Contemporary

Philippine Arts From

The Regions
Quarter 1 - Module 2:
Contemporary Arts In
The
Philippines
UNIT 2
CONTEMPORARY ARTS
IN THE PHILIPPINES
Contemporary art generally refers to art being created
now. Contemporary is derived from the Latin prefix
con, which means “together” or “with”, plus tempus,
which means “time”. The chronological view defines
contemporary art as related to this current period in
art history, and refers to art that is new, recent,
modern, or pertains to the present moment. The
historical usage, meanwhile, regards contemporary art
as a specific stage in the story of the evolution of art,
referring to a specific location in space and time.
Contemporary art emerged in the Philippines in reaction
to social and cultural realities during the 1970’s which is
an era of repression and censorship of artistic
expressions. Philippine art became a means to oppose the
regime, and the political art of social realism flourished
at this time. Socio realism is an art movement which
sought to expose the real condition of Philippine society
and used art to transform it. Progressive art developed a
culture that would convey the authentic aspirations of
the Filipino people.
The end of Martial Law in the wake of EDSA People
Power Revolution in 1986 brought the Philippines into the
contemporary period, and the art produced in this period
is regarded as contemporary art.
Contemporary art as a Breaking of Norms - Contemporary art
can be seen as a transgression of established norm and rules.
Established art forms are scrutinized and contemporary art
reworks them to see them with fresh eyes. Contemporary art
is ruled by the cult of the new, endeavoring to create works of
art that are “radical” and
“interdisciplinary”.

Appropriation is an important preoccupation in

contemporary art which is the practice of creating a new work
by taking a pre-existing image or from another context and
combining the borrowed image with new ones.
Contemporary art and Local Heritage - Contemporary
art professes an awareness of local heritage which is
something that can be passed from one generation to the
next, can be conserved or inherited, and has historic or
cultural value. These are physical objects, places of
heritage and the various practices of heritage unique to
the region or locality that are conserved or handed down
from one generation to the next.
FUNCTIONS OF CONTEMPORARY ART:

Contemporary art for Pleasure - A visual

delight in the work of art, can take many forms
including an appreciation of beauty or
decoration, or delight in an element of surprise.
Most cultures that have a definition of
beautiful, define it as something pleasing to the
eye, and often resembling an ideal of some
sort.
Contemporary art as Profession - Artists earn a living
through their art since art and ideas are never free.
They possess value in the complex web of the creative
industries that combine the creation, production and
commercialization of creative contents which are
tangible and cultural in nature.

Contemporary art as Commentary - Art has been used

to answer our need for information. Artists who fulfill
our need for commentary often speak in a language
easy to understand, they view art as primary goal to
communication by means of subject matter.
Contemporary art in Spirituality - Artists may create
art to express spiritual beliefs about the destiny of life
controlled by the force of a higher power.

Contemporary art as Remembrance - Art can be a

remembrance which is something done as an aid to
memory. We need to commemorate important events
and people that have shaped our history and show
reverence for those who have gone before us.

Contemporary art as Self-expression - Art fulfills an

expressive function when an artist conveys
information about his or her personality, feelings or
worldview
NATIONAL ARTIST FOR VISUAL ARTS:

Fernando Amorsolo (May 30, 1892 – April 24, 1972)

Amorsolo is the first National Artist in the country

and was known for using backlighting technique in
painting making his creations bright and cheerful.
Carlos “Botong” Francisco (November 4, 1912 –
March 31, 1969)
Carlos “Botong” Francisco (November
4, 1912 - March 31,1969
 Francisco revived the art of mural and was
considered to be the most distinguished
mural painter for about three decades and
was known for using historical events as
subject matter for his murals.
Guillermo E. Tolentino (July 24, 1890 – July 12, 1976)
Honored as National Artist for Sculpture in 1973 and was
known for designing the seal of the Republic of the
Philippines, and the gold and bronze medals for the Ramon
Magsaysay Award. Tolentino’s works include the “UP
Oblation”.

Napoleon V. Abueva (January 26, 1930)

Abueva was considered to be the Father of Modern
Philippine Sculpture. He is skillful in creating both
representational and modern abstract sculptures using a
wide variety of materials. He was also known for creating
“buoyant sculpture,” a type of sculpture to be viewed from
the surface of a pool.
Victorio C. Edades (December 23, 1895 – March 7, 1985)
Recognized as the Father of Modern Philippine Painting and was known for using dark
somber colors in his paintings. His works focused on factory workers, laborers or other
simple townspeople.
Vicente Manansala (January 22, 1910 –
August 22, 1981)

He was known for his paintings depicting realistic

themes using an abstract or a cubist style. He
believed that “the beauty of art is in the process, in
the moment of doing a particular painting, closely
associating it with the act of making love.
Hernando R. Ocampo (April 28, 1911 – December 28,
1978)
Ocampo was largely known for his abstract paintings.
His works featured shapes bounded with curved lines
painted in intense colors. His masterpiece “Genesis”
was used as the basis of the design of the curtain of the
Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Main Theater.

Cesar Legaspi (April 2, 1917 – April 7, 1994)

Legaspi was known for utilizing and refining cubism,
a style involving breaking parts into geometric shapes,
in his paintings.
Elizalde Navarro (May 22, 1924 – June 10, 1999)
He was known for his hardwood masks reflecting the
human and the animal, abstract paintings in oil and
watercolor, and assemblages. He was also known for his
fiction works for This Week of the Manila Chronicle, and
for his figurative drawings for Lydia Arguilla’s Juan tamad.

Ang Kiukok (March 1, 1931 – May 9, 2005)

He was known for his paintings expressing nationalism
and sociological agenda during the 60’s through vivid
cubistic figures. His works include “Geometric
landscape,” “Pieta,” and the “Seated Figure.”
Benedicto Cabrera (April 10, 1942)

Known as “Bencab,” Cabrera was noted as the bestselling

painter of his generation of Filipino artists and also
known for his sketches of a scavenger named “Sabel, a
symbol of dislocation, despair and isolation-the
personification of human dignity threatened by life’s
Circumstance.”
Abdulmari Asia Imao (January 14, 1936 – December
16, 2014)
Imao was instrumental in popularizing the ukil,
sarimanok and naga motifs in the country as original
Filipino creations. He helped in developing trust and
confidence among cultural groups, which is needed in
building a more humane community and society.

Federico Aguilar Alcuaz (June 6, 1932 – February 2,

2011)
Alcuaz was mainly known for his oil and acrylic
paintings, and sketches in ink, pencil, and watercolor.
Francisco Coching (January 29, 1919 – September 1,
1998)
Tagged as the “Dean of Filipino Illustrators,” Coching
is best known for his work on comics and illustrations
which lead to its recognition as popular art. He has
influenced cartoonists such as Larry Alcala, Ben Infante
and Nestor Redondo.

Jose T. Joya (June 3, 1931 – 1995)

Joya is known for pioneering abstract expressionism in
the Philippines. His most notable work is the Granadean
Arabesque (1958). He also represented the Philippines in
the 1964 Venice Biennale.
NATIONAL ARTISTS FOR ARCHITECHTURE:

Pablo S. Antonio (January 25, 1902 – June 14, 1975)

He was considered a pioneer in modern Philippine
architecture. A prominent feature of his designs is the
use of natural light and cross ventilation. According to
Antonio, buildings should be planned with austerity in
mind and its stability forever as the aim of true
architecture; that buildings must be progressive, simple
in design but dignified, true to a purpose without
resorting to an applied set of aesthetics and should
eternally recreate truth.
Leandro V. Locsin (August 15, 1928 – November
15, 1994)
His designs usually features themes of floating
volume and a mix of both eastern and western
aesthetics.

Ildefonso P. Santos (September 5, 1929 – January

29, 2014)
Santos pioneered landscape architecture in the
Philippines. His work in the Makati Commercial
Center incorporated fountains, sculptures and
landscapes to a shopping area.
NATIONAL ARTISTS FOR LITERATURE:

Historical Literature

Carlos Quirino (November 4, 1910 – May 20,

1999)
 He is the first and so far the only National Artist
for Historical Literature and was also known for
writing “The Great Malayan,” which considered to
be one of the earliest biographies of Jose Rizal.
Literature

Francisco Arcellana (September 6, 1916 – August 1, 2002)

Arcellana is a writer, poet, essayist, critic, journalist and
teacher, who is recognized as one of the pioneers in writing
modern Filipino short stories in English. He also originated
the lyrical prose-poetic form in writing short stories.

N.V.M Gonzales (September 8, 1915 – November 28,

1999)
Nestor Vicente Madali Gonzales is a fictionist, essayist,
poet and teacher. He earned numerous recognitions
including the First Commonwealth Literary Contest in 1940,
the Republic Cultural Heritage Award in 1960 and the Gawad
CCP Para sa Sining in 1990.
Nick Joaquin (May 4, 1917 – April 29, 2004)

He is considered as the most distinguished Filipino

writer in English writing his body of work extends
from short stories to poems to essays which includes
journalism and reportage. He used the name Guerre
Quijano de Manila as journalist.
F. Sionil Jose (December 3, 1924)
F.Sionil Jose is one of the most widely read Filipino writers
founded the Philippine chapter of the international organization
PEN.

Alejandro Roces (July 13, 1924 – May 23, 2011)

Roces is known for his comic short stories which includes “My
Brother’s Peculiar Chicken.” He also led the campaign to change
the country’s Independence Day from July 4 to June 12.

Edith L. Tiempo (April 22, 1919 – August 21, 2011)

Tiempo is a poet, fictionist, teacher and literary critic who
founded the Siliman National Writers Workshop in Dumaguete
City with her late husband Edilberto K. Tiempo.
Virgilio S. Almario (March 9, 1944)

Also known as Rio Alma, who is among the

notable modernist poets. He reinvented the
traditional Filipino poetry forms.
Amado V. Hernandez (September 13, 1903 – May 24,
1970)
Hernandez is known for his contribution in the
development of the Tagalog prose through the use of
colloquial style.

Carlos P. Romulo (January 14, 1899 – December 15,

1985)
Romulo is noted as a diplomat and an awarded
journalist. He is the first Asian President of the United
Nations General Assembly, and the only Asian to win the
Pulitzer Prize in Journalism for his articles on the World
War II.
Bienvenido Lumbera (April 11, 1932)
Lumbera is a multi-awarded poet, critic and
librettist. His works includes Likhang Dila, Likhang Diwa
(poems in Filipino and English), 1993; Balaybay, Mga
Tulang Lunot at Manibalang, 2002; Sa Sariling Bayan,
Apat na Dulang May Musila, 2004; Tales of the Manuvu
and Rama Hari.

Cirilo F. Bautista (July 9, 1941)

Bautista is a poet, fictionist and essayist. He founded
Philippine Literary Arts Council in 1981, the Iligan
National Writers Workshop in 1993, and the Baguio
Writers Group.
Lazaro Francisco (February 22, 1898 – June
17, 1980)
Francisco is among the prominent writers in
the Tagalog language. He established the
Kapatiran Ng Mga Alagad Ng Wikang Pilipino
(KAWIKA) in 1958 to support Tagalog as
national language.
Jose Garcia Villa (August 5, 1908 – July 7, 1997)

Villa is recognized as one of the best

contemporary poets. He is best known for
introducing the reversed consonance rhyme
scheme and his use of punctuation, especially
commas.
NATIONAL ARTISTS FOR DANCE, MUSIC, FILM, AND
THEATER:

Cinema/Film

Lamberto V. Avellana (February 12, 1915 – April 25,

1991)
Avellana was tagged as the “The Boy Wonder of
Philippine Movies” as early as 1939. Kalderong Pilak
was the first film by a Filipino filmmaker shown in
Cannes
International Film Festival.
Manuel Conde (October 9, 1915 – August 11, 1985)

Conde is known for producing and directing films

based on old Filipino tales such as Siete Infantes de
Lara (1950), Si Juan Tamad (1974), Ang Ibong Adarna
(1941). He also brought to the silver screen stories
from the other parts of the worlds like Genghis Khan
(1950).
Eddie S. Romero (July 7, 1924 – May 28, 2013)
He is a screenwriter, film director and producer who is
behind the Filipino classics such as “Ganito Kami
Noon...Paano Kayo Ngayon?”, “Banta ng Kahapon” and
“Aguila” as well as the 13-part series “Noli Me Tangere”.

Lino Brocka (April 3, 1939 – May 22, 1991)

Catalino “Lino” Ortiz Brocka is recognized for his films
which explores the lives of people in the marginalized
sectors. Brocka also directed for theater organizations
such as the Philippine Educational Theater Association
(PETA) and the Concerned Artists of the Philippines (CAP).
Gerardo de Leon (September 12, 1913 – July 25,
1981

De Leon is a prominent film maker in the 50’s and

60’s. producing classics such as “Daigdig ng Mga
Api,” “Noli Me. Tangere,” “El Filibusterismo,”
“dyesebel” and “Sisa.”
Ishmael Bernal (September 30, 1938 – June 2,
1996)
Bernal, who was hailed by the critics as “The
Genius of the Philippine Cinema,” is known for
directing films that projects the realities of the
Filipinos. He was hailed as Director of the
Decade of the 1970s by the Catholic Mass Media
Awards; four-time Best Director by the Urian
Awards (1989, 1985, 1983 and 1977); and given
the ASEAN Cultural Award in Communication
Arts in 1993.
Ronald Alan K. Poe (August 20, 1939 –
December 14, 2004)

More known as Fernando Poe, Jr. He is an icon

in film industry as an actor, director, writer and
producer. He starred in films like “Mga Alabok
sa Lupa” (1967), “Partida” (1985), “Ang
Probinsyano” (1996), and among others.
Dance

Francisca Reyes Aquino (March 9, 1899 – November 21,

1983)
She was known for her research on Philippine folk
dances, which later resulted to a thesis entitled “Philippine
Folk Dances and Games.” It was distributed to public and
private schools.

Leonor Orosa Goquingco (July 24, 1917 – July 15, 2005)

She was known as the “Mother of Philippine Theater
Dance,” Goquingco blended folkloric and Asian styles in
ballet choreography. She was a founding member of the
Philippine Ballet Theater and the Honorary Chair of the
Association of Ballet Academies of the Philippines.
Ramon Obusan (June 16, 1938 – December 21, 2006)
A dancer, choreographer, artistic director,
researcher, and documentary filmmaker. He was able to
promote Filipino culture in other countries using the art
of dance through the Ramon Obusan Folkloric Group.

Lucrecia Reyes – Urtula (June 29, 1929 – August 24,

1999)
Reyes-Urtula was the dance director of the Bayanihan
Philippine Dance Company, for which she
choreographed different Philippine folk, ethnic dances,
pageants and festivals.
Alice Reyes (October 14, 1942)
Reyes is known in blending styles and
movements from Philippine indigenous
dance, classical ballet, and modern dance
in expressing Filipino subject matters. This
is said to be the “contemporary dance
language that is uniquely Filipino.”
Music

Antonino Buenaventura (May 4, 1904 – January 25, 1996)

He was known for his marches including the.. “Triumphal

March,” “History Fantasy,” “Echoes from the.. Philippines,”
and “Ode to Freedom.” He was a conductor.. of.the
Philippine Army Band. He wrote compositions for.. solo
instruments, symphonic and orchestral works, which. are
based on Philippine folksongs
Ernani Cuenco (May 10, 1936 – June 11, 1988)
He was known for the following songs: “Bato sa
Buhangin,” “Gaano Kita Kamahal,” “Inang Bayan,” “Isang
Dalangin,” “Kalesa,” and “Pilipinas.” These works brought
contemporary Filipino music to a higher level. The song,
“Gaano Kita Kamahal”, he added elements of Kundiman. He
played with the Filipino Youth Symphony Orchestra and the
Manila Symphony Orchestra from 1960 to 1968.

Francisco Feliciano (February 19, 1941 – September 19,

2014)
His major works include “Ashen Wings,” “Sikhay sa Kabila
ng Paalam,” and “Pamugun.” He was known for the use of
modal scales in his operas and orchestral works. He used
indigenous music in his compositions.
Jovita Fuentes (February 15, 1895 – August 7,
1978)
She was best known for her portrayal of Cio-cio
San in Giacamo Puccini’s Madame Butterfly in
Italy in April 1925. When she returned to the
Philippines, she established the Artists’ Guild of
the Philippines in an effort to instill love for
opera in her countrymen.
Jose Maceda (January 31, 1917 – May 5, 2004)

He conducted researches and fieldwork to

explore. Filipino traditional music further and to
understand the. nature of Philippine ethnic and
traditional music. His. efforts.gave birth to a huge
number of recorded Philippine. ethnic and
traditional music.
Lucio San Pedro (February 11, 1913 – March 31, 2002)
Best known for his compositions “Sa Ugoy ng Duyan,” “Sa
Mahal Kong Bayan,” “Dance of the Fairies,” “Triumphal March,”
and “Lahing Kayumanggi,” Lucio San Pedro was the conductor of
the Peng Kong Grand Mason Concert Band, the San Pedro Band of
Angono, and the Benda Angono Numero Uno. Working with these
bands and other town bands helped in the development of a civic
culture among Filipino communities.

Levi Celerio (April 30, 1910 – April 2, 2002)

Celerio is most known for his recognition as the only man who
could play music with a leaf in the Guinness Book of World
Records. He also earned Lifetime Achievement Award of the Film
Academy of the Philippines for writing songs for local movies. He
was also known as the dean of Filipino lyricists.
Felipe Padilla de Leon (May 1, 1912 – December
5, 1992)

He was known for Filipinizing western music forms

his works, which include “Mariang Maikling
Overture,” “Maynila Overture,” “Payapang
Daigdig,” and “Ako’y Pilipino,” expressed
sentiments and aspirations of the Filipino in times
of strife and peace.
Lucrecia R. Kasilag (August 31, 1918 – August 16,
2008)
She was known for fusing Filipino ethnic music with
Western musical influences. She was also known for
incorporating Filipino indigenous musical instruments in
orchestral works.

Antonio J. Molina (December 16, 1894 – January 29,

1980)
Molina was known for introducing the pentatonic
scale, whole tone scale, linear counterpoints and the use
of dominant ninths and eleventh chords in Philippine
music.
Ramon P. Santos (February 25, 1941)

Santos is a Filipino composer, musicologist and

ethnomusicologist who was made a Chevalier de
I’Orde des Arts et Lettres in 1987. He helped in
advocating modern Philippine music that is still
based on early Asian practices and way of life.
Andrea Veneracion (July 11, 1928 – July 9, 2013)
She was the founder of the world-renowned University of the Philippines Madrigal Singers, or simply the
Philippine Madrigal Singers, which is the first choir in the world to win the European Grand Prix for Choral
Singing twice. Veneracion is also recognized as an important authority in the development of Philippine
choral music.
Theater

Daisy Avellana (January 26, 1917 – May 12, 2013)

She co-founded the Barangay Theatre Guild,.. together

with her husband, National Artist Lamberto.. Avellana, in
1939. This move made theatre and.. dramatic arts popular
in the country. She was known.. as.director of films
“Diego Silang” (1968) and “Walang.. Sugat” (1971)
Honorata “Atang” dela Rama (January 11, 1902 – July
11, 1991)
She was named National Artist for Theater and Music
in 1987. She was known as the Queen of Kundiman, and
the first actress to portray a 15-year-old in the very first
Tagalog film, which was the film version of the Sarsuela
“Dalagang Bukid.”

Salvador F. Bernal (January 7, 1945 – October 26,

2011)
Honored as National Artist for Theater Design in 2003,
Bernal used local materials including bamboo, abaca,
hemp twine, and rattan in theater design for local
productions.
Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero (January 22, 1910 – May 1,
1995)
He served as the director of UP Dramatic Club for 16
years since 1947. He founded the UP Mobile Theater,
which started the concept of theater campus tour.

Severino Montano (January 3, 1915 – December 12,

1980)
He organized the Arena Theater Playwriting Contest
which became the initial ground for playwrights to
showcase their talents in writing while serving as Dean
of Instruction of the Philippine Normal College.
GAWAD SA MANLILIKHA NG BAYAN (GAMABA):

Eduardo Mutuc (2005 awardee)

He dedicated his life in creating religious and
secular art in silver, bronze and wood.
According to him, craftsmanship begins with
respect for one’s tools and the medium, and the
only way to improve one’s skills is to immerse
oneself, learn the technique, and to practice.
Darhata Sawabi (2005 awardee)
She is a Tausug weaver of pis syabit – the traditional
cloth tapestry worn as a head cover. Women in Sulu
province have grown up learning in weaving the pis syabit
and she is one of those who took the art of pis syabit
making to heart.

Haja Amina Appi (2005 awardee)

She is recognized as a master mat weaver among the
Sama indigenous community for her unique designs,
straightness of her edging (tabig), and fineness of her sasa
and kima-kima.
Lang Dulay (1998 awardee)
She is a T’boli traditional weaver of “tinalak” or T’boli
cloth made of colorful abaca fabrics. She used abaca
fibers as fine as hair which speaks more eloquently than
words can.

Salinta Monon (1998 awardee)

She is a Tagabanwa-Bagobo traditional weaver of
distinct abaca fabrics called inabal. She developed a keen
eye for the traditional designs and can identify the designs
as well as the author of a woven piece just by a glance.
Alonzo Saclag (2000 awardee)
He is a Kalinga master of dance and the performing
arts who mastered not only the Kalinga musical
instruments but also the dance patterns and movements
associated with his people’s ritual.

Federico Caballero
He is a Sulod-Bukidnon epic chanter who works for the
documentation of the oral literature. He is considered as
bantugan which means a person who has attained
distinction. He strikes to dispense justice in the
community through his work as a manughusay which is an
arbiter of conflicts.
Masino Intaray (1993 awardee)
He is a prolific and pre-eminent epic canter and story
teller recognized for his outstanding mastery of various
traditional musical instruments of the Palaw’an people,
such as basal, kulilal and bagit. He is an outstanding
master of the basal, kulilal (musical ensemble) and bagit;
a gifted pot, bard artist, and musician.

Samon Sulaiman (1993 awardee)

He is Magindanaon, who is highly sophisticated in
weaving, okir designs, jewelry, metalwork and brassware
which art is Southeast Asian yet distinct in character.
Uwang Ahadas (2000 awardee)
His near-blindness eyesight made music his constant
companion. He is a Yakan, a people to whom
instrumental music is of much significance, connected as
it is with both the agricultural cycle and the social realm.

Ginaw Bilog (1993 awardee)

He is a Hanunoo Mangyan who is considered as a
master of the ambahan poetry. He shares old and new
ambahans with his fellow Mangyans and promotes this
poetic form in every occasion. A common cultural aspect
among cultural communities nationwide is the oral
tradition characterized by poetic verses which are either
sung or chanted.
Magdalena Gamayo (2012 awardee)
She is a master weaver who makes “inabel”, an Ilokano handwoven cloth. She was
awarded for her wide array skills in textile weaving. Her handiworks are finer than most
abel. Her blankets have a very high thread count and her deigns are the most intricate that
sometimes take up to five colors.
LITERATURE

This is a body of workshop that show the

best that has been thought and said or works
that signify the achievements of a particular
culture.