National Artists

of the Philippines
 What is the National Artists Award?
•NAA bestow the highest form of
recognition to Filipino artists for their
significant contributions in the arts and
letters.
•It shares the same prestige as the
GAMABA and the National Scientist Award.
•The award is conferred every three years
through rigorous deliberation and selection
process jointly facilitated by two major
cultural offices, the NCCA and CCP.
 What is the National Artists Award?
•NAA established in 1972 under president decree
No. 1001 issued by the President Ferdinand
Marcos.
•First recipient was Fernando Amorsolo
•The roster has included 66 awardees from
seven disciplinal areas, namely:
1. Architecture, design & allied arts
2. Film & broadcast arts
3. Visual arts
4. Literature
5. Dance
6. Music, and
7. Theatre
 Some works of National Artists
A. Works of National Artists in Public
Spaces: A look at UP Diliman
• Oblation, 1935 by sculptor Guillermo
Tolentino, depicting a male nude with
arms outstretched as a gesture of
sacrifice, freedom & the act of offering
oneself in the service of the nation
• Abdulmari Asia Imao’s calligraphic work in
the 80’s at sculpture garden of Vargas
Museum is one of the largest public
sculptures he made.
 Some works of National Artists
• Fernando Amorsolo (Awarded 1972) in
painting to his romantic paintings of
bucolic landscape and idealized portraits
of prominent individuals from the
Commonwealth period and 2nd World War.
 Some works of National Artists
• Benedicto Cabrera’s (awarded 2006)
iconic 32 Variations of Sabel, 2015 made
of aluminum sheets can also be found at
the UP Theatre.
 Some works of National Artists
• Jose Tanig Joya (awarded 2003) in painting and
Napoleon Abueva (awarded 1976) in sculpture
produced commissioned works that have become
part of the University’s visual arts heritage.
• 1964, Abueva and Joya served as faculty & deans
of the UP College of Fine Arts and represented
the Phil. in the Venice Art Biennale, one of the
oldest International art exhibitions worldwide.

Barter of Panay, 1978 (Joya’s mural)

Spirit of Business, 1979 (Abueva’s sculpture)
• Church of the Holy Sacrifice in UP Diliman,
Inaugurated in 1995, credited as the first Catholic
Church in the country to employ a circular
architecture with a thin shell dome.
• Leandro Locsin’s (awarded 1990) architectural
vision that drew inspiration from the spirit of the
times.
• Church is recognized as a National Historical
Landmark as well as a Cultural Treasure by the
National Historical Institute (now known as the
National Historical Commission of the Philippines)
and by the National Museum, respectively.
• It consolidates the works of five National artist:
Locsin for the architecture and four other
modernists in the visual arts, whose works are
found inside the chapel.
• Hanging above the circular altar positioned at the
center is a double-sided crucifix carved in
hardwood by Abueva.
• One side of the crucifix depicts Christ crucified,
while an image of the resurrected Christ is on the
other vantage point.
• Another work done by modernist style is a terrazo
floor work by Arturo Luz (awarded 1997)
suggesting flowing rivers that terminate in the
altar as a whirling pattern of planar forms.
• 15 stations of the cross, which are murals painted
by Vicente Manansala (awarded 1981) with
assistance of Ang Kiukok (awarded 2001).
Christ and characters
surrounding his passion are
represented with mildly distorted
figures – limbs are elongated,
and volume is suggested through
solid, hard-edged shapes,
lending the compositions a cubist
quality.
• This cutting-edged structure of the period housed
a performance in 1968 led by the equally avant-
garde composer, musician, and ethnomusicologist
Jose Marceda (awarded 1997) eventually
proclaimed National Artist for Music.
• Marceda’s Pagsamba involved a hundred mixed
voices, indigenous, musical instruments such as
bamboo buzzers, clappers, and whistle flutes;
while incorporating a prayer sung in Tagalog.
• Artistic collaboration help develop
projects involving elaborate
production work, as in the case of film
or theater. The actor, filmmaker, and
producer Manuel Conde (awarded
2009) worked with Carlos V.
Francisco (awarded 1973) in many of
his time films, Genghis Khan, 1950,
which told the epic adventure of a
Mongolian conqueror.
• The film was screened in many films
festivals abroad and translated into 16
languages for international
distribution, the most recent of which
was at the 2015 Venice Biennale.
• The pop-rock opera Tale of the Manuvu
performed at the CCP in 1985 also benefitted
from the efforts for several National Artist.
• Recounting the origins of the Manobo people, the
scholar, poet, and teacher Bienvenido Lumbera,
National Artist for Literature (awarded 2006) wrote
the libretto.
• Dance Alice Reyes
(awarded 2014, founder
Philippines,
choreographed the
performance.
• National Artist for Theater Salvador Bernal
(awarded 2003) took charge of the custom and
set design.
• Noong Unang Panahon, a melancholic
reminiscence of ecological transformation, still
compelling in today’s context.
• The combined drawings and stories popularized
by the prolific Francisco V. Conching (awarded
2014) in comics, have inspired film makers to
create adaptions on the big screen.
• Before the emergence of the so-called fantaserye
(fantasy series)on national television in the late
nineties (e.g.) the young superhero Pedro
Penduko first appeared in Coching's work in
Liwayway comics, and animated into film by
Gerardo de Leon, National Artist for Film
(awarded 1982).
• National Artist for Literature Nick Joaquin
(awarded 1976) wrote A Portrait of the Artist as
Filipino, 1950. The story revolves around a
painting of the same title, dedicated by a crippled
artist to his two unmarried daughters , Candida
and Paula.
 FAQ What are some issues surrounding
the NAA?
• The works of National Artist are explorations
about Filipino culture and identity, as expressed
creatively through varied styles and artistic
mediums.
• As we have seen in some of the examples,
several artist take on multiple roles as teachers,
founders of collectives, or community organizers.
• The institutionalization of the NAA spans roughly
four decades. Perhaps it is an opportune moment
to re-evaluate what the award means to us today.
• In the same time vein, we could also think about
what it excludes.
• The NAA the GAMABA are channels of validation
that contribute to the creation of art history.
• In 2009, from news reports that artists marched
on the streets to protects the insertion of four
additional names and removal of one name from
the roster of National Artist Ramon P. Santos
(awarded in 2014) was initially removed from the
2009 list despite having gone through the proper
selection process.
• In 2013, the SC issued its decision
to invalidate the questionable
conferment of the NAA to Carlo J.
Caparas and three other awardees.
• Moreover, the SC has ruled against any further
exercise of presidential prerogative in relation to
awardees who did not undergo the appropriate
vetting process.
• Since its establishments in 1972, the NAA has
institutionalized awards in the areas or
architecture, design, and allied arts, film and
broadcast arts, visual arts, literature, dance,
music, and theatre.
 SPANISH COLONIZATION
•The Spaniards used art as a tool to
propagate the Catholic faith through beautiful
images
•Images of the Holy family and the saint were
introduced to the Filipino through carved santos,
engravings and paintings on church walls.
•Most art form were for the church
•Images on religious icons
•Portrait of saints and of the holy family became a
familiar sight in churches