What I need to know

After years of being held back in mainstream art, folk motifs re-emerged as a relevant
part of the pursuit of Filipino identity, willingly beginning to separate ourselves in terms
of style and imagery from Western art, and re-discovering values within indigenous
imagery.

Filipino artist have been the center role in presenting and educating the public about our
own history and identity. The project delves in research on art history, the historical
context of contemporary art, locating its roots and trajectories, as well as various
sources of its emergence.

At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

• Familiarize with the different artists that emerged at the early contemporary
period.
• Create a list of the Gawad sa Manlilikhang Bayan or the National Living
Treasure Artists;
• Appreciate the arts that were produced as well as the changes it brought to the
Filipino artists.

What I know
From the previous lessons, choose one art (particularly painting) that you think can be a
representation of what is currently seen around your environment; whether it is from the
Pre-Conquest, Islamic, Spanish, America, or Japanese Period. Create a poem about it
but make sure that it still has the same title of the art you chose. (See attached rubric)
 Lesson
5 70s to Contemporary Period

What’s In?

V. 70s to Contemporary Period HISTORICAL OVERVIEW

How was the “modern” interpreted in the 70s? How did contemporary artists
rework its influences of the Modern?

❖ Helm of Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos in 1965

• Cultural projects build backdrop of poverty and volatile social conditions.
❖ National chaos of emergency proportions emerged as Martial Law was declared
on September 21, 1972 that envisioned a New Society or Bagong Lipunan.

Bagong Pagsilang (Levi Celerio & Felipe Padilla de Leon) - ''Bagong Lipunan''
(transl. New Society), also known as March of the New Society (Filipino: Martsa
 ng Bagong Lipunan), was a Filipino patriotic song during the presidency of
Ferdinand Marcos in 1970/80s.

Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) – The

premier bureaucratic entity through which art
acquisition, exhibition making, workshops, grants,
and awards were implemented.

The Struggle for Philippine Art - This book

traces the history of the Art Association of the
Philippines (AAP), founded in 1948 by Purita
Kalaw- Ledesma, a leading figure in the
Philippine art in the second half of the 20th
century.

SOCIAL REALISM (SR)

❖ A significant strand that emerged during the

intense political ferment of the 70s and the 80s.
- Is a form of protest art that exposed the sociopolitical issues and struggles of the
times.

“Itak sa Puso ni Mang Juan” Edgar Fernandez’s

Antipas Delotavo’s “Kinupot”

1970
The contemporary period has changed our world tremendously. A major part that has
adapted to our world is sci-fi. Sci-fi as in movies, books, etc. a major factor in the
Contemporary Period was Sci-Fi.

Sci-Fi is:

➢ Fiction that expands on what we know

about science.
➢ Tells us about technology and the
future.
➢ Not unbelievable but make readers think
and believe. What was the
Contemporary Period?

✓ From 1970-present day.

✓ A new beginning of musical styles
✓ Outbreak of creative writing among the topics of the thrillers.
✓ A way to find more nuclear weapons for war.
✓ A genre influencing many to write about Sci-Fi.

1980

Many writers BEFORE the Contemporary Period wrote about:

✓ Historical
✓ Poetic
✓ Traditional
✓ Romantic

Many writers DURING the Contemporary Period Wrote about:

✓ Gorry
✓ Eerie
✓ Mysterious
✓ Scientific
✓ Creative

STAR WARS (1977) – The first Sci-Fi movie

created that impacted everyone’s thoughts on their
 favorite genres and variety of movies, leaving a huge impact on how movies are
created and animated today.

PHILIPPINE CONTEMPORARY ART

• The Philippines is a gold mine of ART.

• It allows Filipino artists to portray the subject and the medium in innovative and
skillful ways-reflecting Filipino identity.
• The art of the Philippines had been influenced by almost all spheres of the globe.
• It had the taste of the Renaissance, Baroque, and the Modern Periods through
the colonizers who arrived in the country.

PAINTERS

Ronald Ventura – Is a contemporary Filipino artist known

for his dynamic melding of realism, cartoons, and graffiti.
Portraying scenes of chaotic disarray.
- His paintings and sculpture feature a complex layering of
image and styles, symbolic of the multi-faceted national
identity of the Philippines.

Alfredo and Isabel Aquilizan – Their

work speaks of community, personal,

experience, memory, CARDBOARD CITY
displacement, emotional, and
psychological effects of migration.

Elmer Borlongan – Is a prominent

contemporary Filipino painter best
known for his distinctive use of
Figurative Expressionism.

ARCHITECTURE

A new form of Philippine architecture emerged with the Filipino style of architecture. It
found its way in traditional motifs; the Bahay Kubo and the Bahay na Bato became
popular forms to be copied and modernized such as the Batasang Pambansa and the
National Theatre.

Araneta Coliseum
• The Araneta Coliseum
was constructed from 1957 to
late 1959; designed and built by
Architect Dominador Lacson
Lugtu and
Engineer Leonardo Onjunco Lugtu.

Philippine Arena
• The Philippine Arena is a multi-
purpose indoor arena at Ciudad de
Victoria.
• A 14—hectare tourism enterprise
zone in Bocaue and Sta. Maria,
Bulacan, Philippines.
• With a maximum capacity of 55,000
people, the Philippine Arena is the
world’s largest indoor arena.
Ildefonso Santos (1929-2014) – Is the
Father of Philippine Landscape Architecture. In 1967,
he designed the pedestrian walkways that
incorporated local plants and trees, fountains, and
benches for the Makati Commercial Center.
- He also designed the “Garden for the Blind” at Luneta
Park in 1969.
- He was also the creative mind behind the design of
Paco Park, and Tagaytay Highland Resort. He
became a National Artist for Architecture in 2006.

SCULPTURE

Philippine Sculpture is the most familiar art forms among Filipinos; from the transitional
carving of anitos, to the santos, to Christ and down to the saints, Filipinos find it rather
not difficult as they are already familiar with the ways of
the wood.
 Napoleon “Billy” Veloso Abueva (1930-2018) - was known as the "Father of
Modern Philippine Sculpture" Through Proclamation No. 1539, He was
proclaimed National Artist for Sculpture in 1976 when he was 46, making him the
youngest recipient of the award to date.
- “Ang iskultor ay isa rin dapat karpintero, mason, tagapaghinang,
tagapagkumpuni ng kuryente at hanggang sa nagbubuhat ng mga
mabibigat.”

Abdulmari Imao (1936-2014) – He was a Filipino sculptor, named National Artist

for Sculpture in 2006.
- A Tausug, Imao is the first Moro to receive the recognition. Aside
from being a sculptor, Imaos was also a painter, photographer,
ceramist, cultural researcher, documentary film maker, writer, and
a patron of Philippine Muslim art and Culture.

What’s more?

Direction: Write E if the statement belongs to Ethnic Tradition, S if it belongs to Spanish

Tradition, A to American Colonial and C to Contemporary Traditions.

1. Filipinos developed choreographies by mimicking movements of animals. E

2. Zarsuelas and operas became popular in this period. S
3. Filipinos studied abroad and later on introduced new ideas in art making. A
4. Technological innovations affected art making resulting to non-conventional
artworks. C
5. The geographical location and experiences of the Filipinos were the main
factors in art production. E
 What I Have Learned
Multiple Choice: Choose the letter of the correct answer.

1. A tradition where the location and experiences of the Filipinos were the
major factors in art production.
a. American Colonial and Contemporary Traditions
b. Spanish Colonial Tradition
c. Ethnic Tradition
d. Chinese Colonial Tradition

2. Religion and Secularization were the dominant themes of the art forms of
this period.
a. American Colonial and Contemporary Traditions
b. Spanish Colonial Tradition
c. Ethnic Tradition
d. Chinese Colonial Tradition

3. Modernism entered the field of art wherein Filipinos started to explore

different materials and techniques in expressing themselves through non-
conventional art.

a. American Colonial and Contemporary Traditions

b. Spanish Colonial Tradition
c. Ethnic Tradition
d. Chinese Colonial Tradition

4. Which of these does NOT describe what art is?

a. Conscious of skill
b. Production of aesthetic objects that are either beautiful
c. Unconscious use of creative imagination
d. Produces aesthetic objects that express important ideas or feelings

5. These are why arts are important to a society from the economic
perspective, EXCEPT:
a. It can attract overseas talents to work and contribute to the economy.
 b. The art need funds to thrive
c. It brings in the tourist dollar
d. The spirit of creativity in the arts helps boost motivation for knowledge-based
economy

What I Can Do

Cite Gawad sa Manlilikhang Bayan or the National Living Treasure Artists and their
contributions in the Philippine Contemporary Art.