LECTURE:

THE
PHILIPPINE
ARTS

Pre-colonial Art
Long before the coming of the spaniards, the earliest people who lived here had
created their tools and artifacts from locally available materials. Aside from these, they began
to create cultural objects such as resceptacles, including pottery. They also used shells,
flowers, plunage, jade, beads of glass, cornelian, agats, as well as gold.
Sculpture was associated with religion; i.e., effigies representing spirits.
Literature during the Pre-hispanic Period is oral in tradition and is related to rituals
and social gatherings. The earliest attempts to explain the mysterious forces which affect
mans daily life are contained in legends, myths, tales, poems, proverbs and riddles.

The Epic
Some of the epics that we have survived are the Ifugao epics Alim and Hudhud, the
Bicol epic Ibalon, the Ilocano epic Biag ni Lam-ang, the Visayan epics Labaw Donggon and
Maragtas, and the Maranaw narrative poetry Darangan. These epics deal with the adventures
of super heroes who fought monsters and the lives of Gods and Goddesses.

Music
The Ancient Filipinos had metrical works which were always sung. They had
lullabies, planting songs, boat songs, feasting and mourning songs. They had musical
instruments like the nose flute, instruments resembling the violin, the harp and a variety of
gongs. Bamboo zithers, percusion sounds, wind and string instruments are samples of
Philippine indigenous culture.
Ethnic goups used wood, iron, bronze, brass, gold and bamboo.

Muslim Influence
October-November 2011--Islam as a religion has long been established since the
early A.D. 600s. Along with its emergence around the world, it also paved way for the
development of its own unique stlye of art. Islamic art place emphasis on creating an artform
that is built on the beauty and respect for the teachings of Islam.

Islamic Calligraphy
Islamic art is characterized by designs of flowers, plant forms and geometric designs.
It is used in calligraphy, architecture painting, clothing and other forms of fine art. As Islam
spread around the world, this distinct form of art has become an integral part of the identity of
its followers, including the Philippines.

The Development of Islamic Art in the Philippines

In the 13th century, traders and missionaries have introduced the religion of Islam in
the Philippines. Islamic art meshed with ethnic culture and produced a Filipino Muslim art that
reflects the ethnic background and Islamic identity of the people. During the Spanish
colonization and American occupation, Islam has been concentrated mostly in the South but
this did not halt the flourishing of Islamic art.

Art of Filipino Muslims

Islamic art in the Philippines is found predominantly in Muslim ethnic groups where
every group offers their own distinct flavor of Islamic art. This distinct art is commonly seen in
homes, clothing and places of worship of Filipino Muslims.

Spanish Colonial Regime

Spanish arrived in 1521 and began the colonization of the Islands in 1571.
The propagation of the Catholic Faith the 17th Century successful wiyhout religious
paintings, engravings and sculpture, as well as devotional hymns and verses, the earlist
examples of literary and musical compositions after which the natives began to produce
poems, paintings and musical compositions which echoed Western artistic styles.

Poetry
The friars published devotional and catechetical books to proselytize the colonized
people, as well as grammar books and vernacular Spanish dictionaries and incorporated
into these publications, the first examples of vernacular poetry to be printed in Roman
alphabet. Some of these poems were written by the natives; some by missionaries.

Early Comedia
The pompous celebrations, centering around the church, drew the colonized people
toward the new culture and gave expression to their festive spirit that had been manifested in
their own rituals.
In 1619,the comedias were staged to celebrate authorization of Pope Urban VIII of
the belief in the Immaculate Conception; such as Comedia de los Maritires de Japon and
Comedia dela Concepcion.
The year 1637 saw the successful expedition of Governor-General Sebastian de
Corcuera against the Muslims Of Mindanao. A play depicting the skirmish between the
Christians and the Muslims was staged in Cavite. This play became the predecessor of the
Moro-Moro and revolved around the love between a Christian prince and an Islamic princess
who belonged to warring factions. It always ended in the triumph of Christias and the
consequent baptism of the Islamic royalty and the people.

Music
Pre-colonial musical forms and indigenous instruments were abandoned for Western
modes. The seminary was natural training ground for choristers. In the rosters of the
monasteries of different religious orders, thre were many names of native aspirants for the
religious vocation who became outstanding in the field of music.

Philippine Folk Art

With the arrival of Spanish colonizers, the indigenous traditions in the philippinmes
continued in the ethnic art of groups which resisted colonization and in the folk art of the
Christianized lowlanders.
With the spread of Christianity in the islands appeared numerous artistic forms revolving
around fiestas. The ceremonies to honor the patron saint, the processions which began from

the church and wended through the streets of the town replaced the earlier rituals led by the
native high priest.
The fiestas and celebrations served to draw the people to Christianity. These were
likewise of significant influence on the imagination and artistic creativity of the people, as they
were occasions of lavish and colorful spectacles.
The fiestas united the whole town in its collective character. A good example is the feast
of San isidro Labrador in Lukban and Sariaya, Quezon.

Visual Arts
The Spanish colonizers also introduced easel painting in the country and Western
styles in sculpture and architecture. Fr. Antonio Sedeno, a Jesuit, introduced the line in the
costruction of buildings.
Early paintings and sculpture jobs for the church were largely given to the Chinese
artisans living in a community outside Intrmuros called Parian.

The 17th, 18th, 19th Centuries

17th Century
The propagation of the Catholic Faith made use of religious paintings, engravings,
sculpture, devotional hymns and verses.
The types of poems, metrical tales, metrical romances and reenactments that
flourished were the Comedia, the Moro-Moro, the shadow play, the panunuluyan, the
salubong, the zarzuela, the Cruz de mayo, the Flores de Mayo and the duplo.

The Visual Arts

The bulk of sculpture in the 19th century consisted of religious statues commissioned
by the Church and the rich families.
The artists- Juan Luna, who belong to the classical-romantic style, and Felix Hidalgo,
who painted in the upcoming impressionist style, became famous here and abroad.

Architecture
Many philippine churches show influence of the baroque style, having massive walls
and thick buttresses, turrets and spiral motofs, ornate sculptural facade, and graceful, curving
balustrades.
Many changes have affected Philippine art- changes during the American Regime
and the Japanese Period. Influences shown in literature in the Period of reorientation, the
Period of Imitation, the period of growth and self-discovery and the period of Post-War
Reorientation.

18th Century
Metrical Romances
At first, the only reading material approved by the friars was the lives of Christ and
the Saints. Later, metrical romances. Spanish medieval tales in verse were introduced into
the country. These works were brought in by the Mexican soldiers and sailors who came with
the gelleons.
A metrical tale composed of octosyllabic verses is called CORRIDO, to be
distinguished from the AWIT which its made of dodescasyllabic lines.
Jose de la Cruz (1746-1829), popularly known in his time as Huseng Sisiw, was
reputed to be a master of metrical romances.

Music and Dance

Philippine dances showed considerable European influence. The contradanze, the
minuet and fandango enjoyed a vogue in the islands, but these were interpreted here with
willowly grace and light manner, not with Spanish fire and vigor.
During this century, native folk songs acquired the duple-meter through Spanish
influences- and the native pantatonic musical sense was transformed into its closest Western
couterpart.
Singing, which in the pre-Hispanic times ordinarily acconpanied alomost everyday
chores because of the peoples ritualistic temperament, acquiired self-consciousness; singing
the pasion and the harana or the solo recitation of LOA became a matter of skill or social
influence in the village.

Engraving
Nicolas Bogay, one of the outstanding engravers who ran a printing pree and
Francisco Szarez are both known for their designs in 1733, and 12 scenes depicting
representative life in the islands. They signed their works, proudly writing Indio Tagalo after
their signatures.
Engraving was printed from copper plates and woodcuts at the beginning of the 17th
century. In the 19th century, the introduction of litograph prints eventually repplaced
engraving on copper.

The Santos
Carving, which started in the pre-Hispanic activity of making the likha, was redirected
later by the friars into the creation of the santos. Most of the santos that have been preserved
are carved out of wood, the most available material. Bone and Ivory were not rare either, but
the statues made of these materials belonged to the affluent families in those times.
The usual subjects of santos were Christ, depicted in many scenes of His life, the
Holy Trinity, the Blessed Virgin Marym in different conventions representing various devotions
i her honor, Adam and Eve, and The Apostles.
The making of effigies of these religious personages with their symbols drew out the
fertile imagination of early carvers and gave them oppurtunity to represent secular matters
such as Dog beside San Roque and Rooster with St. Peter.

19th Century
Visual Arts
One of the aims of the Sociedad Econommica de Amigos del Pais, a civic-conscious
organization, was to encourage the development of the visual arts. For this purpose, the
society established the Escuela de Dibujo y Pintura in 1821. The first teacher was Damian
Domingo, a mestizo whose talents impressed local authorities. The technique of piitin in tose
times may be from his works. The detailed and fine lines give volume or body to objects or
parts of the human figure, and the quality of softness suggests the use of Chinese brush.
With the establishment of the first Schoolof Fine Arts, the painting of secular subjects
was formally taught. The earliest portraits were done in a miniature, the size of the lockets.
Large portraits of the wealthy natives began appearing in 1850.
Two of our 19th century artists became famous abroad,Juan Luna and Felix
Resurreccion Hidalgo.
Juan Luna (1857-1899) went to spain at the age of 20 and enrolled at the Academica
de San Fernando in Madrid.
n 1884, the famous SPOLARIUM was awarded a gold medal at the Exposicion
Nacional de Bellas Artes.
The art of Juan Luna belongs to the classical romantic style, which was the officially
approved trend in European Art centers in those times.

Architecure
Houses. There are many residences preserved in our cities and towns which date back to
the spanish times. They are often referred to as Spanish colonial house resembles
houses.Basically, the spanish colonial house resembles houses in spain only in its use of
stone, brick and tiles. Aside from from the steepy sloping tent- like roof and the need for wide
windows, its utilization of the ground floor only for storage and garage for the carruaje and
carro is basically nipa hut in concept. The balustraded azotea developed from the batalan.

Funiture. The furniture during the spanish times was based on the European
counterparts.Thin and smooth webs of rattan fibers replaced the heavey upholstery , but the
ba rique carvings on the back, legs sides and armsof chairs were retain. The ganillera,
origanilly a pre-hispanic bamboo chicken coop, was transformed into an ornate furniture in the
18th century; the bamboo slats were replaced with carved wooden balustrades.

Churches. The first churches were parts of mission complexes which were also fortresses.
A mission complex is composed of the following structures: the church which has a fenced
open-air space before its portals called the atrium; the convento, the priests residence which
is usually adjacent to the church by its sacrisity; and the belfry, which is either incorporated
with the church as commonly seen in Central Luzon, Manila, Southern Luzon, and the
visayas, or separated from th church, as in towns of Northern Luzon.

Theater
Early manifestation of the drama in the country may be seen in some features of
DUPLO.
DUPLO is a game of wit used to relieve th sad feelings during a death anniversary
celebration.
The CENACULO is a dramatic presentation recalling the Passion of Jesus Christ of
and is usually held during the Holy Week.
The CARILLO is a shadow play. Cardboard figures projected on a screen were
manipulated in order to execute movements and gestures. Action was usually accomplish by
dialogue spoken by the manipulator.
The ZARZUELA was derived from zarza, a spanish word meaning Bramble bush,
referring to the hamlets or small villages of spain. This usually consistent of short pieces of
songs and recitations. Such occasions eventually became known as fiestas de zarzuela.
The first zarzuela began in the early 1870s. A one act zarzuela, Junto al Pasig,
was written by Rizal and set to music.