What’s New

From the discussion above, we learned about the different contemporary art
forms. While we review the previous lesson, it to boot basic to be beyond any doubt
that the art of the so – called past continued and proceeds to development until the
appear and are thus in that sense, “contemporary”. This art continued to be
conveyed, without a doubt in case the conditions behind its era have as of now
changed through and through. In the discussion below, be conscious of the way the
description of context is integrated into the description of form – what art is made of
and how art is made. The relationship of material and process to the symbols and
meanings of the art forms matters how we contextualize. ( crafted from: Faludette
May Datulin , 2016. Contemporary Philippine Arts of the Regions p. 14 – 15)

Philippine Art History

I. Pre-Colonial Arts /
Ethnic Arts

Was there art before colonization?

In art chronicle terms, we
imply art a few times as of late the
coming of the essential colonizers as
“pre - triumph”. In expound terms, we
insinuate to it as natural the thought
that our forerunners, have been making art without a doubt a few times as of late
colonization. It is also described in cultural
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terms as “pre-colonial” as a term to use the general way of life before colonization. Although
the terms are interchangeable, it is also useful to keep these distinctions in mind when
studying the art of the past
In Pre – colonial Philippines, arts are for ritual purposes or for everyday use. Art of
the ancient Filipinos were woven into the fabric of everyday life. They do not refer to art as
we do today. That is, as an expression of an individual, and seen largely in galleries and
concert halls. They do not distinguish forms into different categories like music, theater,
visual arts, etc. Everyday expressions were all integrated within rituals that marked
significant moments in a community’s life, like planting, harvesting, rites passage, funerary,
ceremonies, weddings, among others. (crafted from: Faludette May Datulin et. al, 2016.
Contemporary Philippine Arts of the Regions p. 15)
Our ancestors, just like others in the world during those times, were hunter gatherers.
The forefathers hunted food and game that were shared among members of a community in
a gathering where they told stories about the hunt. They imitated the movement of animals
and prey, and the sounds that they made. But how do arts apply?
In this simple activity alone evolved ritual, music, dance, theater and yes even literature.
When they told stories about the hunt, this form of oral story telling marked the beginnings of
the literature. When they imitated movements of the animals they hunted, this marked the
early beginnings of theater or play acting. When they learned to add drum beating and attach
rhythm to their movements, they have given birth to music and dance
The pre- colonial peoples of the Philippines already possessed a varied and vibrant
musicale culture. The country’s indigenous cultures through the existence of ethnic musical
instruments such as pipes , flutes, zithers, drums, various string instruments like kudyapi a
three stringed guitar, the kulintang – an array bossed gongs, the gansa or flat gong, bamboo
percussion instruments, and the gong – large bossed gong.

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The following are the native dance forms imitated from the
movements of the animals:
1. Pangalay dance (Sulu) is mimetic of the movements of the sea birds
2. Mandaya’ Kinabua, Banog – banog (Higaonon & B’laan), and ma- manok
(Bagobos in Mindanao is imitated the movements of predatory birds.
3. Talip dance (Ifugao) that is used for courtship is mimetic of the movements of
wild fowls.
4. Inamo dance (Matigsalugs) and Kadaliwas dance (T’Boli) represent the
comedic movement of the monkey
5. Tinikling dance evocative of the movements of the crane, balancing itself on
stilt – like legs or flirting away from the clutches of bamboo traps.

Famous artworks during pre – colonial

1. Carving
 Bulul (Cordillera) a granary God that plays an important role in rituals
 Hagabi (Ifugao) a wooden bench
 Santos / sculptures of saints (Laguna and Pampanga)
 Okir (Tausug / Samal / Badjao) mythical sarimanok, the naga or serpent.
 Manunggul Jar discovered at Manunggul cave of Palawan

2. Weaving

 Textile weaving
a. Pis siyabit (Tausug of Sulu) a headpiece woven
b. Malong (Maranao of Lanao del Sur)

 Mat and basket weaving

a. Tepo mat (Sama of Tawi-Tawi) a double layered made of Pandan
leaves.
b. Ovaloid basket (Itbayat, Batanes) a head sling made of nito or
bamboo used to carry the harvests.
c. Bubo (Ilocos region) a sturdy bamboo strips used to trap the fish.

3. Ornamentation - representations of various ethnolinguistic groups.

a. Wearing gold jewelry (upper class Tagalog)
 b. Tattooing (Visayan) it is believed to protect the individual from evil
spirits, it is also a sign of bravery and maturity.

II. ISLAMIC ERA

(13TH Century to the Present)

How did Islam influence

art before the coming of Spanish
colonizers?
Islamic is characterized by
geometric designs and patter
selecting focus from the
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believers. Even before the
coming of Spanish colonizers,
Islam was already well
entrenched in Southern
Philippines. Filipino Muslims
recognize that they belong to an ummah or a community
Source: https://bit.ly/2VqsfLY

of believers. Central to the Islamic faith is the doctrine of or unity of God. This belief
emphasizes the impermanence of nature and the incomprehensible greatness of the Divine
Being.
In Islamic art we can observe how artist are influenced by the notion of the Tawhid,
we will find that the interior of mosques are covered with elaborate patterning in the form of
reliefs to draw the attention away from the concrete object, in other words away from human
forms and nature” toward the contemplation of the divine” ( source: Faludette May Datulin et.
al , 2016. Contemporary Philippine Arts of the Regions p. 19)

Happenings during Islamic era

1. Sultanate of Sulu was established Sayyid Abbubakar
2. Qura or holy text was introduced
3. Building of religious school called Madrasah
4. Natives from Yakans , Basilan and Zamboanga were converted to Islam
5. Islamazation process In Mindanao became strong.
6. Islam became the religion and as a way of life of people in Mindanao (Tausug,
Maranao, Maguindanao, Yakan, Samal, Badjao).

III. SPANISH
ERA
(1521 –
1898)
What kinds of art
developed during
Spanish Colonization?
Art became a hand maiden of religion, serving to propagate the Catholic faith and thus
support the colonial order at the same time. Religious orders were dispatched to convert the
natives to Catholicism as part of the
lhttps://bit.ly/2VqsfLYl larger project culturally as
religious art, lowland Christian art or folk art. During this period, cruciform churches following
the shape of the latin cross were built. In keeping with the prevailing, they were
characterized by grandeur, drama, and elaborate details that purposely appealed to the
emotions. The use of adobe, limestone or brick and the construction of thick buttresses or
wing like projections reinforce the church structure to make it more resistant to earthquake.
In other words, the result is a fusion of both native and European elements, prompting some
art historians to refer to the style as colonial baroque or Philippine or tropical baroque.
(source: Faludette May Datulin et. al, 2016. Contemporary Philippine Arts of the Regions p.
31)

6 Spanish era
Important Happenings related to art during
 Chinese artisans were engaged in making icons or saints made in
wood or ivory
 Colonial churches were built
 Western musical instruments were introduced, pipe organ, violin,
guitar, and piano
 Catholic liturgical music was introduced in 1742
 Choral music to boys were introduced and created the first Filipino
composers named Marcelo Adonay (1848 – 1928)
 Musical form based on Catholic faith have emerge in the Pasyon – the
biblical of Christ’s passion chanted in an improvise melody.
 Secular music was formed; the awit and the corridor – these were the
two musical forms based on European literature and history.
 Kundiman became a vehicle for conflict – the lyrics were that of
unrequited love, except that the love object was the Philippines who
would be cleverly concealed as beautiful woman.
 Mangyans made the baybayin script made of bamboo poles cut into
smaller nodes that are carved used to composed short poems,
expressing one’s feelings and other emotional concers.Pomp and
pageantry of religious processions were introduced.
 Zarzuela was introduced, it was an opera which features singing and
dancing with prosed dialogue which allowed the story to be carried out
in a song.
 Severino Reyes and Hermogenes Ilagan were awarded as the most
distinguished playwrights as they wrote zarzuela in Tagalog
 Honorata “ Atang” dela Rama awardeded as the most celebrated
leading actress
 The first Senakulo was written in 1704 by Gaspar Aquino de Belen
 Komedya were also introduced; komedya de santo (it centers on life of
Christ ) and Secular Komedya.
 Folk dances such as carinosa, pandango, polka , dansa and rigodon,
habanera, and tango were introduced.
  Visual arts, and paintings must be visual interpretation of biblical texts
center to Catholic devotion ex. Heaven Earth and Hell by Jose Dans
( 1850)
 Reprographic art of printmaking was introduced, Doctrina Christiana is
an example, the first printed book in the Philippines compiling song
lyrics, commandments, sacraments and other catechetical material.
 Juan Luna ( Spolarium) won gold medals and Felix Resurrection
Hidalgo (Virgenes christianas expuestas al populacho) won silver
medals

Famous Artists and their artworks during Spanish era:

Visual Arts:
1. Damian Domingo – water color albums of tipos
2. Juan Luna – Spoliarium, Espana y Filipinas
3. Felix Resurrection Hidalgo – Virgenes christianas expuestas al populacho
4. Lorenzo Guerrero - The Water Carrier
5. Simon Flores – Portrait of the Quiazon Family
6. Jose Dans – Heaven , Earth , Hell
7. Esteban Villanueva - Basi Revolt

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Miniature painters Engraver:

1. Antonio Malantic 1. Francisco Suarez

2. Isidro Arceo, 2. Nicolas Engraver
3. Dionesio de Castro 3. Laureano Atlas
4. Justiniano Assuncion 4. Felipe Sevilla

Musician – Composer Theater artist:

1. Marcelo Adonay 1. Honorata “ Atang” dela

Rama

Writers:

1. Severino Reyes - Zarzuela

2. Hermogenes Ilagan – Zarzuela
3. Gaspar Aquino de Belen - Senakulo

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 IV. AMERICAN ERA
(1898 – 1940) to
the Post war
Republic (1946 –
1969)

What were the changes

brought about by American
Colonization? How were they
differ from the religious forms
of the Spanish colonial
period ?
In the American regime,
commercial and advertising
arts were integrated into fine
arts curriculum. Moreover, Americans favored idyllic sceneries and secular forms of
arts. Because
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the lingua franca of this

period was English, poems and
stories from books were dramatize in classroom, to facilitate the teaching of the
English language. Unlike, the Spanish, the Americans passionate thought their
language through an efficient public school system.
In less than decade, Filipino playwrights began to write plays in English.In the
beginning of the 20th century, new urban pattern that responded to the secular goals of
education, health and governance was imposed. The new patrons of the arts included the
Americans who engaged in governance and education, business and tourism. The demand
for artists who could do illustrations in textbooks or graphic design to product labels thus
emerged. The inclination towards genre, still life and portrait paintings persisted. Landscapes
on the other hand, became cherished as travel souvenirs, especially those that captured the
exotic qualities of Philippine terrain. In 1909, a year after the establishment of the University
of the Philippines, its School of Fine Arts was opened. It also offered a course on commercial
design to fulfill the aforementioned demand. For some time, the academic ( a term referring
to the kind of art was influenced by European academies) tradition of painting and sculpture
in the manner of Amorsolo and Tolentino prevailed in the art scene.(crafted from: Faludette
May Datulin et. al , 2016. Contemporary Philippine Arts of the Regions p.28 -29)

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Famous Artist during American era

1. Juan Abad – Tanikalang Ginto (Golden Chain) (1902)

2. Juan Matapang Cruz – Hindi ako Patay ( Iam Not Dead) 1903
3. Aurelio Tolentino – Kahapon , Ngayon at Bukas (Yesterday, Today and
Tomorrow )
 (The above 3 artists emphasized their works a deep profound yearning for
freedom.)
4. Lino Castillejo (author) – A Modern Filipina First Filipino written in
5. Jesus Araullo (author) – A Modern Filipina English
6. Daniel Burnham (architect) - He design Manila and Baguio
7. William Parsons – implanted Burnham Plan – an urban designed employed
Neoclassic architecture.
8. Thomas Mapua
9. Andres Luna de San Pedro Filipino architects who designed buildings
10. Antonio Toledo during the period
11. Fabian dela Rosa (naturalists Painter) – Planting Rice (1921), El
Kundiman( 1930)
12. Fernado Amorsolo
 romantic painter – Dalagang Filipina, idyllic landscapes, historical
paintings
 graphic artist –The Philippine Readers (book) The Independent
( newspaper)
 logo designer - Ginebra San Miguel.
13. Guillermo Tolentino (sculpture ) – Oblation ( 1935) UP Oblation ( 1958 )
Bonifacio Monument ( 1933).

V. JAPANESE ERA (1941 – 1945)

Since the Japanese

advocated for the culture of
East Asia, preference was
given to the indigenous art
and traditions of the
Philippines. This
emphasized their
propaganda in Asia. Under
the Japanese occupation
of Manila, the Modern Art
Project would slow down in
pace. Early moderns and
conservatives alike
continued to produce art and even participated in
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KALIBAPI ( Kapisanan sa Paglingkod ng Bagong Pilipinas) sponsored art competitions.

Nevertheless, art production once again tilted to fulfill the agenda and demands of
the new colonial order. 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
rejected Western traditions. The productions of images, texts, nd music underwent scrutiny.
In music, the composer National Artist Felipe de Leon was said to have been
commanded to write AWIT SA PAGLIKHA NG BAGONG PILIPINAS. Declared as the
anthem specifically for the period, it conveyed allegiance to the nation reared in East Asia,
where Japan was actively asserting its political power.
Genre paintings were the most widely produced, particularly those that
presented a neutral relationship between Filipinos and the Japanese through works that
showed the normality of daily living. (crafted from: Faludette May Datulin et. al, 2016.
Contemporary Philippine Arts of the Regions p. 15)

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Famous artist and their artworks during Japanese era

1. Fernado Amorsolo (painting)

 Harvest scene, 1942
 Rice Plating, 1942
 Bombing of the Intendencia (1942)
 Ruins of Manila Cathedral (1945)
2. Sylvia La Torre (song)
 Sa kabukiran
3. Levi Celerio (composer)
 Sa Kabukiran
4. Felipe P. de Leon (composer)
 Awit sa Paglikha ng Bagong Pilipinas
5. Crispin Lopez (painting)
 Study of an Aeta (1943)
6. Diosdado Lorenzo (painting)
 Atrocities in Paco
7. Dominador Castaneda (painting)
 Doomed Family (1945)

VI. MODERN ERA (Neo Realism,

Abstraction Modern styles)

What is Modern Art?

Modern art is quite different from
contemporary art especially when in
terms of history and styles.
anModern era in the Philippine art
began after World War 2 and the
granting independence. Writers and Artists posed the question of national identity as the
main theme of various art forms.
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It is referred to as “traditional compared to contemporary art. The styles of modern

art for example are now part of art and curricula and have become academic.
The most well- known proponent of Modern art painting is Victorio Edades whose
work were initially rejected and misunderstood but later on his modernist sensibility was
shared by several artists. In this era artists explored various mediums, techniques and
themes that were at that time considered “new”.
 There was an exploration of subject matter, content, and form. Using modernists
figuration, many of the artists explored folk themes and also crafted commentaries on the
urban condition and the effects of the war.
Modern artists do not aim to copy and idealize reality; instead, they change the colors
flatten the picture instead of creating illusions of depth, nearness and farness. They depict
what might be thought of as “ugly “and unpleasant instead of the beautiful and pastoral.
Another strand of Modern art is abstraction. It consists of simplified forms, which
avoided mimetic representation. It is sometimes referred as nonrepresentational or non-
objective art as it emphasizes the relationship of colors, line, space or the flatness of the
canvas rather than an illusion of three dimensionality. (crafted from: Faludette May Datulin
et. al, 2016. Contemporary Philippine Arts of the Regions p. 15)

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Modern famous artists and their artworks

 Neo Realists Artist
1. Manansala – The Beggars (1952), Tuba Drinkers (1954),
2. Legaspi – Gadgets II (1949), Bad Girls (1947)
3. HR Ocampo – The Contrast (1940), Genesis (1968)
4. Ramon Estella
5. Victor Oyteza
6. Romeo Tabuena
 Abstractionist Artists
1. Constancio Abenardo
2. Lee Aguinaldo
3. Jose Joya
4. Fernando Zobel
5. Arturo Luz – Street Musicians (1952)
6. Nina Saguil - Cargadores (1951)
Modern Architectural structures:
1. Church of Holy Sacrifice (1955)
2. Church of the Risen Lord
3. Chapel of Saint Joseph the worker

VII. CONTEMPORARY
ART.
 What is contemporary art? Is it similar to Modern art? What are the general
characteristics of contemporary art?
Contemporary art is much different from Modern art as it said earlier modern art is
referred “traditional” compared to contemporary art. How would that be? An example is the
work of Fernando Amorsolo, he painted his painting “Harvest Scene in 1942. At that time,
the painting was considered contemporary. Today, we refer to that work as an example of
Modern art produced during Japanese era. But some of the artists continue to produce work
‘til today and in that sense their works can be describe as contemporary by virtue of being of
the present.
What contemporary really is? Contemporary art is an art of today produced by artists
living of today. It is a fluid term, and its use can change depending on the context.
Philippine Contemporary Art was an offshoot of social realism brought about by
Martial Law. Arts became expression of people’s aspiration for a just, free and sovereign
society.
Artists use mixed media. Their artworks are site specific, process - based and they
integrate various art forms.
Contemporary art has the following characteristics;
a. collaborative / participative
b. interactive
c. Process - oriented (meaning that there is less emphasis on the finished
product and a single author or creator. There is a wide range of strategies,
media and techniques)
d. Site specific (they cannot be experienced in the same way if we remove
from their original place.
Contemporary art is distinguishable from Modern art in historical, stylistic, and cultural
terms. (crafted from: Faludette May Datulin et. al , 2016. Contemporary Philippine Arts of the
Regions p. 15)
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What Is It

Important Happenings during the rise of Contemporary Art

 Many cultural projects ensued amid the backdrop of poverty and volatile
social conditions under the leadership Of Ferdinand Marcos and Imelda
Marcos in 1965
 Martial Law was Declared on September 21, 1972
 New Society or Bagong Lipunan was built by Marcos in which the main focus
is to rebirth the lost civilization and aspiration to modernization and
development in which the main vision is to combine the fine arts, architecture,
architecture, interior design, tourism, convention city building, engineering ,
urban planning, health and among many others through an art and culture
program.

Below is the timeline of Philippine Arts highlighting the focus of arts of each era.
Please make your own opinion and data analysis based on the Timeline.
(Teacher will make rubrics as a tool for scoring)
 crafted: Bryanhttps://www.slideshare.net/bryanaortiz5/contemporary-arts-in-the-philippines

What’s More

Activity 3: Where I belong?

What aspects of the traditional or academic, modern, or the

contemporary are you inclined toward and how would thus be evoked in your work?
Make a self-portrait and explain the medium and techniques you used, as well as the
style you choose. If you cannot draw, take a selfie and retouch according to the style
you prefer. Explain. (the teacher will make rubrics as a tool for scoring)