Contemporary Philippine Arts from the Regions
Prepared by:
Ms. Angeline Marie L. Trayfalgar
I. Introduction to Contemporary Art
1. Art: define
a. The imitation of life and of the world
rendered beautifully, which gives
pleasure
b. A human pursuit to imitate life and the
world in to something
pleasing/beautiful
c. A replication/recreation of reality.
d. Elements:
i. Subject
ii. Medium
Philippine art: influenced by our colonial history
and migrant reality
i. When it depicts the Filipino
way of living
ii. The Filipino-ness is present
2. Art: Purpose and Function
a. P: To allow individual to experience life
and grasp it’s meaning
b. F: Decoration, Expression of emotions
and sentiments and Entertainment
3. Contemporary Art: Define
a. Art produced by artist today
b. Not restricted to the individual
experience of the artist but is reflective
of the world that we live in.
c. An art that has a world view and is
sensitive to the changing times.
d. Is a statement that an artist makes
about life, thoughts, ideas, beliefs and
many other things that define human
life.
e. Refers to all artworks created by artist
that are living and are very
representative of our times, capturing
modern-day realities ranging from
constant and instant connectivity to
borderless societies.
4. Characteristics of Contemporary Arts
a. It is not confined to the museum but
rather made public. The production
process gives meaning to art making
and originality is not issue
b. Traditional artist perfects their art by
practicing “mimesis” or copying the
model exactly as it is, contemporary
artist deliberately broke the rules of
traditional art
c. The essence of art relies on the art-
making. It is the process/ “experience”
d. Different materials are used as opposed
to traditional materials.
e. Characterized by bold strokes and
bright colors.
f. Art is abstract, expressionist, and
surrealists.
5. Contemporary Art: Elements/Principles
a. Appropriation: Traditional Art(ie:
Paintings and Portrait) appropriated/
used/ placed in T-shirts, Mugs and the
likes
b. Performance: The depictions of
ordinary events/activities into socially
relevant themes such as poverty,
commercialism and the likes.
c. Space: transformation of space
(sculpture installation in malls and
parks, flash mobs presentations)
d. Hybridity: The mixing of unlikely
materials to produce an artwork (sand,
mud, coffee and the likes)
e. Technology: the use of video and social
media/ internet (youtube sensations,
instagram/facebook)
II. Various Philippine Art Forms
1. Modern vs. Contemporary Art
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 flux.
Modern art is characterized by the artist's
intent to portray a subject as it exists in the
world, according to
his or her unique perspective and is typified by
a rejection of accepted or traditional styles and
values.
2. Division of Art
a) Fine Arts (major art) – are primarily for
aesthetic enjoyment through the
senses, especially visual and auditory. It
is the changing of certain materials or
media for aesthetic purposes.
b) Utilitarian or Practical Arts ( minor art) –
are intended for practical use or utility.
It is the changing of raw materials for
utilitarian purposes. However they must
possess ornaments or artistic qualities
to make them useful and beautiful.
3. Types of Art
a) Industrial Art - It is the changing of raw
materials into some significant product
for human consumption
b) Applied or Household Art - household
art such as flower arrangement, interior
decoration, dressmaking, home –
making, embroidery, and cooking.
c) Civic Art – includes city or town
planning, maintenance and
beautification of parks, plaza, roads,
bridges and farms.
d) Commercial Art – involves business
propaganda in the form of
advertisements in newspapers and
magazines, sign painting, billboard
announcements, leaflets, displays,
poster designing, and movie
illustrations.
 e) Graphic Art – anything printed from
raised or sunken reliefs and plane
surfaces.
f) Agricultural Art – refers to agronomy
(crop production), horticulture (garden
cultivation), husbandry (raising of cows,
carabao, poulty and swine), and
farming.
g) Business Art – includes merchandising,
bookkeeping, typewriting, stenography,
salesmanship, and business
administration
h) Fishery Art – includes shallow and deep
sea fishing, fish refrigeration and
culture, and net weaving.
i) Medical or Clinical Art – includes first
aid treatments, medicinal
manufacturing, surgery, medical
operations and rehabilitation.
III. Philippine Art History
1. Pre-Conquest/Pre-Colonial Period (6185 BC –
1520 AD)
a) Old Stone Age (Paleolithic) – Espinosa
Ranch Site, Cagayan
Two- flake tools dated 9 million years
old is the oldest man-made object
associated with the fossils of the
proboscidean, a prehistoric elephant
b) Agono Petroglyphs – oldest work of art
in the Philippines located in the
province of Rizal. It contains 127 human
and animal figures carved on the
rockwall.
c) Lingling – O (2000 BC – 1000 AD) – a
kind of ear pendant fashioned from
green nephrite (Jade)
d) Manunggul Jar (890 – 710 BC) – burial
jar excavated from the Tabon Caves in
Palawan
e) Maitum Jar (190 BC – 500 AD) –
anthromorphic secondary burial jars in
Ayub Cave, Saranggani.
f) Baybayin – a tagalog ancient script
(Badlit in Visayas) derived from the
Brahmic scripts of India
2. Spanish Colonial Period (1521 – 1898)
- introduced formal painting, sculpture
and architecture which was inspired by
the Byzantine, Gothic, Baroque, and
Rococo art styles
- most art works are religious based
- the Filipino Classicism is formed that
borrows the Neo-Classicism,
Romanticism, and even a hint of
Impressionism
a) Damian Domingo (Father of Filipino
Painting) – first Filipino to paint his face
(self-portrait)
b) Juan Luna y Novicio – Filipino painter,
sculptor, and a political activist during
the 19th century revolution; his greatest
work is the Spolarium(1884)
c) Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo – 19th
century painter; works has a touch of
Romanticism and aesthetics of
Neoclassicism
d) Two Filipino Art Styles Developed
i. Miniaturismo – art style that
pays attention to the
embroidery and texture of the
costume
ii. Letras y Figuras – art style that
fuses letters with figures in
everyday activities; usually used
on patron saints’ names.
3. American Colonial Period (1898 – 1946)
- the Filipino artist starts looking for his
identity
- the Americans brought Education and
Value Formation with both following
the American Way of Life
- Art Illustration, Advertising and
Commercial Design gained popularity
and incorporated in Fine Arts.
- Painting themes still largely favored
Genre Paintings,Landscapes and Still
Life;
- Portraits are reserved for high ranking
officials with a more academic
approach to make the subject more
formal.
a) Art Nouveau – a style of decorative art,
architecture, and design prominent in
Western Europe and the US and
characterized by intricate linear designs
and flowing curves based on natural
forms
b) Fabian dela Rosa – leading Master of
Genre in the first quarter of the century
c) Guillermo Tolentino – National Artist
Awards for Sculpture in 1973
- considered as the Father of
Filipino Arts
- made the famous “Bonifacio
Monument” and the “UP
Oblation”
d) Fernando Amorsolo – First Awardee of
the National Artist Award in 1972
- a portraitist and painter of
rural landscapes
4. Post-Modern Art (1946 – 1970)
- The study of determining what is
Philippine Contemporary Art Period is
still being determined since the word
has been used loosely used even during
the American Colonial Period. However,
some Philippine art historians/critics
has always been a follower of the
 Western Art Style and its trends at that
point and thus, suggested that this was
actually the point where Philippine
Modern Art Period started but went
only full swing only after the war. This is
set by the creation of the Art
Association of the Philippines (AAP) that
in a way has a strong leaning with the
Modernist than the Conservatives (the
traditional
art also termed as the Amorsolo School)
- Postmodern art is a body of art
movements that sought to contradict
some aspects of modernism or some
aspects that emerged or developed in
its aftermath.
- In general, movements such as
intermedia, installation art, conceptual
art and multimedia, particularly
involving video are described as
postmodern.
5. Contemporary Art
- Contemporary art as the work of
artists who are living in the 21st century.
- Contemporary art mirrors
contemporary culture and society,
offering the general audiences a rich
resource through which to consider
current ideas and rethink the familiar.
- The work of contemporary artists is a
dynamic combination of materials,
methods, concepts, and
subjects that challenges traditional
boundaries and defies easy definition.
IV. Elements and Principles of Art Design
1. Elements of Art –are the parts; they structure
and carry the work
a) Line – strokes that show motion and
connect two points. May be vertical,
horizontal or diagonal, curved, straight,
zigzag, or show emotion; a mark with
length and direction
b) Form – shows an object in space, the
mass or positive space it occupies. The
term usually used when describing 3D
objects.
c) Space – what is between objects, also
known as negative space
d) Texture – the feel, real or implied, on
an object or its surface
e) Shape – area enclosed when both sides
of a line meet. Shapes can be geometric
or organic; 2D
f) Color – Also known as hue. May be
complimentary, analogous, primary,
secondary, tertiary, or part of a color
wheel
g) Value – the lightness or darkness of an
object or color. Often used with
drawings.
2. Principles of Art – are the concepts; they affect
content and message
a) Emphasis – when one area in a work of
art stands out more than another. The
part that catches your attention first.
b) Movement – the motion created in a
work of art. Often uses the principle of
rhythm to achieve this.
c) Unity – the feeling of wholeness or the
parts belonging together
d) Rhythm – the repetition of lines,
shapes, or colors to create a feeling of
movement
e) Contrast – a difference created when
elements are placed next to each other
in a work of art. It creates interest and
tension
f) Variety – the use of different lines,
shapes, and colors in a piece of work
g) Balance – the way the elements are
arranged to create a feeling of stability
in a work
h) Proportion – the comparative
relationship of one part to another with
respect to size, quantity, or degree;
SCALE

V. National Artist Awards

1. What does it mean to receive the National Artist Award?

If you’re given the title of national artist, you can consider yourself one of the best. By being given the title, it
means you have given significant contributions to the development of Philippine arts and letters. The
recognition is given to those who excel in the fields of music, dance, theatre, visual arts, literature, film and
broadcast, and architecture or allied arts.
2. What are the privileges received by the awardees?
a. Rank and title of National Artist, as proclaimed by the President of the Philippines
b. Insignia of a National Artist and a citation
c. Cash awards, monthly life pension, medical, and hospitalization benefits, life insurance coverage, state funeral
and burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani (Heroes’ Cemetery), and a place of honor at national state function
along with recognition at cultural events.
3. How does one become a National Artist?
a. Living artists who have been Filipino citizens for the last ten years prior to nomination as well as those who
have died after the establishment of the award in 1972 but were Filipino citizens at the time of their death;
 b. Artists who have helped build a Filipino sense of nationhood through the content and form of their works;
c. Artists who have distinguished themselves by pioneering in a mode of creative expression or style, making an
impact on succeeding generations of artists;
d. Artists who have created a significant body of works and/or have consistently displayed excellence in the
practice of their art form, enriching artistic expression or style; and
e. Artists who enjoy broad acceptance through prestigious national and/or international recognition, awards in
prestigious national and/or international events, critical acclaim and/or reviews of their works, and/or respect
and esteem from peers within an artistic discipline.
4. Who are some of the National Artists?
Architecture
Juan F. Nakpil Quiapo, Manila 1973 Rebuilt Quiapo Church
Pablo S. Antonio Binondo, Manila 1976 Far Eastern University
Administration and Science buildings;
Manila Polo Club; Ideal Theater; Lyric
Theater; Galaxy
Theater; Capitan Luis Gonzaga Building;
Boulevard- Alhambra (now Bel-Air)
apartments; Ramon Roces Publications
Building (now Guzman Institute of
Electronics).
Leandro V. Locsin Silay, Neg. Occ 1990 Istana Nural Iman (Palace of Brunei’s
sultan)
The CCP Complex

Visual Arts
Carlos “Botong” Francisco Angono, Rizal 1973 Murals
Guillermo Tolentino Malolos, Bulacan 1973 Bonifacio Monument
UP Oblation
Fernando Amorsolo Paco, Manila 1972 Maiden in a Stream, El Ciego, Planting
Rice

Cinema
Ronald Allan K. Poe Manila 2006 Underdog Image Projected in His Films:
(Fernando Poe Jr.) Batang Maynila (1962)
Tatak ng Alipin (1975)
Ang Probinsyano (1996)
Ang Panday (1980 – 1984)
Eddie Romero Dumaguete 2003 Nationalistic and Historical Type of
Cinema:
Ganito Kami Noon, Paano Kayo Ngayon?
Noli Me Tangere
Lino Brocka Pilar, Sorsogon 1997 Espoused the term “Freedom of
Expression
Films are mostly on rediscovering
national identity
Santiago (1970)
Tinimbang ka Ngunit Kulang (1974)
Orapronobis (1989)

Literature
Nestor Vicente Madali Romblon 1997 The Winds of April, Seven Hills Away,
Gonzales (NVM Gonzales) Children of the Ash-Covered Loam, The
Bread of Salt
Carlos P. Romulo Intramuros, Manila 1982 The United, I Walked with Heroes, The
Philippine Presidents
Seonil Jose Rosales, 2001 Rosales Saga
Pangasinan
Edith Tiempo Bayombong, 1999 The Bonsai, The Return
Nueva Viscaya
Carlos Quirino (Historical 1997 The Great Malayan; Maps and Views of
Literature) Old Manila; Philippine Cartography
Levi Celerio (Literature Tondo, Manila 1997 Translated and Re-wrote lyrics of
and Music) Traditional melodies:
O Maliwanag na Buwan (Iloko)
Alibangbang (Visayas)
Guinness Book of World Record Holder
for playing music using a leaf
 Fashion Design
Ramon Valera Abra 2006 Created the Terno and Butterfly Sleeves

Theater Design
Salvador F. Bernal Dagupan 2003 Uses local materials for theatre
productions; founded the PATDAT
(Philippine Association of Theater
Designers and Technicians)
Dance
Ramon Obusan Camarines Norte 2006 Vamos a Belen! Series (1998- 2004)
Francisca Reyes Aquino Bulacan 1973 Philippine National Dances (1946)
Fundamental Dance Steps and Music
(1948)
Leonor Orosa Goquinco Sulu 1976 Known as the “Trailblazer”
“Dean of Filipino Performing Arts Critics”

Music
Ramon P. Santos Rizal 2014 Panaghoy (1984)
Lucrecia R. Kasilag La Union 1989 toccata for percussions and winds,
divertissement and concertante
Antonio J. Molina Quiapo,Manila 1973 Hatinggabi; Kundiman – Kundangan;
Awit ni Maria Clara

Theater
Daisy H. Avellana Roxas, Capiz 1999 Othello (1953); Portrait of the Artist as a
Filipino (1955)
Severino Montano Ilocos Norte 2001 Institutionalized theatre in the
Philippines
Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero Manila 1997 Founder and Artistic Director of UP
Mobile Theater

VI. Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan Awards

 National Living Treasures Award

 Republic Act No. 7355 s. 1992
o Shall mean a citizen engaged in any traditional art uniquely Filipino
o Whose distinctive skills have reached such a high level of technical and artistic excellence
o Have been passed on to and widely practiced by the present generation in his/her community with the
same degree of technical and artistic competence
o Must be an inhabitant of an indigenous cultural community
o Engaged in a folk art tradition that existed for at least fifty years
 Headed by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA)
1. What is it?
- Search for the finest traditional artists of the land
- adopts a program that will ensure the transfer of their skills to others
- undertakes measure to promote a genuine appreciation of and instil pride among our people
2. What are the various categories?
-folk architecture -literature
-maritime transport -graphic design
-weaving carving -ornament
-performing arts -pottery
3. What are the incentives received by the awardee?
- specially designed gold medallion -P10,000 monthly stipend for life
- an initial grant of P100,000 -P14,000 monthly personal allowance
4. Who are some of the awardees?
a) Samaon Sulaiman - kudyapi Master
b) Ginaw Bilog
c) Masino Intaray
d) Lang Dulay