COLLEGE OF SAINT JOHN PAUL (II)

ARTS AND SCIENCES

College of Arts and Sciences

Amelia-Pelaez-naturaleza

The arts are described as means of expression that require

imagination and/or skill in making aesthetic objects or encounters that can
be shared with other people. These objects are experiences that may exhibit
what is in the imagination of the artist or creator. These may also portray
ideas and emotions. These may also be used to entertain or persuade other
people. These aesthetic objects and encounters create beauty. The arts
include visual arts, architecture, literature, music, dance, theater, and
cinema or film. Contemporary Arts is the art that springs out of the present-
day events and passions of the society. It is the newest form of art, amusing
people from the late 1960’s or early around 1970’s up to this very minute
because basically it fashioned about the society.

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 COLLEGE OF SAINT JOHN PAUL (II)
ARTS AND SCIENCES
College of Arts and Sciences

Lesson 6-7

The Filipino Artists’ Role & their

Contributions to Contemporary Arts

At the end of the lesson, the students are expected to:

• Explains Filipino artists’ roles and;
• Identify their contribution to contemporary arts;

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

The Filipino Artists

“In every work of art, the artist himself is present.” -Christian

Morgenstern.

Artist are the one who professes and practices an imaginative art.
Because of this people and their creative imaginations, we have beautiful
paintings, exquisite sculptures, historical architectural structures, breathtaking
dance performances, spectacular theatrical performances, and many others alike.

The Philippines is truly blessed with a lot of talented and artistic

individuals who really paved the road of what kind of arts we have in this present
time.
In the past, the artist’s role was well-defined and that is to create
something that uplifted the spirit, something aesthetically pleasing and
entertaining. Meaning to say, only the beautiful ideas or those things considered
as pleasing and entertaining.
For example, the work of Fernando Amorsolo. He romanticized life, reminding us
the beauty of nature and the people living in the rural areas.

But as time goes by, the way artists produce different artworks has totally
changed. It is not about the beauty anymore but the reality that we are all facing
today.

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 COLLEGE OF SAINT JOHN PAUL (II)
ARTS AND SCIENCES
College of Arts and Sciences

The Role of the Filipino artist in the present times is very crucial. And
with that, we can say that their role is fourfold or four times as great or
numerous:
1. The PERSONAL
2. The SOCIAL
3. The PHYSICAL
4. The IMMATERIAL

1. The Personal
The artist expresses what he or she feels.

2. The Social
The artist expresses what he or she sees around him or her. Everything
around him or her not just the beauty of nature, not just the plants and
the colorful mountain but everything him or her including the pressing
issues that we are all facing today.

3. The Physical
The artist finds a need to create something not only pleasing to look at
but something useful as well.

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 COLLEGE OF SAINT JOHN PAUL (II)
ARTS AND SCIENCES
College of Arts and Sciences

4. The Immaterial
The artist gives form to the immaterial, the hidden truth of the universe,
and the spiritual force that inhabits the world. This is the ultimate role of
our artists today.

The Personal, The Social, The Physical and The Immaterial, through this
fourfold role, the artists are able to refine us and to elevate our senses of what is
beautiful and what is not and what is sublime and what is not.

The Role of Filipino Contemporary Artists

• The Filipino artist gives his opinion about the culture of his time.
• The Filipino artist is a crusader, attempting to sway the viewer to his or her side.
• The Filipino artist has become a social critic. This is the most interesting role of
our artist today since we are highlighting social realism. Artists nowadays are so
brave to exposed the true situation of our society using their work of art.
• The Filipino artist has also become an advocate for what he or she believe in.
• The Filipino artist is versatile. Our artists create not only to realize their
personal fulfillment but also, they share their inner talents that illuminate our
capabilities as a nation, rich in heritage and traditions.

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 COLLEGE OF SAINT JOHN PAUL (II)
ARTS AND SCIENCES
College of Arts and Sciences

The Filipina Artist

Before the Philippine Contemporary Art era, only a few notable women were
able to find access into the world of arts. During the modern arts period, we
have Anita Magsaysay-Ho, Nena Saguil and Purita Kalaw-Ledesma.

But things have changed in the Philippine Contemporary Art Era as many
women paved the way for others to assert their own identity and contribute in
social realism. Filipina artists have become visible because of initial steps made
by some strong women like Imelda Cajipe-Endaya, Brenda V. Fajardo, Ofelia
Gelveson-Tequi. They assert their own identity and contribute in social realism.

Imelda Cajipe-Endaya is a printmaker, painter and installation artist. She is

also a curator and an art project organizer. Imelda become the co-founder of
Kasibulan- a group of artists in the Philippines. She become the main figure for
Filipino feminists and
national liberation
movements in Philippine
arts. Her advocacy in
women, centers around
Philippine history and
culture.

Brenda V. Fajardo, a doctor in Philippine studies and professor in the

University of the Philippines. She’s one of the women in the present society as a
multi-awarded artist.
Brenda Fajardo is also a
teacher and a cultural
worker. But she was
discovered because of
her artworks that mostly
about the Philippine
folklore, legends and
mythology where she
relates this into contemporary life. The materials she used in her artworks is
mostly pen and ink.

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 COLLEGE OF SAINT JOHN PAUL (II)
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Another creative Filipina is from Guimbal, Iloilo. She is Ofelia Gelveson-

Tequi, graduate in degrees both in fine arts and English from the University of
the Philippines-
Diliman. Her works
emanate her deep
understanding of the
various disciplines
including literature, art
history and visual arts
that we can say it is
under in contemporary
era. Because of her talent and skills, she was awarded at Parangal Filipino
award which is a presidential award during President Ninoy Aquino III.

Because of these three individuals another Filipina soon followed;

Ligaya Fernando-Amilbangsa, historical recorder and conservationist. She

is an advocate of the indigenous
arts of the south. And because
of her exhaustive efforts in
promoting the southern arts,
Ligaya earned the prestigious
Ramon Magsaysay award that is
equivalent Nobel peace prize
award.

National Artist of the Philippines

Order of National Artists- it has been established by virtue of Presidential
Proclamation No. 1001’series.1972 during the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos.
The main objective of these Order is to give appropriate recognition and
prestige to Filipinos that made outstanding contributions to Philippine arts and
letters.
They are the artists who have made a mark for the development of Filipino
society and made significant contributions in their own fields.
The Order of National Artists is the highest award conferred by the President of
the Philippines to the nation’s artists. The category of this award is music,
dance, theater, visual arts, literature, film and broadcast arts and architecture
and allied arts.
The recognition and awarding are being organized by the National Commission
of Cultural Center of the Philippines. Fernando Amorsolo is the only Filipino
artist who was given this kind of award.

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ARTS AND SCIENCES
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What does it take to be a National Artist?

1. Living artists who have been Filipino citizens for the last ten years prior
to nomination as well as those who have died after the establishment of
the award in 1972 but were Filipino citizens at the time of their death;
These symbols + deceased, it means artist died but they are alive when
they received the award
++ posthumous conferment, when you see this kind of symbol in the
name of the artist it means that he or she died already when he receives
the award.
2. Artists who have helped build a Filipino sense of nationhood through the
content and form of their works;
3. Artists who have distinguished themselves by pioneering in a mode of
creative expression or style, making an impact on succeeding generations
of artists; Meaning, artist influence must be still alive up to this very
moment.;
4. Artists who have created a significant body of works and/or have
consistently displayed excellence in the practice of their art form,
enriching artistic expression or style.
5. Artists who enjoy broad acceptance through prestigious national and/or
international recognition, awards in prestigious national and/or
international events, critical acclaim and/or reviews of their works, and
respect and esteem from peers within an artistic discipline.

Benefits of being a National Artist

• The rank and title of National Artist, as proclaimed by the President of the
Philippines;
• The INSIGNIA of a NATIONAL ARTIST and a CITATION;
• A lifetime emolument and material and physical benefits comparable in
value to those received by the highest officers of land such as;
a) A cash award of one hundred thousand pesos net of taxes, for living
awardees;
b) A cash award of seventy-five thousand pesos net of taxes, for
posthumous awardees, payable to legal heir/s;
c) A monthly life pension, medical and hospitalization benefits;
d) Life insurance coverage for Awardees who are still insurable;
e) A state funeral and burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani;
f) A place of honor, in line with a protocolar precedence, at national
state functions, and recognition at cultural events;

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 COLLEGE OF SAINT JOHN PAUL (II)
ARTS AND SCIENCES
College of Arts and Sciences

The Names of Our National Artist

To be a National Artists is considered to be the highest national recognition

given to Filipino individuals who have made significant contributions to the
development of Philippine arts which is awarded by the National Commission
for Culture and the Arts together with Cultural Center of the Philippines.

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)

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 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.

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ARTS AND SCIENCES
College of Arts and Sciences

NATIONAL ARTIST FOR ARCHITECTURE:

Pablo S. Antonio (January 25, 1902 – June 14, 1975) He was considered
a pioneer in modern Philippine architecture. A prominent feature of his designs
I 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; those 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 feature themes of floating volume and a mix of both eastern and western
aesthetics. Well-known works is the PICC.

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 ARTIST FOR 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.

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.

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.

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

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 COLLEGE OF SAINT JOHN PAUL (II)
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College of Arts and Sciences

NATIONAL ARTIST FOR DANCE, MUSIC, FILM AND THEATER:

Cinema/Film

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).

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).

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”.

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.

Music

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.

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 COLLEGE OF SAINT JOHN PAUL (II)
ARTS AND SCIENCES
College of Arts and Sciences

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.

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.

Theater

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.

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).

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.

References
• Gerard Lico, Glecy Cruz Atienza, Imelda Cajipe Endaya, J Pilapil Jacobo,
Ramon P. Santos. Sining Rehiyon Contemporary Philippine Arts fron the
Regions. C&E Publishing House, Inc. Quezon City: 2018

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