CONTEMPORARY PHILIPPINE ARTS

FROM THE REGIONS (CPAR)

MODULE 5: LESSON 5
WORKSHEET 5

By Bernard Vista (cubist painter; Pakil, Laguna), from the public domain
(http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Oij8dyPOr60/Uisii6UK9oI/AAAAAAABy9s/ah3fKvyMsqs/s1600/Bernard+Vista_paintings_artodyssey++(8).jpg), retrieved January 3, 2021, 2:24
pm.

INFORMATION

NAME DE GUZMAN, Bea DV

SECTION 12 STEM 5
In the Schema Map below, at the SCHEMA row, write three statements that show your
current understanding of the Subject Matter and Style in Contemporary Art. After you
have completed this lesson, write three statements a new things you have learned in the NEW
LEARNING row.

SCHEMA MAP
1. Contemporary art’s subject matter usually revolves around women, children,
and the environment.
2. Art criticism is interpreting meanings of artworks and is significant in
SCHEMA
contemporary art because of its messages.
3. Art criticism can be done by anyone who is willing to learn, not just
professional critics.
1. Art criticism involves different philosophical positions.
2. Describing contemporary art involves analyzing and identifying its subject
NEW
matter and compositions.
LEARNING
3. As such, knowing how to describe contemporary art is one of the most
important skills needed for art criticism.

⮚ ACTIVITY. Look at the three art pieces below. Describe each in detail.
“The Scream”
"The Scream" has always
been one of my favorite
paintings. It portrays the
feeling of alienation and has
evolved into a symbol of
existential crisis today. The
juxtaposition of the
abnormal, terrified facial
expression and the light,
warm background makes it
unsettling and fascinating.
⬥What Do You See?⬥
Untitled glass sculpture
This glass sculpture by
Ramon Orlina is created in a
way wherein its supposed
subject matter or pattern is
very abstract and hard to
depict. It has a single color of
turquoise and is shaped in a
unique way, and through my
eyes, I cannot decipher a
possible interpretation
especially with the absence of
a title.
“Ina at Anak”
“Ina at Anak” is a portrait
painted by Hernando Ruiz
Ocampo, an artist most
notable for his abstract
works, and it is clear in this
painting which I believe used
abstract expressionism as its
style. The main subject of this
painting involves two
common contemporary art
subjects, women and
children. Ocampo still
manages to depict the
warmth and love of a mother
even as he used geometry in
favor of realism in his piece.
⮚ How do we describe an artwork?

First and foremost, the tangible components of an artwork are described, such as its
subject matter, the materials used to create it, and the factors and concepts that influence it.
The critic must examine the elements that dominate the art piece, and how they were used by
the artist. The judgment of these elements by the art critic might be based on any of the
philosophical perspectives and styles with which he or she chooses to work. These
philosophies or theories are then used as a guideline by the critic in order to conduct their
approach to the artwork. These also act as the framework in giving a critique as one’s
response to art stems from their belief and understanding of the purpose of the piece.
Judging an artwork not only involves its technical and visual aspects, it must contain
interpretations of the piece, especially those with messages to decipher. These philosophical
perspectives help an art critic in possibly figuring out the artworks’ meanings with different
contexts. Since art is shaped by the artists’ unique histories and perspectives, it is important
to consider these and from there, develop our own perspective and give meaning to the work
based on our limited point of view, hence allowing various interpretations for a single artwork
at times.
 ACTIVITY NO. 6
⬥Art Description⬥

INSTRUCTION: Follow the steps below to accomplish this activity.

⬥ Using the above method of describing an artwork, describe the two artworks below
(research a bit about each painting’s details). One comes from the contemporary period, the
other, modern.

Fig. 38. “Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird.” Fig. 39. “Masaya sa pagiging siya” [Happy to be Herself].
https://tinyurl.com/y69dj83b. https://tinyurl.com/y3rhraxg.

A notable Frida Kahlo quote is “My “Masaya sa Pagiging Siya” is an artwork by

paintings carry with them a message of pain”,
and it is heavily illustrated in this particular
self-portrait. Frida has been known to use art
as a way to portray her tragic life. Here, the
main subject is the artist itself, wrapped in
thorns, placed in the center of nature,
surrounded by animals and leaves, and in the
title itself, a hummingbird.
Filipino artist Brenda Fajardo, who
commonly uses the experiences of women
and Filipinos as subject matters in her
paintings. In this piece, a smiling woman in a
pink dress holding a tarot card is in the
foreground. The red-orange background
features winged angels surrounding her and
providing warmth.

Noticeable in her art pieces, Frida uses
flora and fauna elements to create a sort of
claustrophobic space in her paintings,
depicting her inner state most of the time.
The thorns and the hummingbird are two of
the most dominant elements. The thorns are
similar to the thorn of crowns of Christ, while
th hummingbird pendant is a symbol of good
luck in Mexican culture. This makes up a
contrasting necklace, which is tugged at by a
Brenda Fajardo is most notable for her
tarot card series, “Baraha ng Buhay Pilipino”,
which is what the woman is holding in the
featured painting. I believe this painting is
somewhat a self-portrait due to that fact. The
subject also looks as though it is illuminated,
as it is surrounded by angels as well,
generating generally positive interpretations.
Looking closer, the woman is surrounded by
Filipino words such as “maganda” and
black jaguar and monkey, both symbols of
somewhat bad luck and/or evil. Thus, the
painting can be depicted as the artist in
distress and suffocated by her life
circumstances, yet, the titular subject of the
painting, the hummingbird, symbolizes a
hope for good luck to come.
Technically speaking, Frida used vivid
colors on most of her paintings, including this
one. While her painting style was more
realistic as it used natural curved lines, it is unique manner. The piece exercised freedom
not as perfectly proportionate as true realism.
In fact, she is considered one of the poster
children of surrealism. These bright shades of
red, orange, yellow, green, and blue unified a
visually appealing artwork, also conferring a
juxtaposition between the tragic life
experiences as the subject matter and the
cheery, colorful style of the artwork. Using oil and design-oriented medium. I believe this
on canvas helped create a more realistic feel,
as it is also rendered slowly since it takes a
longer time to dry, giving more time to
accomplish details. All of Frida Kahlo’s most
significant paintings used oil paints as their References:
media.
Reference:
- (n.a.). (2018). The Importance of the
Frida Kahlo Self-Portrait With Thorn
Necklace and Hummingbird.
Widewalls. Retrieved from
https://www.widewalls.ch/magazine/
frida-kahlo-self-portrait-with-thorn-n
ecklace-and-hummingbird
“mabait”. Overall, I think this painting is a
letter of acceptance of Brenda to herself,
giving herself a pat on the back for her
fulfillment as well as her accomplishments
and her value as a person, hence the title.
Visually, Brenda used warm tones, making
use of red, orange, and yellow shades. This
helped depict the warmth of the message of
the painting itself. The style of the subject is
not realistic at all, making it in her own,
in the lines and the proportions of the
subject. Brenda used acrylic on canvas, a
medium more associated with modern or
contemporary artwork than oil. This might
explain the somewhat simplistic style of the
painting, as acrylic takes harder to dry and is
also known for being a more experimental
painting would have not retained the same
portrayal if the artist used a different
medium.
- Bautista, G. (2018). Tin-aw Art
Gallery. Retrieved from
http://www.tin-aw.com/press/4
- Brenda Fajardo - Archives of Women
Artists, Research and Exhibitions.
(n.d.). AWARE Women Artists.
Retrieved from
https://awarewomenartists.com/en/a
rtiste/brenda-fajardo/

⬥ Which philosophical position/s do you think would be useful later on in making a critic of
the two paintings? Why?

I believe that there are two main philosophical positions I would stand for in making a
critic of these paintings. These are psychoanalytic criticism and feminist criticism.
Psychoanalytic criticismbelieves that art should be studied as the product of individuals who
are shaped by their pasts, their unconscious urges, and their social histories, while feminist
criticismis concerned with the oppression of groups, particularly women. In Frida’s painting,
for instance, scholars have said that it is about her oppression in the hands of her husband,
Diego Rivera. These two artists are both known to be feminists and a lot of that belief spilled
out into their works. These paintings, too, are both products of the artists’ pasts and histories,
which is where psychoanalytic criticism comes into play, although their interpretations are far
from each other.
⬥ After describing them, write down how the two artworks are similar and how they are
different from each other.
Based on my personal interpretations, the artworks are similar in that they are both
self-portraits of the women artists. They both depict femininity and life experiences in a way.
However, their circumstances and intended meanings are far from each other, hence this is
where the differences come into play. While Frida’s painting depicts a tragedy, Brenda’s
depicts happiness, both due to their life histories. Amidst Frida’s main subject, though, there
is a symbol of hope in the painting. Technically speaking, the paintings are also different in its
style, as one is more realistic and the other is more minimalist. This is also due to the differing
eras of the pieces – one being from the modern period and one being from the contemporary
period. Overall, though, both paintings can be compared and contrasted to one another due to
similarities in the main themes.

COMMUNITY
Being the children of the Lord, we are essentially one family who are bound to support
one another by building up and appreciating the works of our brothers and sisters.

⬥ It was said earlier that contemporary art is shaped by each artist’s unique individual and
societal contexts. How can our understanding of somebody’s context shape our perspective
of the community around us? Cite specific examples that illustrate your point. Is developing
such a perspective important? Why?
Since every human being has different upbringings and life circumstances, everybody
develops different perspectives, and no two has the exact same beliefs in life. Due to this, it is
important to learn how to put yourself in somebody else’s shoes. Understanding somebody’s
context helps us become more open-minded and welcoming of other’s perspectives. For
instance, relating this topic to current events as the Philippine elections draws closer –
different supporters of different camps have targeted each other over certain perspectives.
One issue is that of supposed elitism, as some people tend to overlook the fact that those who
come from poverty, with no education, cannot afford to “fact check” or to “vote for the greater
good”. Instead, when you are living without knowing for certain when your next meal will be,
you vote for yourself, and you vote for who makes the best promises, since you have no
resources in order to check these anyway, just barber’s tales and hearsays. Hopefully, we can
extend a little bit of empathy unto understanding these people’s choices. As for the rich and
educated who still choose to remain ignorant, that is a different story. The point is, developing
a wide perspective is significant in being empathetic and recognizing that each person’s
beliefs stems from their own contexts in life, and not everyone wants to hurt others or have an
ulterior motive on purpose. Simply put, most people just want the best for themselves, and if
you are educated and open-minded, you must understand that everyone’s perspective is
limited, hence, “reality” has different meanings for different people.