and film are examples of visual arts.

Painting
Painting the expression of ideas and emotions, with the creation of certain aesthetic qualities, in a two-
dimensional visual language. The elements of this language – its shapes, lines, colors, tones, and textures – are used in
various ways to produce sensations of volume, space, movement, and light on a flat surface.
The first paintings here in the Philippines are commissioned works during Spanish colonization.
Here are some paintings from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
Sculpture
The sculpture is an art form in which hard or plastic materials are worked into three-dimensional art objects.
Filipino sculptors came to be known in the middle of the 19th century. These are some of the sculptures in the
Philippines.

Architecture

Architecture is the art and practice of designing and constructing buildings (Cambridge Advanced
Learner’s Dictionary & Thesaurus). In relation to that, Philippine architecture was characterized as simple, rational, and
functional.
In the 20th century, the young Filipino who studied in American colleges and institutes introduced the
neoclassic style in building structures. However, after World War II, real estate development started to take place
(Sandagan & Sayseng, 2016). To illustrate these architectural designs, these are some examples from Luzon, Visayas
and Mindanao.

Film
Film is a form of visual art use to imitate experiences that communicate ideas, stories, or feelings with the use
of moving images. It is also called a movie or motion picture. Moreover, the art form that is the result of the film is
called cinema (Faber & Walters, 2003). The film industry in the Philippines started in 1897. In the contemporary period,
martyr wife, superhero, action, melodramas, and comedies are some of the usual subjects and themes the Philippine
films. Some films in the Philippines are presented below.
 Apart from visual arts, there are Philippine contemporary art forms that can be described as literary arts.
Literary arts are an expression of ideas through writing. Literary arts can be categorized as poetry, prose, and drama. In
the Philippines, literary arts are greatly encountered in literature.

Literature
According to Lombardi (2020), literature is a term used to describe written and sometimes spoken material.
Derived from the Latin word literature meaning "writing formed with letters," literature most commonly refers to
works of the creative imagination, including poetry, drama, fiction, nonfiction, and in some instances, journalism, and
song. These are some examples of Philippine literature.

Furthermore, there are also Philippine contemporary art forms that can be described as performance arts. A
person doing certain actions and movements in front of an audience that go along with sound in a space and time is
called Performing Arts.

Music and Theater

Music is a collection of coordinated sound or sounds. According to Ramon P. Santos in his article entitles
Contemporary Music, Contemporary music in the Philippines usually refers to compositions that have adopted ideas
and elements from twentieth-century art music in the West, as well as the latest trends and musical styles in the
entertainment industry. Filipino Music had already a rich and unique musical tradition long before westerners set foot
on our native land. Music was present in every stage of our ancestors’ lives — from birth to death, in blissful or tragic
times. Below are some Music from the different Regions of our country.

Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or
imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the
audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music, or dance. Some of the Theater Play in the Philippines
are the following.

Dance
Dance, the movement of the body in a rhythmic way, usually to music and within a given space, for the
purpose of expressing an idea or emotion, releasing energy, or simply taking delight in the movement itself. Dances in
the Philippines vary from Region to Region and below are some dances of the different regions.