SHS 1

Contemporary Philippine Arts from the Regions

Introduction to Art
Region 1: Ilocos Region
● What you experience with the colors and emotions that go with them is called a color theory. It
is a science that is continuously being studied to know more about how people will react to a
certain color.
● In 1965, while walking in a nearby cave in Binangonan, Rizal, national artist Carlos Botong
Francisco with his boy scout troops discovered the rock formation.
● Angono Petroglyphs are included in the list of the 100 most endangered sites by the United
Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Our National
Museum is taking care of the Angono Petroglyphs and was declared a National Cultural
Treasure.
● The Petroglyph cave is near Laguna towns known to be a haven of wood carvings and the Art
Capital of the Philippines in Angono, Rizal is a few kilometers from the site. It was believed
that the artists and woodcarvers from Laguna, Binangonan, and Angono, Rizal were
descendants of the original cavemen.
● Art is derived from the Latin word “Ars” meaning “skill”.
● Spoliarium is a large oil painting measuring 4.22 meters x 7.765 meters. It is a famous painting
of Juan Luna that won first place in Madrid, Spain. It is the largest painting hanging in the
National Museum.
● In 1884, the famous Ilocano painter Juan Luna won his first medal in Madrid. According to
some art experts, the fallen gladiators who are being dragged in the painting are the Filipino
people while the men dragging them are representative of the Spanish rule. It is believed that
the woman crouched on the right side of the painting is the Mother Country or the Inang
Bayan who whips for her Philippines. The blood-thirsty crowd to the left represents social
cancer.
● Contemporary means present day. Contemporary art is the art product of the present time and
from the second half of the 20th century or in the 21st century. These are the artworks
produced by artists from the 1970s up to the present.
● Artists who are living today who produce art are called contemporary artists.
● Contemporary art themes are mostly about culture, human rights, political issues, the
economy, and other conflicts affecting the world.
● The Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) is the home of contemporary arts in the
Philippines.