LESSON 2: WHAT’S HAPPENING?

A BITE OF VISUAL ARTS HISTORY OF

THE COUNTRY
Overview
Do you remember your elementary days when you were asked to wear a costume that represents the Philippines? Have
you worn that kamisa de tsino or salakot if you are male? Have you paired your malong with pearl jewelry and anklets?
Perhaps at some point you have done that or may have encountered some cultural events with these familiar items.
Certainly, these are signifiers of our rich historical artistic background. From such examples, we can safely say that
function preceded aesthetics during our precolonial times. In this lesson, we shall take a walk through some of the
markers of our visual art history.

Activity 1
Let us see how many local artifacts you can name by completing this short and hypothetical story. Given the choices
below what do you think are the proper objects to use using only context clues? (Some of the answers may be
repeated).
Use below link to input your answers.

https://www.flexiquiz.com/SC/N/1936bd47-ae29-4a17-a15c-d2298025be93

Choices:

banga pasiking

palayok

tapis anting-anting
Learning Outcomes
1. Answer and articulate inquiries regarding the chronological development of Philippine art
2. Appreciate certain local artistic achievements
3. Name some local cultural artifacts that have shaped Philippine art history

Learning Experiences and self-Assessment Activities (SAA)

1. Pre-colonial Indigenous Art

a. Characterized by use of materials found in the immediate environment, combining functionality with aesthetics and
art forms are usually connected to traditional belief systems and local values.
b. Clay pottery is one of the earliest forms of ancient art which is evidence of artistic skill. The Manunggul jar of Palawan
is a prominent example. Other forms are the Calatagan jar which displays inscriptions on its body and the Maitum burial
jar. Tha maitum is anthropomorphic, meaning it mimics a human figure with facial expressions of sadness and joy on its
face.

Manunggul jar Calatagan jar Maitum burial jar

c. Other variations are the palayok which is used for cooking, the banga, tapayan (liquid container), and the burnay
pottery of Ilocos.

Banga burnay pottery of Ilocos

d. Wood carving is another prominent art form. Our animistic ancestors, mostly from the Cordilleras, carved the bul-ul
and many variations of it. The bul-ul is a bi-functional, both a granary god and an ancestral spirit. The okir on the other
hand is the curvilinear design and motif on wood used by the Maranao and Tausug peoples. Principal designs are the
sarimanok (a colorful kingfisher with mythical reference), the naga (ancient serpents), and the pako rabing (stylized
fern). This is found mostly in the extended floor beams of the Maranao torogan, which is the Sultan’s house. A variation
of this ornamentation can be found in the malong (cylindrical Maranao skirt) and even in stone grave-markers.
 Bul-ul okir sarimanok

naga (ancient serpents)

e. weaving was also predominant as we are extraordinarily rich in materials like the buri, rattan, pandan, and bamboo
splits used in making hats and baskets like the pasiking backpack. Local textiles were also weaved finely from materials
like pina and abaca fibers. Textile designs were present in the t’nalak cloth of Mindanao, which is a decorative tie-dyeing
method with motifs like g’mayaw bird with flapping wings, the dancing man as a symbol to call for rain, and the frog for
fertility.

2. Hispanic influence (1880’s)

a. The main force of art is the church; hence, works were mostly concerned with religious subject matters.
b. Notable artworks are (Philippine flora and fauna), and the Letras Y Figuras.
c. Filipinos were trained by friars but they adhered to a more rich palette like red, blue, and yellow.

3. American Influence (1900’s)

a. Closing of the Escuela de Pintura, Grabado Y Escultura which paved way for the opening of small workshops led by
artists to train pupils.
b. Photo ethnography was done by American soldiers to “prove” the uncivilized and primitive people in the Philippines.
c. Forces of art were commissions, sales gifts, and opening of new American-based businesses.
d. Filipino started getting involved in international art expositions like Felix Resurrection Hidalgo.

4. Second Republic: 1942-1945

a. Japan occupies the country and laid the groundwork for cultural regeneration, dissipating American influence.
b. Some artists involved in the movement were conservatives Fernando Amorsolo, his brother Pablo, Guillermo
Tolentino, Dominador and Castaneda, and modernists Victorio Edades, Galo Ocampo, and Hernando Ocampo.
c. Art became a vehicle of influence for the Japanese to control the Filipino spirit by restricting their artistic expression.

5. Third Republic: 1946-1972

a. Rise of modernism spearheaded mostly by H.R. Ocampo, Victorio Edades, and Napoleon Abueva.
b. Art Association of the Philippines was formed along with the Philippine Art Gallery (PAG).
c. Main art movements were realism and neo realism with media-related conventions like komiks and editorial cartoons.
6. Fourth Republic 1972-1986
a. Marcos era: Marcos monument was created but was later destroyed.
b. First Lady Imelda Marcos’ efforts: Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), National arts Center, and Philippine High
School for the Arts among others. The CCP was envisioned as a shrine for high art and the avante garde.
c. Prominent artists were Chabet, Fernando Zobel, Raymundo Albano along with modern artists Manansala who painted
“Madonna of the Slums”; Benedicto Cabrera (Bencab) produced protest and revolutionary art through his paintings and
prints.
d. Antipas Delotavo painted with watercolor a very striking work entitled “Itak sa puso ni Mang Juan”.

Madonna of the Slums Itak sa puso ni Mang Juan

7. Fifth republic Onwards 1986-Present

a. Contemporary Philippine art
b. Rise of commercial galleries, improvement of institutions, and formation of more art groups and collectives.