Module 5 and 6

Philippine National Artist in

Lesson 1:
Lesson 2:

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 LESSON 1: National Artist for Music in
the Philippines

ANTONIO R. BUENAVENTURA
National Artist for Music (1988)
(May 4, 1904 – January 25, 1996)
Antonino R. Buenaventura vigorously pursued a musical career
that spanned seven decades of unwavering commitment to
advancing the frontiers of Philippine music. This once sickly boy
who played the clarinet proficiently has written several marches
such as the “Triumphal March,” “Echoes of the Past,” “History
Fantasy,” Second Symphony in E-flat, “Echoes from the Philippines,” “Ode to
Freedom.” His orchestral music compositions include Concert Overture, Prelude and
Fugue in G Minor, Philippines Triumphant, Mindanao Sketches, Symphony in C Major,
among others.

JOSE MACEDA
National Artist for Music (1997)
(January 31, 1917 – May 5, 2004)Jose Maceda, composer,
musicologist, teacher and performer, explored the musicality of
the Filipino deeply. Maceda embarked on a life-long dedication
to the understanding and popularization of Filipino traditional
music.

LUCRESIA R. KASILAG
National Artist for Music (1989)
(August 31, 1918 – August 16, 2008)
Lucresia R. Kasilag, as educator, composer, performing artist,
administrator and cultural entrepreneur of national and
international caliber, had involved herself wholly in sharpening
the Filipino audience’s appreciation of music. She dared to
incorporate indigenous Filipino instruments in orchestral
productions, such as the prize-winning “Toccata for
Percussions and Winds, Divertissement and Concertante,” and the scores of
the Filiasiana, Misang Pilipino and De Profundis.

Her orchestral music include Love Songs, Legend of the Sarimanok, Ang
Pamana, Philippine Scenes, Her Son, Jose, Sisa and chamber music like Awit ng
mga Awit Psalms, Fantaisie on a 4-Note Theme, and East Meets Jazz Ethnika.

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ERNANI J. CUENCO
National Artist for Music (1999)
(May 10, 1936 – June 11, 1988)

Ernani J. Cuenco is a seasoned musician born in May 10, 1936

in Malolos, Bulacan. A composer, film scorer, musical director
and music teacher, he wrote an outstanding and memorable
body of works that resonate with the Filipino sense of musicality
and which embody an ingenious voice that raises the aesthetic
dimensions of contemporary Filipino music. Cuenco played with the Filipino Youth
Symphony Orchestra and the Manila Symphony Orchestra from 1960 to 1968, and the
Manila Chamber Soloists from 1966 to 1970. He completed a music degree in piano
and cello from the University of Santo Tomas where he also taught for decades until
his death in 1988. His songs and ballads include “Nahan, Kahit na Magtiis,” and
“Diligin Mo ng Hamog ang Uhaw na Lupa,” “Pilipinas,” “Inang Bayan,” “Isang
Dalangin,” “Kalesa,” “Bato sa Buhangin” and “Gaano Kita Kamahal.” The latter
song shows how Cuenco has enriched the Filipino love ballad by adding the elements
of kundiman to it.

LUCIO SAN PEDRO

National Artist for Music (1991)
(February 11, 1913 – March 31, 2002)
Lucio San Pedro is a master composer, conductor, and teacher
whose music evokes the folk elements of the Filipino heritage.
Cousin to “Botong” Francisco, San Pedro produced a wide-
ranging body of works that includes band music, concertos for
violin and orchestra, choral works, cantatas, chamber music,
music for violin and piano, and songs for solo voice.

The Devil’s Bridge, Malakas at Maganda Overture,Prelude and Fugue in D

minor, Hope and Ambition; choral music Easter Cantata, Sa Mahal Kong
Bayan, Rizal’s Valedictory Poem; vocal music Lulay,Sa Ugoy ng Duyan, In the
Silence of the Night; and band music Dance of the Fairies, Triumphal
March, Lahing Kayumanggi, Angononian March among others.

ANTONIO J. MOLINA
National Artist for Music (1973)
(December 26, 1894 – January 29, 1980)
Antonio J. Molina, versatile musician, composer, music
educator was the last of the musical triumvirate, two of whom
were Nicanor Abelardo and Francisco Santiago, who elevated
music beyond the realm of folk music.

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FRANCISCO FELICIANO
National Artist for Music (2014)
Francisco Feliciano’s corpus of creative work attests to the
exceptional talent of the Filipino as an artist. His lifetime
conscientiousness in bringing out the “Asianness” in his music,
whether as a composer, conductor, or educator, contributed to
bringing the awareness of people all over the world to view the
Asian culture as a rich source of inspiration and a celebration of
our ethnicity, particularly the Philippines.
Major Works: Ashen Wings (1995), Sikhay sa Kabila ng Paalam (1993), La Loba
Negra (1983), Yerma (1982), Pamugun (1995), Pokpok Alimako (1981)Molina’s most
familiar composition is Hatinggabi, a serenade for solo violin and piano
accompaniment. Other works are (orchestral music) Misa Antoniana Grand Festival
Mass, Ang Batingaw, Kundiman- Kundangan; (chamber music) Hating
Gabi, String Quartet, Kung sa Iyong Gunita, Pandangguhan; (vocal
music) Amihan, Awit ni Maria Clara, Larawan Nitong Pilipinas, among others.

LEVI CELERIO
National Artist for Literature / Music (1997)
(April 30, 1910 – April 2, 2002)
Levi Celerio is a prolific lyricist and composer for decades. He
effortlessly translated/wrote anew the lyrics to traditional
melodies: “O Maliwanag Na Buwan” (Iloko), “Ako ay May
Singsing” (Pampango), “Alibangbang” (Visaya) among others.

RAMON P. SANTOS

National Artist for Music (2014)

Ramon Pagayon Santos, composer, conductor and
musicologist, is currently the country’s foremost exponent of
contemporary Filipino music. A prime figure in the second
generation of Filipino composers in the modern idiom, Santos has
contributed greatly to the quest for new directions in music, taking
as basis non-Western traditions in the Philippines and Southeast
Asia.

JOVITA FUENTES

National Artist for Music (1976)

(February 15, 1895 – August 7, 1978)Long before Lea
Salonga’s break into Broadway, there was already Jovita
Fuentes‘ portrayal of Cio-cio san in Giacomo Puccini’s Madame
Butterfly at Italy’s Teatro Municipale di Piacenza. Her
performance was hailed as the “most sublime interpretation of
the part”. This is all the more significant because it happened at
a time when the Philippines and its people were scarcely heard of in Europe. Prior to
that, she was teaching at the University of the Philippines Conservatory of Music
(1917) before leaving for Milan in 1924 for further voice studies. After eight months of
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arduous training, she made her stage debut at the Piacenza. She later embarked on
a string of music performances in Europe essaying the roles of Liu
Yu in Puccini’s Turnadot, Mimi in Puccini’s La Boheme, Iris in Pietro
Mascagni’s Iris, the title role of Salome (which composer Richard Strauss
personally offered to her including the special role of Princess Yang Gui Fe in Li Tai
Pe). In recognition of these achievements, she was given the unprecedented award
of “Embahadora de Filipinas a su Madre Patria” by Spain.

LESSON 2: National Artist for Arts in

the Philippines

FERNANDO AMORSOLO
National Artist for Visual Arts
(May 30, 1892 – April 24, 1972)
The country had its first National Artist in Fernando C.
Amorsolo. The official title “Grand Old Man of Philippine Art”
was bestowed on Amorsolo when the Manila Hilton
inaugurated its art center on January 23, 1969, with an
exhibit of a selection of his works.

following: Maiden in a Stream(1921)-GSIS collection; El Ciego (1928)-Central Bank

of the Philippines collection; Dalagang Bukid (1936) – Club Filipino collection; The
Mestiza (1943) – National Museum of the Philippines collection; Planting
Rice (1946)-UCPB collection; Sunday Morning Going to Town (1958)-Ayala
Museum Collection.

HERNANDO R. OCAMPO
National Artist for Visual Arts (1991)
(April 28, 1911 – December 28, 1978)
A self-taught painter, Hernando R. Ocampo was a
leading member of the pre-war Thirteen Moderns, the
group that charted the course of modern art in the
Philippines. Ocampo’s acknowledged
masterpiece Genesis served as the basis of the curtain design of the Cultural Center
of the Philippines Main Theater. His other major works include Ina ng
Balon, Calvary, Slum Dwellers, Nude with Candle and Flower, Man and
Carabao, Angel’s Kiss, Palayok at Kalan, Ancestors,Isda at Mangga, The
Resurrection, Fifty-three “Q”, Backdrop, Fiesta.

CARLOS “BOTONG” FRANCISCO

National Artist for Painting (1973)
(November 4, 1912 – March 31, 1969)

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Carlos “Botong” Francisco, the poet of Angono, single-handedly revived the
forgotten art of mural and remained its most distinguished practitioner for nearly three
decades. In panels such as those that grace the City Hall of Manila, Francisco turned
fragments of the historic past into vivid records of the legendary courage of the
ancestors of his race. He was invariably linked with the “modernist” artists, forming
with Victorio C. Edades and Galo Ocampo what was then
known in the local art circles as “The Triumvirate”. Botong’s
unerring eye for composition, the lush tropical sense of color
and abiding faith in the folk values typified by the
townspeople of Angono became the hallmark of his art.

Harana, 1957 (Bangko Sentral

ng Pilipinas Collection)

His other major works include the following: Portrait of Purita, The Invasion of
Limahong, Serenade, Muslim Betrothal, Blood Compact, First Mass at
Limasawa, The Martyrdom of Rizal, Bayanihan, Magpupukot, Fiesta, Bayanihan
sa Bukid, Sandugo.

CESAR LEGASPI
National Artist for Visual Arts (1990)
(April 2, 1917 – April 7, 1994)
A pioneer “Neo-Realist” of the
country, Cesar Legaspi is remembered
for his singular achievement of refining
cubism in the Philippine context.
Legaspi belonged to the so-called “Thirteen Moderns” and later, the
“Neo-realists”. His distinctive style and daring themes contributed
significantly to the advent and eventual acceptance of modern art in the
Philippines.
ABDULMARI ASIA IMAO Idols of the
National Artist for Visual Arts (2006) Third Eye
(January 14, 1936 – December 16, 2014)
A native of Sulu, Abdulmari Asia
Imao is a sculptor, painter,
photographer, ceramist, documentary
filmmaker, cultural researcher, writer,
and articulator of Philippine Muslim art and culture. Industry Brass
Mural, Philippine National Bank, San Fernando, La Union Mural
Relief on Filmmaking, Manila City Hall
Industrial Mural, Central Bank of the Philippines, San Fernando, La
Union Sulu Warriors (statues of Panglima Unaid and Captain
Abdurahim Imao), 6 ft., Sulu Provincial Capitol
Sarimanok,
GUILLERMO TOLENTINO Abdulmari
National Artist for Sculpture (1973) Imao
(July 24, 1890 – July 12, 1976)

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Guillermo Estrella Tolentino is a product of the Revival period in
Philippine art. Returning from Europe (where he was enrolled at
the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Rome) in 1925, he was appointed
as professor at the UP School of Fine Arts where the idea also of
executing a monument for national heroes struck him. The result
was the UP Oblation that became the symbol of freedom at the Bonifacio Monument
campus. Acknowledged as his masterpiece and completed in (Image credit: Ramon
1933, The Bonifacio Monument in Caloocan stands as an Velasquez via
Wikimedia Commons)
enduring symbol of the Filipinos’ cry for freedom.

ARTURO LUZ
National Artist for Visual Arts (1997)
Arturo Luz, painter, sculptor, and designer for more than
40 years, created masterpieces that exemplify an ideal of
sublime austerity in expression and form. From the
Carnival series of the late 1950s
to the recent Cyclist paintings, Luz produced works that
elevated Filipino aesthetic vision to new heights of
sophisticated simplicity. By establishing the Luz Gallery
that professionalized the art gallery as an institution and
set a prestigious influence over generations of Filipino
artists, Luz inspired and developed a Filipino artistic
community that nurtures impeccable designs.
Night Glows, 1960
FEDERICO AGUILAR Y ALCUAZ
National Artist for Visual Arts (2009)
(June 6, 1932 – February 2, 2011)
Federico Aguilar y Alcuaz, who signed his works as Aguilar
Alcuaz was an artist of voluminous output. He is known
mainly for his gestural paintings in acrylic and oil, as well as
sketches in ink, watercolor, and pencil. He was also a
sculptor of note and has rendered
abstract and figurative works in ceramics, tapestries and even in
relief sculptures made of paper and mixed media, which he simply
calls “Alcuazaics.” The preference to use his maternal name was
more for practical reasons; Alcuaz was rarer than the name Aguilar,
and thus ensured better recall; it was also simpler to drop the
customary y between the two names.
• Lamp, Cup, Fruits (Still Life)
Federico Aguilar Alcuaz
Proclamation No. 1825, s. 2009
•
NAPOLEON ABUEVA • 1979
National Artist for Sculpture (1976)
(January 26, 1930 – February 16, 2018)

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At 46 then, Napoleon V. Abueva, a native of Bohol, was the youngest National Artist
awardee. Considered as the Father of Modern Philippine Sculpture, Abueva helped
shape the local sculpture scene to what it is now. Being adept in either academic
representational style or modern abstract, he has utilized almost all kinds of materials
from hardwood (molave, acacia, langka wood, ipil, kamagong, palm wood and
bamboo) to adobe, metal, stainless steel, cement, marble, bronze, iron, alabaster,
coral and brass. Among the early innovations, Abueva introduced in 1951 was what
he referred to as “buoyant sculpture” — sculpture meant to
be appreciated from the surface of a placid pool. In the ’80s,
Abueva put up a one-man show at the Philippine Center,
New York. His works have been installed in different
museums here and abroad, such as The Sculpture at the
United Nations headquarters in New York City.
J. ELIZALDE NAVARRO
National Artist for Visual Arts (1999)
(May 22, 1924 – June 10, 1999) Nine Muses of the Arts
(Ramon Velasquez via
J. (Jeremias) Elizalde Navarro was born
Wikimedia on May 22,
Commons)
1924 in Antique. He is a versatile artist, being both a
proficient painter and
sculptor. His devotion to the
visual arts spanned 40 years
of drawing, printmaking, graphic designing, painting and
sculpting. His masks carved in hardwood merge the
human and the animal; his paintings consists of abstracts
and figures in oil and watercolor, and his assemblages
fuse found objects and metal parts. “The Session”, Oil in
FRANCISCO COCHING Canvas, 1996
National Artist for Visual Arts (2014)
(January 29, 1919 – September 1, 1998)
Acknowledged as the “Dean of Filipino Illustrators” and
son of noted Tagalog novelist and comics illustrator
Gregorio Coching, Francisco Coching was a master
storyteller ― in images
and in print. His
illustrations and novels were products of that happy
combination of fertile imagination, a love of
storytelling, and fine draftsmanship. He synthesized
images and stories informing Philippine folk and
popular imagination of culture. His career spanned
four decades.

and mores, as in Pusakal, Talipandas, Gigolo, El Vibora.

and Maldita.

VICTORIO EDADES
National Artist for Painting (1976)
(December 23, 1895 – March 7, 1985)

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Painting distorted human figures in rough, bold impasto
strokes, and standing tall and singular in his advocacy and
practice of what he believes is the creative art, Victorio C.
Edades emerged as the “Father of Modern Philippine
Painting”. Unlike, Amorsolo’s bright, sunny, cheerful hues,
Edades’ colors were dark and somber with subject matter or
themes depicting laborers, factory workers or the simple folk in The Sketch, 1928
all their dirt, sweat and grime. In the 1930s, Edades taught at
the University of Santos Tomas and became dean of its Department of Architecture
where he stayed for three full decades.
ANG KIUKOK
National Artist for Visual Arts (2001)
(March 1, 1931 – May 9, 2005)
Born to immigrant Chinese parents Vicente Ang and
Chin Lim, Ang Kiukok is one of the most vital and
dynamic figures who emerged during
the 60s. As one of those who came at
the heels of the pioneering modernists during that decade, Ang
Kiukok blazed a formal and iconographic path of his own through
expressionistic works of high visual impact and compelling
meaning.
He crystallized in vivid, cubistic figures the terror and angst of the
times. Shaped in the furnace of the political turmoil of those times,
Ang Kiukok pursued an expression imbued with nationalist fervor
and sociological agenda.
JOSE JOYA Thinking Man,
National Artist for Visual Arts (2003) 1977
(June 3, 1931 – May 11, 1995)
Jose Joya is a painter and multimedia artist who
distinguished himself by creating an authentic Filipino
abstract idiom that transcended foreign influences.
Most of Joya’s paintings of harmonious colors were
inspired by
Philippine landscapes, such as green rice
paddies and golden fields of harvest. His
use of rice paper in collages placed value
on transparency, a common characteristic
of folk art. The curvilinear forms of his
paintings often recall the colorful and
Granadean Arabesque, 1958 (Ateneo Art Gallery Collection)
multilayered ‘kiping’ of the Pahiyas festival.

VICENTE MANANSALA
National Artist for Painting (1981)
(January 22, 1910 – August 22, 1981)

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Vicente Manansala‘s paintings are described as visions of reality teetering on the
edge of abstraction. As a young boy, his talent was revealed through the copies he
made of the Sagrada Familia and his mother’s portrait that he copied from a
photograph. After finishing the fine arts course from the University of the Philippines,
he ran away from home and later found himself at the Philippines Herald as an
illustrator. It was there that Manansala developed a close
association with Hernando R. Ocampo, Cesar Legaspi, and
Carlos Botong Francisco, the latter being the first he admired
most.

Lauro “Larry” Alcala

National Artist for Visual Arts
Mother and Child,
(2018) 1967
(18 August 1926-24 June 2002)
His comic strips spiced up the slices of Filipino lives
with witty illustrations executed throughout his 56
years of cartooning. He created over 500 characters
and 20 comic strips in widely circulated
publications. Alcala’s most iconic work, Slice of
Life, not only made for decades long of widely
circulated images of Filipino everyday life, it also
symbolically became an experiential way for his
followers to find a sense of self in the midst of
an often cacophonic, raucous and at odds
environment that Filipinos found themselves
amidst.
Asiong Aksaya, 1977, Lauro “Larry” Alcala.

Individual Assessment I
DIRECTIONS: Identify the national artists in music being described.
Write your answer on the space provided. After answering, you can scan
the QR code to check your own work. If the application is not accessible
in your device, the teacher will be providing the answer keys thru online
meetings.
_____________________________1. is a seasoned musician born in May 10, 1936
in Malolos, Bulacan. His songs and ballads include “Nahan, Kahit na Magtiis,” and
“Diligin Mo ng Hamog ang Uhaw na Lupa,” “Pilipinas,” “Inang Bayan,” “Isang
Dalangin,” “Kalesa,” “Bato sa Buhangin” and “Gaano Kita Kamahal.”

_____________________________2. She dared to incorporate indigenous Filipino

instruments in orchestral productions, such as the prize-winning “Toccata for
Percussions and Winds, Divertissement and Concertante,” and the scores of
the Filiasiana, Misang Pilipino and De Profundis.

_____________________________3. He is a versatile musician, composer, music

educator was the last of the musical triumvirate, two of whom were Nicanor Abelardo
and Francisco Santiago, who elevated music beyond the realm of folk music.

_____________________________4. This once sickly boy who played the clarinet

proficiently has written several marches such as the “Triumphal March,” “Echoes of

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the Past,” “History Fantasy,” Second Symphony in E-flat, “Echoes from the
Philippines,” “Ode to Freedom.”

_____________________________5. is a master composer, conductor, and teacher

whose music evokes the folk elements of the Filipino heritage. Cousin to “Botong”
Francisco, San Pedro produced a wide-ranging body of works that includes band
music, concertos for violin and orchestra, choral works, cantatas, chamber music,
music for violin and piano, and songs for solo voice.

_____________________________6. His lifetime conscientiousness in bringing out

the “Asianness” in his music, whether as a composer, conductor, or
educator, contributed to bringing the awareness of people all over the world Major
Works: Ashen Wings (1995), Sikhay sa Kabila ng Paalam (1993), La Loba Negra
(1983), Yerma (1982), Pamugun (1995), Pokpok Alimako (1981)
_____________________________7. composer, musicologist, teacher and
performer, explored the musicality of the Filipino deeply. He embarked on a life-long
dedication to the understanding and popularization of Filipino traditional music.

_____________________________8. is a prolific lyricist and composer for decades.

He effortlessly translated/wrote anew the lyrics to traditional melodies: “O Maliwanag
Na Buwan” (Iloko), “Ako ay May Singsing” (Pampango), “Alibangbang” (Visaya)
among others.

_____________________________9. Long before Lea Salonga’s break into

Broadway, there was already her portrayal of Cio-cio san in Giacomo Puccini’s
Madame Butterfly at Italy’s Teatro Municipale di Piacenza. She later embarked on a
string of music performances in Europe essaying the roles of Liu
Yu in Puccini’s Turnadot, Mimi in Puccini’s LaBoheme, Iris in Pietro
Mascagni’s Iris, the title role of Salome (which composer Richard Strauss personally
offered to her including the special role of Princess Yang Gui Fe in Li Tai Pe).

_____________________________10. he wrote an outstanding and memorable

body of works that resonate with the Filipino sense of musicality and which embody
an ingenious voice that raises the aesthetic dimensions of contemporary Filipino
music.
Individual Assessment II: WHOSE WHO?
DIRECTIONS: Identify the title of the artworks below and its visual artist. Write your
answers on the space provided. After answering, you can scan the QR code to check
your own work. If the application is not accessible in your device, the teacher will be
providing the answer keys thru online meetings.

Artwork Title Artist

1.

CPAR Module 5 and 6 page 10 of 11

2.

3.

4.

5.

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