Region 11 DAVO REGION

THE BUILDERS by Victorio Edades

Victorio C. Edades painting "The Builders" (1928) portrayed tough, dirty construction
workers drenched in grime and sweat. The painting became known as the first ever Modernist
painting in the country. Most of the artists were focused on the indigenous culture and heritage
of Mindanao including this art piece. His paintings were in contrast from the works of Amorsolo
and the Classicists who painted bright cheery scenes of flawless Filipinos and their idealized
daily routines. His were figures and images done in muddy earth colors - yellow ochres and raw
sienna accented by bold black distorted contours whose proportions defy classical measure.
Edades choice of subject caused quite a stir among his viewers and critics. This artwork
emphasized linear and structural composition above other pictorial elements, conveying the
essence of men engaged in labor through the contortion of the bodies.
THE BIRD by Ang Kiukok
“The Bird” in 1959 was made by the artist named The Kiukok. He pioneered expressionism in
Philippine painting. His prodigious output synthesizes intense human expression of a universal
mode and cubistic pictorial excellence. The human condition at its apex of pain or anger has
always inspired him. He breaks down and recomposes human, animal, and machine forms to
create disturbing images of torture, suffering, cruelty, and dehumanization.