WEEK

CONTEMPORARY PHILIPPINE ARTS

FROM THE REGIONS
Facilitator: Jason P. Legasa
+639212357041
[email protected]
 Ave Maria College
SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT
School ID No. 402686 Gov’t Permit No. 0059 s. 2015
CS Hum G112: CONTEMPORARY PHILIPPINE ARTS FROM THE REGIONS
WEEK 3
UNIT 1: ENVIRONMENTAL SCANNING
This unit shines a beam of light on the contexts of contemporary art. Context is not just background or
backdrop; it is intricately wedded to form-what art is made of, and how it is made. Art is shaped by and draws
inspiration from the society and at the same time, art is honed by the specific conditions that engendered its
production. In Lesson 1 we will learn some of the general characteristics of contemporary art, in the context of
the Philippines various histories, cultures and Identities. in Lesson 2, we present a more detailed overview of the
histories of art in the Philippines; in the process, we will come to realize that art has many forms and contexts.
In Lesson 3, we will scan the social, political, economic, environmental, and other contexts of art. Lessons 4
and 5 focus on the artists who have been declared National Living Treasures and National Artists, respectively.
While the aim is to give you a preliminary exposure to exemplary artists, we also bear in mind that awards are
forms of validation, and comprise but one element of the support systems of art, discussed in Lesson 6.
This unit also sets the stage and provides the first building block for the final project. The activities in this
unit fall under the pre-production stage. It starts with an activity on the Creation Story in Lesson 1, which will
be developed into a concept, a narrative, a plot, a setting, and a storyboard in subsequent lessons all the way to
Unit II, and finally a video production in Unit III. This unit culminates with a Cultural Mapping Research
Project. Instructions are found at the end of Lesson 6. The Cultural Mapping project will take us outside the
classroom to our own communities, enabling us to gain exposure and understanding of our own contexts.
LESSON 1: WHAT IS CONTEMPORARY ART?

 At the end of the lesson, you are expected to:

 define the term "contemporary art in art historical, cultural and stylistic terms;
 explain the difference between contemporary art and modern art in the context of the Philippines'
various histories, cultures, and identities;
 EST demonstrate the major characteristics of contemporary art through an artwork that would require
teamwork and collaboration;
 appreciate the role of contemporary art and artists in Philippine contemporary life;
 and understand contemporary issues and their relationship to real life situations.

It is a common tendency to describe the present as "modern." Being modern means being up to date and
technologically advanced. Often, being modern is equated with being contemporary. Art that is new or current
is also often referred to as "modern" as opposed to "traditional" or "conservative." In other words, in everyday
parlance, the terms are interchangeable.

In this lesson and in the more detailed history in the next, we will learn that the terms modern and
contemporary refer to vastly different periods. Modern Art is not the same as Contemporary Art, although they
could share some characteristics, sources and influences. As we will come to realize and learn as we go along, it
is also possible to integrate and transform elements from Modern Art into Contemporary Art.
 WHAT IS CONTEMPORARY? IS IT THE SAME AS BEING MODERN?
The first difference between the contemporary and modern is historical and chronological, as the
overview of Philippine Art in Lesson 2 will show. Meanwhile, the table suggested by Arts Studies Professors
Fajardo and Flores titled "Historical Overview of Philippine Art " (2002) below shows a summary of the
periods of Philippine Art from Pre-Conquest to the Contemporary. Please take note that this table includes
painting, sculpture, and architecture only. As you learn more in succeeding lessons, you can add on your own
data on the other arts like music, dance, literature, and theater.
A. HISTORICAL OVERVIEW
HISTORICAL OVERVIEW: PHILIPPINE ART
Spanish American Japanese
Postwar 70s-
Form Pre-conquest Period 1521- Period 1898- Period 1941-
Republic Contemporary
1898 1940 45
Potter; Religious (icon Landscape; Wartime Modern, Figurative,
Body and Portraiture; scene conservativ non-
Adornment; ecclesiastical), Genre; (aggression, e, abstract, figurative, art
PAINTING
Ornament secular Interior; nationalism, experimental for art sake,
(figure A) (portraiture) Still Life atrocities, , public art multimedia,
(figure B) symbolic, mixed media,
Pottery, carving Santos, Free standing, protest, transmedia
and woodwork, furniture, relief, public aspiration for
metalwork and reliefs, altar, peace)
expression pieces,
(figure C) jewelry, Propaganda
metalwork,
fieta, Indigenizing
SCULPTURE
ornamentation and
(figure D) Orientalizing
works, genre,
idyllis
(Amorsolo,
Francisco,
Ocampo)
Dwellings and Church, plaza City Planning Public works Real estate, safe housing,
houses, shelters, complex; town parks, accessories, tenements,
worship areas, planning, waterfronts, squatters, convention arch,
official fortification, civic/gov’t., commercial/ business,
residences, civic buildings structures, condos, malls, subdivisions,
mosque, masjid, and public works, development, new cost
ARCHITECTURE
state edificies installations, apartments, housing
(figure E) private residences,
residence, offices, health
commercial and public
structures, education,
cemeteries, business chalet
bridges,
lighthouse
 Figure 1.1

Figure A Figure B

Figure E
Figure C Figure D

WHAT IS CONTEMPORARY ART? WHAT IS MODERN ART?

If we talk in terms of Art History (refer to the aforementioned matrix), Contemporary Art can be defined as art
produced by artists living today.

Figure 1.2 Zyza Bacani (2013)

 The picture on Figure 1.2 and the painting by HR Ocampo on Figure 1.3 have the same subject matter:
the poor and ordinary people on the streets.
Figure 1.2 was taken around 2013, in Hong Kong, where the photographer Zyza Bacani, who hails from
Nueva Vizcaya, worked as a domestic helper, and is now based in New York on a scholarship. On her days off,
she shot with her digicamera. Her first camera was bought from money loaned by her employer
HR Ocampo's painting (Figure 1.3) was painted in the early 1960s. At that time, the painting was
considered contemporary. Today, we refer to these works as examples of Modern Art, produced between the
American colonial period to the Post-war period. Some Modern artists continue to produce work till today. In
that sense, their works can be described as contemporary, by virtue of being 'of the present" For example, the
National Artist Arturo Luz continued to produce paintings in his 90s and well into the 21st. However, as seen in
Figure 1.1 the table of "Historical Overview" his paintings' hard-edged and minimalist abstract style is
associated with the Modern style of the late 20th century. The 'contemporary is therefore a fluid term, and its
use can change depending on the contexts, in this case historical and stylistic. At times, the Modern and
Contemporary can be used simultaneously or interchangeably; however, there is also danger of using them
carelessly or loosely. Thus it is important to know the historical, and stylistic contexts of the terms.

Figure 1.3 The Contrast by HR Ocampo Figure 1.4 Frugal Meal by Cesar Legaspi
There are a number of artists-young and senior, alike-who paint in styles associated with Modern Art.
National Artist Victorio Edades is credited for initiating the Modern Art movement that challenged the
Neoclassic style, which was dominant at the time he came home from studying in America before the war. The
Neoclassic style depicts reality as closely as possible and idealizes it. The Modern artists led by Edades
challenged what were described as "conservative” art seen in the works of National Artists Fernando Amorsolo
and Guillermo Tolentino. Modern artists do not aim to copy and idealize reality; instead, they change the colors
and flatten the picture instead of creating illusions of depth, nearness, and farness. Instead of the beautiful and
pastoral, they depict what might be thought of as "ugly” and unpleasant.
At that time, Modern Art was considered new and shocking; Neoclassic Art was familiar and
comfortable. Neoclassic Art is also described by art historians like Guillermo as "academic" along with other
established styles imported from Europe via Spanish colonization. In its simplest sense Neoclassicism is
"academic" as it was and continues to be taught in schools, particularly the then University of the Philippines
School of Fine Arts (now UP College of Fine Arts), where Amorsolo and Tolentino were most influential. The
School of Fine Arts is now the University of the Philippines College of Fine Arts, where students are being
exposed to various styles. The Neoclassic style associated with Amorsolo and Tolentino continue to influence a
number of practicing artists who have learned to paint in that style either formally as art students in various
universities where Neoclassic style is included in the curriculum or informally through workshops and
apprenticeships or through self-learning or self-study, as in the case of many artists from the regions outside
Manila.
Today, Modern Art is referred to as "traditional”, compared to Contemporary Art. Contemporary Art is
the art of the present, which is continuously in process and in flux. What is contemporary today might become
"academic" or "traditional” at some point. The styles of Modern Art for example are now part of art school
curricula and have become academic. Thus, the distinction between Modem Art and Contemporary Art could
also be a matter of perception and reception depending on the contexts, which will be discussed in detail in the
succeeding lessons. For now, it is important that we are aware of the distinction between Modern Art and
Contemporary Art, their differences as well as similarities.

WHAT ARE THE SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MODERN ART AND CONTEMPORARY ART?

CONTEMPORARY
Figure ART?
1.5 Magpupukot by Carlos Francisco Figure 1.6 Fishing Scene by Fernando Amorsolo

Figure 1.7 The Builders by Victorio Edades

Figure 1.5 shows Carlos Francisco's depiction of fishing as a difficult process, while Amorsolo's rendition
emphasizes calm and placidity. Like Francisco's Magpupukot (1957), HR Ocampo's The Contrast (1940) in
Figure 1.3, Cesar Legaspi's Frugal Meal (undated) in Figure 14, Edades' The Builders (1928) in Figure 1.7
shows the oppressive condition of the underprivileged classes. As we shall learn in the historical overview in
the next lesson, Modern Artists like Romeo Tabuena, Hernando Ocampo, Vicente Manansala, Victor Oteyza,
Ramon Estella and Cesar Legaspi were actively depicting the social conditions in the aftermath of World War
II. Called Neo-Realists by critic Aguilar Cruz these artists depicted society's problems and challenged the
Neoclassic rural-pastoral style associated with Amorsolo and Tolentino. The Social Realists of the seventies are
considered heirs of this tradition.

Figure 1.8 Filipina DH by Imelda Cajipe Endaya

Social Realism continues to influence contemporary artists. For example, Imelda Cajipe-Endaya's
Filipina DH, 1995 is social realist, but the style and medium of the installation is markedly different. Refer to
"The Stylistic Overview" table (Figure 1.9) for an idea of the difference in style and medium between Modern
Art and Contemporary Art.

Modern Art vs. Contemporary Art

A. Modern Art:
 a. Time frame: 1880s to the 1970s.
b. Noteworthy for introducing styles like Fauvism, Impressionism, Surrealism, and Cubism.
c. Innovations included screen printing, photography, and collage.
d. Renowned artists from this era include Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, Vincent Van Gogh,
and Frida Kahlo.

B. Contemporary Art:
a. Represents the current times and is typically created by living artists.
b. Encompasses a variety of media, from traditional painting to video art and tech-enabled
artworks.
c. Themes often revolve around present-day issues such as globalization, terrorism, and
feminism.
d. Notable contemporary artists include Jeff Koons, Yoko Ono, Banksy, and Yayoi Kusama.

Jeff Koon’s Balloon Dog:

The modern art movement, synonymous with 'Modernism,' spanned from the 1880s to the 1970s.
This transformative period saw the birth of revolutionary styles and techniques. Modern artists like
Angelo Accardi and David Kracov ventured beyond traditional methods, introducing the world to fresh
concepts like abstraction and personal iconography.

Unlike its predecessor, contemporary art doesn't confine itself to a specific style. It's
characterized by its versatility in mediums and its emphasis on current societal issues. The "Infinity
Room" by Yayoi Kusama, with its multisensory approach, exemplifies the essence of contemporary art.

While both art forms sought to challenge conventions, modern art laid the foundation for
contemporary artists' unbridled experimentation. Some artists, like David Hockney, transcend these
classifications, having contributed to both periods.

It's essential to distinguish between contemporary and postmodern art. Although all postmodern
art is contemporary, the reverse isn't true. Postmodernism often challenges modernism's principles with
a deep-rooted connection to societal issues.

The world of art is vast and multifaceted. As we navigate through the various eras and
movements, understanding these classifications becomes crucial. By immersing oneself in art
galleries and continuously learning, one can truly appreciate the depth and evolution of art over time.

Ave Maria College

SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT
School ID No. 402686 Gov’t Permit No. 0059 s. 2015
NAME: _____________________________________ DATE: ____________________
PROGRAM & YEAR _________________________ SCORE: __________________
ACTIVITY 1
INFO-GRAPHIC: Contemporary Vs. Modern Art
INSTRUCTION:
1. To further understand the distinction between contemporary art and modern art you will create an info-
graphic.
2. Use photographs in differentiating the two major concepts and also include a brief explanation.
3. Do it in a short bond paper and observeInfo-Graphic
1 inch marginRubric
all sides.
Needs
Inadequate
Criteria Excellent (5) Good (4) Satisfactory (3) Improvement SCORE
(1)
(2)
Significant
Accurate, Some inaccuracies,
relevant, and Mostly inaccuracies or major gaps, or Incomplete
comprehensive accurate and lack of irrelevant or inaccurate
Content information relevant completeness information information
Visually Adequate Poor layout and
appealing, clear Mostly organization, but organization, Chaotic
hierarchy, and visually may be cluttered making it layout,
Design/ well-organized appealing and or lack clear difficult to unclear
Layout layout organized hierarchy follow structure
Clear, concise, Message is
and effectively Message is completely
Clarity communicates Some elements confusing or unclear and
of the intended Mostly clear are unclear or difficult to incomprehen
Message message and concise overly complex understand sible
Poor
Consistent font Adequate Inconsistent font readability,
styles, sizes, and Mostly readability, but styles, sizes, or hindering
Readability/ colors for easy consistent and some colors affect comprehensi
Typography readability easy to read inconsistencies readability on
Innovative and
creative Lacks
Creativity approach to Mostly Adequate Little creativity creativity
/ presenting creative and creativity, but or originality and
Originality information original lacks originality demonstrated originality

Total Score: