an illusionistic effect.

The geometric t’nalak of the T’bolis of Southern

Mindanao are abstracted from frogs and other animals that appear in
creation stories, while the biomorphic and geometric shapes of the pis
syabit of the Tausugs remind us of leaves, flowers, and shapes woven
together in precise repetitive patterns.
In woodcarving, the Maranao okir features the sarimanok, the
colorful legendary fowl shown holding a fish with its beak or talons.
Other motifs include the naga, and pako-rabong, consisting of plant
forms, such as the dapal or raon (leaf ), pako (fern spiral), todi (katuray
flower), and potiok (bud).
Buildings and houses also take many forms and shapes, from the
geometric upward orientation of skyscrapers to the squat low forms of
the nipa hut or bahay kubo. There are unusual shapes, as well such as
the domed Church of the Holy Sacrifice in UP Campus and the glass and
steel structure of the School of Design and Art building of the De La
Salle College of St. Benilde in Vito Cruz, Manila.
Paintings in the Cubist style have intersecting and overlapping
shapes, some flat and in the case of collage, jutting out of the picture
plane. The Stations of the Cross by National Artist Vicente Manansala
at the UP Church of the Holy Sacrifice feature transparent planes, a
style associated with the artist. Other painters are expressionist in their
treatment of figure. Ang Kiukok’s works are examples of expressive use
of shapes in the context of struggle against poverty and other social
issues.
Other painters choose to not use figures at all. National Artist
Arturo Luz, whose early works were figurative, became later known
for non-figurative works featuring hard-edged geometric shapes with
sharp precision. This was also the case for National Artist HR Ocampo,
who rendered free and organic colorful shapes across his canvases in
his later period.
Most painters however, strive to give illusions of three-
dimensionality in their paintings, making them appear as if the figures
have volume, and spaces possessing depth and distance. Described as
photographically realistic, paintings by Alfredo Esquillo and Antipas
Delotavo create such illusions through skillful modeling, contouring,
and deft use of light and shadow.
F. Composition in space involves the relationship between figures
and elements. It also refers to how these elements are organized and
composed according to principles of organization, among them balance,
proportion, rhythm, unity in variety, dominance and subordination.
National Artist Guillermo Tolentino’s Bonifacio Monument, 1933 in
Caloocan has a circular composition, fitted for its position at the center
of a busy rotonda where principal streets converge. On the other hand,
another sculpture by the artist, the Oblation, bronze cast, 1958 is located
at the end of a long University Avenue, the entrance to the University
of the Philippines Diliman campus, as we learned in the discussion on

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 line above. Quezon Hall has a “twin” building across a woody area—the
UP Diliman Main Library. Not far from that building is the Palma Hall,
which sits across its own twin—Melchor Hall. Another set of twins are
the Education building and Law Building, which face each other along
the Academic Oval. Such composition follows the “town and gown”
planning of American universities, which are also founded on principles
of symmetry and balance that govern Neoclassic town planning.
In the Historical Overview in Unit 1, we learned about the
plaza complex introduced by Spanish colonization and American
city planning during the American colonial period. In Spanish town
planning, the church or cathedral dominates the plaza complex, along
with the municipio or municipal hall, and the houses of the elite called
bahay na bato. While Spanish town planning centered on religion, and
is based on the principle of enclosure, American colonial city planning
was thoroughly secular, fan-shaped instead of rectangular, was open
and conducive to social exchange. Designed by urban planner Daniel
Burnham, the Burnham Plan of Manila gives importance to parks,
open spaces, and landscaping. Burnham’s plan of Manila departs from
Spanish walled city planning, exemplified by Intramuros. Yet, for all its
merits, the Burnham plan failed to foresee the need for mass housing,
and more efficient public transport for the burgeoning working class
who arrive en masse from the rural areas.
Composition in space can also be discerned in dance. The soaring
movements of classical ballet defy gravity, while the earth-bound
staccatto and sculptural poses, and flowing, fluid hand and feet gestures
of dances like the pangalay in Mindanao harmonize with the rhythms
of nature. Likewise, in architecture, the massive cantilevered block of
the Cultural Center of the Philippines dominates and overwhelms the
human scale and juts out of the reclaimed land on which it stands. This
is very much in keeping with its function as a “shrine” of High Art, as
discussed in Lesson 2. In contrast, the bahay kubo of the lowlands and
the traditional houses of the Cordillera in the North derive their materials
from the immediate surroundings. The Northern houses are compact
and adjust to the mountainous terrain, built to withstand cold and rain.
The bahay kubo on stilts is shaped to withstand flood and to let air and
light circulate, especially in dry and hot weather in the lowlands.
The native dwellings’ harmony with human scale is seen in the way
houses are built to correspond with the human body. The Tausugs build
their posts according to a strict sequence corresponding to the order
of the body parts. In their system of belief, the different posts of the
house represent the various parts of the body, the head, the shoulders,
the limbs, with the navel-post taking central position. Likewise, in other
Asian societies, the central post of the house is the vertical axis which
links the three levels of being—the underworld, the world of people,
and the world of heavenly spirits.

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 Folk beliefs also surround the timing of the seasons. The best
time for building a house coincides with the tides of the moon, or the
position of the mythical sky serpent called the bakunawa; for laying the
house post and the shape of the house (it should not be shaped like a
coffin for example); conventions also figure in deciding the direction of
the stairway, and the number of steps; the slope of the roof; the laying
out of floor planks; the alignment of the openings; and the best time for
moving into a new house.
G. Movement may occur in two-dimensional design as rhythm or through
the recurrence of motifs, their alternation or progression unfolding in a
series. Movement is also very much related to line, and the direction of
the eye.
Carlos Francisco’s mural, Filipino Struggles through History, 1964,
which was once hung at the Bulwagang Katipunan of the Manila City
Hall shows a sense of forward movement that captures the fervor and
energy of the Revolution.
In three-dimensional expressions, the sense of movement can be
implied—such as in the creative activities of National Artist Napoleon
Abueva’s Nine Muses, 1994 adorning the Faculty Center building at UP
Diliman; or actual—such as that of David Cortez Medalla’s biokinetic
constructions from the sixties (the bubble machine series that spew
quantities of foam and a monumental sand machine).
As discussed above, dance creates compositions in space through
movement. While Western dances like the classical ballet strives toward
lightness, traditional Asian dances are in continuous contact with the
ground, from which they derive their energy. Hand gestures suggest
unending natural phenomena—the flutter of wings, the blooming of
flowers, the swaying of palm leaves. Some dances, like those from Sulu
in Mindanao, are linear and asymmetrical, punctuated by sculptural or
static positions. Traditional Asian dances, as we learned in the previous
lessons, are also largely ceremonial and cannot be separated from other
artforms such as textile, sculpture, and music.
Movement in cinema partakes of the movements of the camera:
it pans to survey a scene, scans the height of a building, and dwells
on the contents of a room. It is tracked when it follows a figure or an
object such as a locomotive. It zooms when the camera makes a sudden
movement, or zeroes in on a particular figure or object such as someone
who is eavesdropping behind a door, or a clue that is unintentionally
dropped on the floor. A camera may be shaky and handheld, usually
used in indie movies, or can take on the motion of a car, a train, or a
bullet, thus conveying subjective moods, atmospheres, and states in
flux.
Another set of movements comes from film editing in which the
shot, the basic unit, is arranged along with other shots into a meaningful
unit. The result is a narrative flow that can be linear, arranged with
flashbacks, back and forth, fragmented or episodic, slow, fast-paced,

108 Contemporary Philippine Arts from the Regions

 monotonous, flat and so on. Each scene can dissolve into each other,
fade out, or are interwoven with narration, sound, dialogue, effects,
which may or may not sync. The camera can linger on a particular scene,
object or room, or it can cut to different scenes in rapid succession, such
as the montage of the execution scene (at the embassy, in San Pablo, or
in Changi prison, etcetera) in the Flor Contemplacion, 1995 film by Joel
Lamangan. Less traditional camera work is seen in the long takes of Lav
Diaz, who is known for “defying film conventions with the length of his
critically-acclaimed films,” according to Hernandez. Ebolusyon ng Isang
Pamilyang Pilipino (2004) is almost eleven hours long; Heremias: Unang
Aklat-Ang alamat ng prinsesang bayawak (2006), nine hours and the
documentary Death in the Land of Encantos (Ka-gadanan sa Banwaan
ning mga Engkanto (2007), almost ten hours.
Another example is the long take in Jon Red’s first full length feature
film Still Lives (1999) where the camera never moved throughout the
film.
Diaz and Red are examples of “indie” or independent filmmakers;
they produce their own films with little, if at all, funding from mainstream
studios. According to Hernandez, such self-productions are made
possible with the advent of digital technology. The shift from celluloid
to digital made filmmaking more flexible and requires minimal budget.
With a camcorder, or a tablet or even a cellphone, one can be director,
screenplay writer, cinematographer and actor all rolled into one. And
with the aid of a computer, one can record, edit, engineer sound, among
other post-production work, in our own homes.

Aside from the long take, what other experimentations can you cite from other indie films?
If you were an indie filmmaker, what other innovations can you introduce into filmmaking,
given the new applications and gadgets available?

In sum, one has to be very observant and look at, feel, hear, and sense the work
closely—its material, the techniques the artist used, the elements and principles of
composition. All works of art, whether traditional, modern or contemporary, need
to be experienced at the level of the senses, emotions, and the mind. These forms
ask us to see more, hear more, taste, smell, and feel more. In the process, we gain
TMLSS insights peculiar to the intensity and character of what we encounter through the
arts.

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 Present the documentary you created from the previous lesson of this unit.
Through an interactive game you created or adopted (for example: Pinoy Henyo),
ask your classmates to analyze the elements and compositions of your artwork on
the Creation Story. If it is a dance, for example, is it representational, or abstract
or stylized? If it is a prop or set design, what kind of colors were used? From this
D-I-Y analysis, ask your classmates to share their understanding and experience of your
work.

From your Cultural Map, select a monument, such as a Rizal monument that
you have studied in the previous lesson. If a Rizal monument is not present in your
community, you can look for another memorial of a hero or heroine to do the work
on, and ask yourselves the following questions:

PIN IT • How is this monument different from other monuments of a neighboring

town?
• What is the relationship of these monuments to the surrounding space
and other structures within that space? Do they dominate the space? Or
are they overshadowed by other structures such as the condominium
building that obstructs the view of Rizal in Luneta?
• How is the subject (for instance Rizal or any other town hero) depicted?
What is he or she wearing? How is he or she posed, or how is he or she
standing, and where is he or she facing? Does the subject have any trace
of facial expression? What is the subject holding? How big or tall is the
subject in relation to the other elements of the sculpture, in relation to
the viewer, and the other elements in the surrounding space?
• In which direction are our eyes led to as we look at the monument? Are
they led toward the core of the sculpture, or are we led to look and move
outwardly? Is the figure more self-contained, or is the subject oriented
to you, and the space? In other words, what image is projected by Rizal
or the subject? How do the elements shape this image?

If you were to change this image or any depiction of Rizal or any other figure
in the monument, what kind of image or character would that be? How are you
going to change this monument? What materials will you use and how will you put
them together? Which elements and organizational principles would be stressed
in this new design?
LEVEL UP
Draw or make a three-dimensional scale model of this new design with
accompanying written explanation. Disseminate it through a blog or other social
media platforms.

110 Contemporary Philippine Arts from the Regions

 De La Paz, Cecilia, and Patrick Flores. 2014 Sining at Lipunan. 2nd ed. Sentro ng
Wikang Filipino, University of the Philippines.
Guillermo, Alice. 1997. “The Text of Art.” In Art and Society by Flaudette May Datuin,
et al. University of the Philippines.
TL; DR Hernandez, Eloisa May P. 2014. Digital Cinema in the Philippines 1999-2009.
University of the Philippines Press.

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 LESSON 9: THEMES AND SUBJECT MATTER

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

• identify a range of themes and subject matter rendered in the various art
forms;
• understand the meaning of artworks by linking the medium and expressive
QUEST elements with their subject matter and themes ; and
• Interpret themes and subject matter by situating the works in particular
periods and social milieu as indicated by texts, symbols, and allusions or
references.

FLAG

subject matter
Theme
CHAT ROOM
symbolism
allegory
power
gender
ecology
identity

In Lesson 8, we looked closely at the form of the art work, and we saw how
materials, techniques, and elements can be capable of conveying concepts,
values, feelings and attitudes. We have viewed, experienced and sensed works of
art closely, and heightened and honed our senses in the process. We have linked
what we gained from the sensing of form to making sense of the meaning of the
THREAD
work by understanding its varied contexts. In this lesson, we reinforce this ability
to connect and situtate the form within the social, historical and cultural milieu. In
other words, we elevate the process of sensing and making sense from the world
of literal and surface appearance, on to a deeper, more complicated thematic
plane. In this way, we grasp, not just the more complex meaning of the work, but
also pinpoint some issues that make us more aware and critical of those aspects of
our culture that we need to transform.

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FAQ What is the difference between subject matter and theme?
Subject in the arts refers to what they are all about. If there is an image,
we identify that image and recognize how it is presented. The image may be
representational or figurative, which means the image is drawn from the world
around us. If it is abstract, non-representational or non-figurative, it does not have
a recognizable subject, such as a tree, or face, or object. Its subject is its form and
elements—its texture, color, composition, shape or movement, among others.
Themes are what connect subjects to their social milieu, and there are many
ways of determining the theme of an artwork. At the most obvious and surface
level, we note its initial data: title, artist, medium, dimension, and the year it was
made. Beyond this initial data are texts, images, allusions and symbols that clue
us in to the social and historical contexts referred to. It is at this level of symbolism
and allegory that the thematic plane operates.
In practice, it is difficult to separate subject matter and thematic plane.
Subject matter answers the question “What do we see, hear, smell, taste, or touch?”
Using our senses is the initial step, and as we learned in the previous lessons of this
Unit, this requires keen and diligent observation, not just of the image, but how it
is presented and if there is no image, how the formal elements are deployed.
Themes go beyond the literal, the data on the artwork and what we see at the
surface level with our senses. We move on to making sense of the work within a
larger context. It is at this point when form and the contexts we studied in Unit 1
come together to help us interpret the works and identify their themes, which may
range from ecology, to identity, migration, globalization, religion and spirituality,
and political economy. Issues of power come into play, not just in the larger
contexts, but in the artworld itself. The insights that we gain and the questions
we ask will result from our own research and keen observation, but it may also be
“colored” by our own lenses and points of view. Depending on many factors, these
themes can also intersect since a single artwork can encompass and resonate with
several themes, as the following discussion will show.

Heroism and Identity

In the previous lessons in this unit, one of the works of art we focused on was
the Rizal Monument and its form—medium, technique, and expressive elements.
Its subject matter is obvious—Jose Rizal, our National Hero, which immediately
clues us to the themes of national identity and heroism. However, aside from what
we directly see and experience, we need to do a little research that can give us
deeper insight on the way these big themes are defined and depicted.
The Rizal National Monument in Luneta is the result of a national competition
launched in 1905. The first prize was awarded to Italian Carlos Nicoli but due to the
latter’s inability to comply with certain requirements, the commission was given
to the second place winner the Swiss artist Richard Kissling. Numerous cities and
municipalities in the Philippines and abroad have since replicated this design.
Unveiled in 1913, the Rizal National Monument is a landmark monument cum
mausoleum housing the remains of the hero.
The monument depicts its subject as a standing figure, clutching a book,
perhaps symbolizing the importance that Rizal placed on education. He is shown
clad, not in native clothing, but a European overcoat.

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 If our lenses are colored by gender and racial concerns, we may ask: Why are famous heroes
mostly male? Why is the National Rizal monument garbed in European clothing?
On the other hand, it could well be that the monument is just being true to Rizal’s biography.
He did study in Europe. However, when given form as a monument, which immediately
embodies symbols, could it also be that we automatically associate the word Education
with the European?

Other municipalities show variations on this depiction. In Calamba, Laguna,

Rizal’s birthplace, we find his largest statue which stands 26 feet high, and portrays
him as a sportsman. A number of monuments present him in different sizes and
materials as well as in poses including sitting, pointing, and writing. Several others
show him in barong tagalog, the national dress for males. In Daet, Camarines Norte,
the first monument erected in 1898 did not include a human figure but consisted
of an obelisk with Masonic elements.
There are therefore many ways to portray Rizal, depending on the conditions
of specific places and the preferences of the authorities who have the power to
decide on details of the commission, which may or may not capture or reflect
those of the community in that locality. There are thus many ways of interpreting
heroism and national identity, and it is difficult to generalize our notions of what it
is to be a hero, and what it is to be Filipino in a context where multiple and varied
cultures reside. Instead of looking for one definition and description of identity, let
us do our research and get to know our own communities.
For example, recalling the previous lessons on support system and patronage in Unit 1,
we can ask ourselves: in our municipalities, how was the Rizal monument produced? Who
commissioned it? Did they ask around the town for their ideas about the hero? This way
we can contribute our own specific ways of being Filipino, and the many ways in which we
think about heroism.

Perhaps the barong tagalog in other monuments signify this questioning.

When we wish to deviate from his formal and static standing posture, and we make
him sit down or write, or become more active, perhaps we also wish to imagine a
more well-rounded and less formal hero—one we can more easily relate to. In fact,
Rizal was many things in his lifetime: a sportsman, a doctor, a writer, a devoted son,
and a lover. Perhaps we wish to view our heroes on a more human rather than lofty
plane, even if it is the nature of monuments to make them larger than life.
We also know from the historical overview in Unit 1 that Rizal was an ilustrado,
and one of the first migrants who left, studied and waged reforms abroad. Just as
he migrated to many places, so did his image. Locally, there are easily hundreds—
potentially thousands of Rizal statues and busts in 81 provinces, 144 cities, and
1491 municipalities (As of September 30, 2015, according to the Philippine
Statistics Authority). Outside the Philippines, there are at least 68 statues, busts
and stand-alone plates in 24 countries.
Today, many Filipinos are driven to work abroad. Just as the ilustrados left to
pursue opportunities for reform and study, so do today’s overseas Filipino workers
(OFWs) leave to pursue opportunities that are absent in the home country. One

114 Contemporary Philippine Arts from the Regions

president even referred to them as heroes, whose remittances keep the country
afloat.

On one hand, the works of of our OFWs are full of sacrifics; but on the other hand, at what
level can such sacrifice be considered monumental and heroic? Can we equate that sacrifice
with patriotism and other lofty ideals associated with the kind of heroism monumentalized
in stone and history?

These reflections bring us to a discussion of other unsung heroes in the next

section.

Heroism and Ecology

In Rizal’s busts, monuments, and historical texts about him, there is a side
to him that is deemphasized and largely unknown. As natural scientist, farmer,
teacher, poet, sculptor, merchant, engineer, loving son, and patriot, Rizal was an
environmentalist long before it became very urgent to become one amidst the
cultural, moral, spiritual and environmental degradations of these troubled times.
During his exile in Dapitan, Rizal bought a piece of land through the prize money
he won in a lottery, planted trees, raised livestock and pets, and shared produce
to his community. He engaged with farmers to market their products and with
the help of the community, built a dam out of discarded roof tiles, gin bottles,
and stones. He gave lessons to children imaginatively through art, anecdotes,
poetry, and statues. He collected information on species he discovered, and sent
information to scientific communities. As a result, he has species named after him:
Draco rizali, a flying lizard; Rachophorus rizali, a frog; and Apogonia rizali, a beetle.
Such activities make us draw parallels with another kind of hero, this time a
contemporary one—a botanist named Leonard Co, who also discovered a number
of endemic plant species. The most famous species associated with him is the
Rafflesia leonardi, a parasitic plant named after him, which bears flowers and is
among the largest species in the world.
Rizal was shot dead in Luneta when he was 35. Leonard Co was 56 when he
was slain in an alleged crossfire amidst the forests of Kanaga, Leyte, where he and
his team were doing research for a project aimed at propagating endangered and
indigenous trees in the area. Like Rizal, Co was a polymath, a man of many talents
and intelligences. He was a dedicated botanist, musician, photographer, and
poet. He spoke Mandarin, Filipino, and Latin; he was a comic whose performances
soothed his team’s weary minds whenever they were out on the field. The many
people he touched testify to his passion, humility, simplicity, and unbelievable
breadth of knowledge in Philippine botany.
To our knowledge, there are very few, if at all, known artworks that touch
on the subject of Rizal as environmentalist, let alone of another lesser known
environmentalist-hero, Leonard Co. One possible exception features works not
directly depicting the heroes’ lives but a whole exhibit dedicated and held in their
honor in 2011, the 150th year of Rizal’s birth. Amidst the many high profile events,

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