SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL LEARNING MODULE

CORE SUBJECT - 3

STRAND : STEM / ABM / HUMSS / GAS / TVL-HE

GRADE LEVEL : 11 2ND SEMESTER

SUBJECT : CONTEMPORARY PHILIPPINE ARTS FROM THE

REGIONS

ASIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY-DIGOS INC.

Bonifacio 4th & 5th Streets, Brgy. Zone III, Digos City, DAVAO DEL SUR
Email Address: ait.digos07@gmail.com

DEVELOPED BY: BRYAN NINO CALLANO, LPT

ISSUED TO: ASIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY DIGOS INC.
HOW TO USE THIS LEARNING MODULE

Welcome to the module: Contemporary Philippine Arts from the Regions. This module
contains learning materials and activities for you to complete. This learning module is based
on the Curriculum Guide provided by the Department of Education that can be found here
https://www.deped.gov.ph/k-to-12/about/k-to-12-basic-education-curriculum/

The subject title Contemporary Philippine Arts from the Regions contains the knowledge
require for the SHS GRADE 12. It is one of the Core Subject in the Academic Strand.

You are required to go through a series of learning activities in order to complete each learning
outcome of the module. In each learning outcomes there are Information Sheets, Activity
Sheets for you to complete and References Materials for further reading to help you better
understand the required activities. Follow these activities in your own and answer the self-check
at the end of each learning outcome. Answer the activity sheet honestly required by your
teacher. If you have questions, don’t hesitate to ask your teacher for assistance.

This learning material was prepared to help you achieve the required academic subject,
in Contemporary Philippine Arts from the Regions. This will be the source of information
for you to acquire the knowledge independently and at your own pace with minimum
supervision or help from the teacher.

In doing the activities to complete the requirements of this module please be guided by the
following:
Talk to your teacher and agree how you both will organize the learning
under this module. Read through the module carefully. It is divided into sections, which cover
all the knowledge you need to successfully complete.

 Work all through all the information and complete the activities in each section.
Read the information sheets and complete the self-checks provided. Suggested
references are included to supplement the materials provided in this module.
 Most probably your teacher will also be your guidance. He/She is there to support
you and to show the correct way to do things. Ask for help.
 Your teacher will tell you about all the important things that you need to learn
when you are completing the activities and it’s important that you will listen and
take notes.
 You will be given plenty of opportunities to ask questions and practice on the job.
This way you will improve both your knowledge, memory and also your
confidence.
 Talk to more experienced classmates and ask for their guidance.

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  Use self-check question at the end of each section to test your own progress and
learning.

As you work though the activities, ask for written feedback on your progress. Your
teacher keeps feedback/pre-assessment reports for this reason. When you have completed
this learning material/module and feel confident that you have had sufficient knowledge, your
teacher will arrange a regular examination to assess you.

LIST OF CORE SUBJECTS

No. Module Title

1. Reading and Writing Skills

2. Pagbasa at Pagsusuri ng Iba’t-Ibang Teksto Tungo sa Pananaliksik

3. Contemporary Philippine Arts from the Regions

4. Physical Science

5. Statistics and Probability

6. Physical Education and Health

MODULE CONTENT

MODULE TITLE : Contemporary Philippine Arts from the Regions

MODULE DESCRIPTOR :
This module covers various contemporary arts practices of the
region where the school is located. It aims to provide students
with an appreciation of a broad range of styles in the various
disciplines with consideration on their elements and principles,
and engage them to an integrative approach in studying arts.
Through this subject, students will broaden and acquire the
necessary creative tools that open opportunity in pursuing their
individual career goals and aspirations.

NOMINAL DURATION : 80 Hours

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Topic: CONTEMPORARY ART FORMS INTHE PHILIPPINES

Learning Competencies and Code: researches on various contemporary art forms, explains filipino artists’
roles and identify their contribution to contemporary arts, evaluates contemporary art forms
based on the elements and principles, compares forms of arts from the different regions, relates the significance
of arts forms from the regions, promotes arts from the regions. (MELCS – week 3)

Objectives:

a. Identify the various contemporary art form

b. Identify the major periods, artists and artworks of Philippine art history
c. Define contemporary art by situating these within Philippine art.
d. Illustrate local example of contemporary arts through an interview or through a place visit.
e. Distinguish traditional, modern, and contemporary styles in the visual arts be able to interpret
these by creating a self-portrait.

Various Contemporary Art Forms

1. PRACTICAL ( Utalitarian) ART . This art is intended for practical for practical use or utility. It is the
changing of raw materials for utilitarian purposes. However, they must possess ornaments or artistic
qualities to make them useful and beautiful.

2. INDUSTRIAL ARTS. It is the changing of raw materials into some significant products for human are
shell craft, bamboo crafts, leather craft, pottery making, sheet – metal work and manufacture of
automobiles, home appliances and televisions set.

3. APPLIED / HOUSEHOLD ART. It refers mostly to household arts such as flower arrangement,
interior decoration, dress making, home – making, embroidery, cooking and others.

4. CIVIC ART. This art includes city or town planning, maintenance, and beautification of parks. This
refer to beautification to improve the standards of living.

5. COMMERCIAL ART. It involves business propaganda in the form of advertisements in newspapers

and magazines, sign painting, billboard and announcements, leaflets, displays, poster designing, movie
illustrations and many more.

6. GRAPHIC ART. It is anything printed from raised or sunken reliefs and plane surfaces.

7. AGRICULTURAL ART. (crop production), horticulture (garden or orchard cultivation), husbandry

(raising of cows, carabaos, poultry and swine) and farming.

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8. BUSINESS ART. This includes merchandising, accounting, bookkeeping, typewriting, stenography,
salesmanship, and business administration.

9. FISHERY ART. It includes shallow and deep-sea fishing, fish refrigeration and culture, net weaving.

10.MEDICAL / CLINICAL ART. It includes first aid treatments, medical manufacturing, surgery, medical
operation, rehabilitations and others.

From the discussion above, we learned about the different contemporary art forms. While we review the
previous lesson, it to boot basic to be beyond any doubt that the art of the so – called past continued
and proceeds to development until the appear and are thus in that sense, “contemporary”. This art
continued to be conveyed, without a doubt in case the conditions behind its era have as of now changed
through and through. In the discussion below, be conscious of the way the description of context is
integrated into the description of form – what art is made of and how art is made. The relationship of
material and process to the symbols and meanings of the art forms matters how we contextualize.

PHILIPPINE ART HISTORY

I. Pre-Colonial Arts / Ethnic Arts

Was there art before colonization?
In art chronicle terms, we imply art a few times as of late the
coming of the essential colonizers as “pre -triumph”. In
expound terms, we insinuate to it as natural the thought that
our forerunners, have been making art without a doubt a few
times as of late colonization. It is also described in cultural
terms as “pre-colonial” as a term to use the general way of life
before colonization. Although the terms are interchangeable, it
is also useful to keep these distinctions in mind when studying
the art of the past
In Pre – colonial Philippines, arts are for ritual purposes or for everyday use. Art of the ancient
Filipinos were woven into the fabric of everyday life. They do not refer to art as we do today. That is, as
an expression of an individual, and seen largely in galleries and concert halls. They do not distinguish
forms into different categories like music, theater, visual arts, etc. Everyday expressions were all
integrated within rituals that marked significant moments in a community’s life, like planting, harvesting,
rites passage, funerary, ceremonies, weddings, among others.
Our ancestors, just like others in the world during those times, were hunter gatherers. The
forefathers hunted food and game that were shared among members of a community in a gathering
where they told stories about the hunt. They imitated the movement of animals and prey, and the sounds
that they made. But how do arts apply?
In this simple activity alone evolved ritual, music, dance, theater and yes even literature. When
they told stories about the hunt, this form of oral story telling marked the beginnings of the literature.
When they imitated movements of the animals they hunted, this marked the early beginnings of theater
or play acting. When they learned to add drum beating and attach rhythm to their movements, they have
given birth to music and dance.
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 The pre- colonial peoples of the Philippines already possessed a varied and vibrant musicale
culture. The country’s indigenous cultures through the existence of ethnic musical instruments such as
pipes , flutes, zithers, drums, various string instruments like kudyapi a three stringed guitar, the kulintang
– an array bossed gongs, the gansa or flat gong, bamboo percussion instruments, and the gong – large
bossed gong.

The following are the native dance 4 forms imitated from the movements of the animals:

1. Pangalay dance (Sulu) is mimetic of the movements of the sea birds

2. Mandaya’ Kinabua, Banog – banog (Higaonon & B’laan), and ma- manok (Bagobos in Mindanao is
imitated the movements of predatory birds.
3. Talip dance (Ifugao) that is used for courtship is mimetic of the movements of wild fowls.
4. Inamo dance (Matigsalugs) and Kadaliwas dance (T’Boli) represent the comedic movement of the
monkey
5. Tinikling dance evocative of the movements of the crane, balancing itself on stilt – like legs or flirting
away from the clutches of bamboo traps.

Famous artworks during pre – colonial

1. Carving
 Bulul (Cordillera) a granary God that plays an important role in rituals
 Hagabi (Ifugao) a wooden bench
 Santos / sculptures of saints (Laguna and Pampanga)
 Okir (Tausug / Samal / Badjao) mythical sarimanok, the naga or serpent.
 Manunggul Jar discovered at Manunggul cave of Palawan

2. Weaving
 Textile weaving
a. Pis siyabit (Tausug of Sulu) a headpiece woven
b. Malong (Maranao of Lanao del Sur)

 Mat and basket weaving

a. Tepo mat (Sama of Tawi-Tawi) a double layered made of Pandan leaves.
b. Ovaloid basket (Itbayat, Batanes) a head sling made of nito or bamboo used
to carry the harvests.
c. Bubo (Ilocos region) a sturdy bamboo strips used to trap the fish.

3. Ornamentation - representations of various ethnolinguistic groups.

a. Wearing gold jewelry (upper class Tagalog)

b. Tattooing (Visayan) it is believed to protect the individual from evil spirits, it is also a sign of
bravery and maturity.

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II. ISLAMIC ERA

(13TH Century to the Present)

How did Islam influence art before the coming of Spanish colonizers?

Islamic is characterized by geometric designs and patter selecting focus from the believers. Even before
the coming of Spanish colonizers, Islam was already well entrenched in Southern Philippines. Filipino
Muslims recognize that they belong to an ummah or a community of believers. Central to the Islamic
faith is the doctrine of or unity of God. This belief emphasizes the impermanence of nature and the
incomprehensible greatness of the Divine Being.

In Islamic art we can observe how artist are influenced by the notion of the Tawhid, we will find
that the interior of mosques are covered with elaborate patterning in the form of reliefs to draw the
attention away from the concrete object, in other words away from human forms and nature” toward the
contemplation of the divine”

Happenings during Islamic era

1. Sultanate of Sulu was established Sayyid Abbubakar

2. Qura or holy text was introduced
3. Building of religious school called Madrasah
4. Natives from Yakans , Basilan and Zamboanga were converted to Islam
5. Islamazation process In Mindanao became strong.
6. Islam became the religion and as a way of life of people in Mindanao (Tausug, Maranao,
Maguindanao, Yakan, Samal, Badjao).

III. SPANISH ERA

(1521 – 1898)
What kinds of art developed during Spanish
Colonization?

Art became a handmaiden of religion,

serving to propagate the Catholic faith and thus
support the colonial order at the same time.
Religious orders were dispatched to convert the
natives to Catholicism as part of the larger project
culturally as religious art, lowland Christian art or folk
art. During this period, cruciform churches following
the shape of the latin cross were built. In keeping with the prevailing, they were characterized by
grandeur, drama, and elaborate details that purposely appealed to the emotions. The use of adobe,
limestone or brick and the construction of thick buttresses or wing like projections reinforce the church
structure to make it more resistant to earthquake. In other words, the result is a fusion of both native
and European elements, prompting some art historians to refer to the style as colonial baroque or
Philippine or tropical baroque.

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Important Happenings related to art during Spanish era

 Chinese artisans were engaged in making icons or saints made in wood or ivory
 Colonial churches were built
 Western musical instruments were introduced, pipe organ, violin, guitar,and piano
 Catholic liturgical music was introduced in 1742
 Choral music to boys were introduced and created the first Filipino composers named
Marcelo Adonay (1848 – 1928)
 Musical form based on Catholic faith have emerge in the Pasyon – the biblical of
Christ’s passion chanted in an improvise melody.
 Secular music was formed; the awit and the corridor – these were the two musical
forms based on European literature and history.
 Kundiman became a vehicle for conflict – the lyrics were that of unrequited love,
except that the love object was the Philippines who would be cleverly concealed as
beautiful woman.
 Mangyans made the baybayin script made of bamboo poles cut into smaller nodes
that are carved used to composed short poems, expressing one’s feelings and other
emotional concers.Pomp and pageantry of religious processions were introduced.
 Zarzuela was introduced, it was an opera which features singing and dancing with
prosed dialogue which allowed the story to be carried out in a song.
 Severino Reyes and Hermogenes Ilagan were awarded as the most distinguished
playwrights as they wrote zarzuela in Tagalog
 Honorata “ Atang” dela Rama awardeded as the most celebrated leading actress
 The first Senakulo was written in 1704 by Gaspar Aquino de Belen
 Komedya were also introduced; komedya de santo (it centers on life of Christ ) and
Secular Komedya.
 Folk dances such as carinosa, pandango, polka , dansa and rigodon, habanera, and
tango were introduced.
 Visual arts, and paintings must be visual interpretation of biblical texts center to Catholic
devotion ex. Heaven Earth and Hell by Jose Dans ( 1850)
 Reprographic art of printmaking was introduced, Doctrina Christiana is an example, the
first printed book in the Philippines compiling song lyrics, commandments, sacraments
and other catechetical material.
 Juan Luna ( Spolarium) won gold medals and Felix Resurrection
 Hidalgo (Virgenes christianas expuestas al populacho) won silver medals

Famous Artists and their artworks during Spanish era:

Visual Arts:

1. Damian Domingo – water color albums of tipos

2. Juan Luna – Spoliarium, Espana y Filipinas
3. Felix Resurrection Hidalgo – Virgenes christianas expuestas al populacho
4. Lorenzo Guerrero - The Water Carrier
5. Simon Flores – Portrait of the Quiazon Family

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6. Jose Dans – Heaven , Earth , Hell
7. Esteban Villanueva - Basi Revolt

Miniature painters Engraver:

1. Antonio Malantic 1. Francisco Suarez
2. Isidro Arceo, 2. Nicolas Engraver
3. Dionesio de Castro 3. Laureano Atlas
4. Justiniano Assuncion 4. Felipe Sevilla

Musician – Composer Theater artist:

1. Marcelo Adonay 1. Honorata “ Atang” dela Rama

Writers:

1. Severino Reyes - Zarzuela

2. Hermogenes Ilagan – Zarzuela
3. Gaspar Aquino de Belen - Senakulo

IV. AMERICAN ERA

(1898 – 1940) to the Post war Republic (1946 – 1969)

What were the changes brought about by American Colonization? How were they differ from the
religious forms of the Spanish colonial period ?

In the American regime, commercial and advertising arts were integrated into fine arts
curriculum. Moreover, Americans favored idyllic sceneries and secular forms of arts. Because the lingua
franca of this period was English, poems and stories from books were dramatize in classroom, to
facilitate the teaching of the English language. Unlike, the Spanish, the Americans passionate thought
their language through an efficient public school system.

In less than decade, Filipino playwrights began to write plays in English.In the beginning of the
20th century, new urban pattern that responded to the secular goals of education, health and
governance was imposed. The new patrons of the arts included the Americans who engaged in
governance and education, business and tourism. The demand for artists who could do illustrations in
textbooks or graphic design to product labels thus emerged. The inclination towards genre, still life and
portrait paintings persisted. Landscapes on the other hand, became cherished as travel souvenirs,
especially those that captured the exotic qualities of Philippine terrain. In 1909, a year after the
establishment of the University of the Philippines, its School of Fine Arts was opened. It also offered a
course on commercial design to fulfill the aforementioned demand. For some time, the academic ( a
term referring to the kind of art was influenced by European academies) tradition of painting and
sculpture in the manner of Amorsolo and Tolentino prevailed in the art scene.

Famous Artist during American era

1. Juan Abad – Tanikalang Ginto (Golden Chain) (1902)

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2. Juan Matapang Cruz – Hindi ako Patay ( Iam Not Dead) 1903
3. Aurelio Tolentino – Kahapon , Ngayon at Bukas (Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow )

(The above 3 artists emphasized their works a deep profound yearning for.)

5. Jesus Araullo (author) – A Modern Filipina English

6. Daniel Burnham (architect) - He design Manila and Baguio

7. William Parsons – implanted Burnham Plan – an urban designed employed Neoclassic architecture.

8. Thomas Mapua

9. Andres Luna de San Pedro Filipino architects who designed buildings

10. Antonio Toledo during the period

11. Fabian dela Rosa (naturalists Painter) – Planting Rice (1921), El Kundiman( 1930)

12. Fernado Amorsolo

 romantic painter – Dalagang Filipina, idyllic landscapes, historical paintings

 graphic artist –The Philippine Readers (book) The Independent ( newspaper)
 logo designer - Ginebra San Miguel.

13. Guillermo Tolentino (sculpture ) – Oblation ( 1935) UP Oblation ( 1958 ) Bonifacio Monument (
1933).

V. JAPANESE ERA (1941 – 1945)

Since the Japanese advocated for the culture of East

Asia, preference was given to the indigenous art
and traditions of the Philippines. This emphasized
their propaganda in Asia. Under the Japanes
occupation of Manila, the Modern Art Project would
slow down in pace. Early moderns and
conservatives alike continued to produce art and
even participated in KALIBAPI ( Kapisanan sa
Paglingkod ng Bagong Pilipinas) sponsored art
competitions.
Nevertheless, art production once again tilted to fulfill the agenda and demands of the new
colonial order. The Japanese forces led the formation of the greater East asia Co – Prosperity Sphere,
a propaganda movement that sought to create a Pan – Asian identity rejected Western traditions. The
productions of images, texts, nd music underwent scrutiny.
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 In music, the composer National Artist Felipe de Leon was said to have been commanded to
write AWIT SA PAGLIKHA NG BAGONG PILIPINAS. Declared as the anthem specifically for the
period, it conveyed allegiance to the nation reared in East Asia, where Japan was actively asserting its
political power.
Genre paintings were the most widely produced, particularly those that presented a neutral
relationship between Filipinos and the Japanese through works that showed the normality of daily living.

Famous artist and their artworks during Japanese era

1. Fernado Amorsolo (painting)

 Harvest scene, 1942

 Rice Plating, 1942
 Bombing of the Intendencia (1942)
 Ruins of Manila Cathedral (1945)

2. Sylvia La Torre (song)

 Sa kabukiran

3. Levi Celerio (composer)

 Sa Kabukiran

4. Felipe P. de Leon (composer)

 Awit sa Paglikha ng Bagong Pilipinas

5. Crispin Lopez (painting)

 Study of an Aeta (1943)

6. Diosdado Lorenzo (painting)

 Atrocities in Paco

7. Dominador Castaneda (painting)

 Doomed Family (1945)

VI. MODERN ERA (Neo Realism, Abstraction Modern styles)

What is Modern Art?

Modern art is quite different from contemporary art especially when in terms of history and styles.

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Modern era in the Philippine art began after World War
2 and the granting independence. Writers and Artists
posed the question of national identity as the main
theme of various art forms.

It is referred to as “traditional compared to

contemporary art. The styles of modern art for
example are now part of art and curricula and have
become academic.

The most well- known proponent of Modern art

painting is Victorio Edades whose work were initially rejected and misunderstood but later on his
modernist sensibility was shared by several artists. In this era artists explored various mediums,
techniques and themes that were at that time considered “new”.

There was an exploration of subject matter, content, and form. Using modernists figuration, many of the
artists explored folk themes and also crafted commentaries on the urban condition and the effects of
the war.

Modern artists do not aim to copy and idealize reality; instead, they change the colors flatten the picture
instead of creating illusions of depth, nearness and farness. They depict what might be thought of as
“ugly “and unpleasant instead of the beautiful and pastoral.

Another strand of Modern art is abstraction. It consists of simplified forms, which avoided mimetic
representation. It is sometimes referred as nonrepresentational or nonobjective art as it emphasizes the
relationship of colors, line, space or the flatness of the canvas rather than an illusion of three
dimensionality.

Modern famous artists and their artworks

 Neo Realists Artist

1. Manansala – The Beggars (1952), Tuba Drinkers (1954),

2. Legaspi – Gadgets II (1949), Bad Girls (1947)

3. HR Ocampo – The Contrast (1940), Genesis (1968)

4. Ramon Estella

5. Victor Oyteza

6. Romeo Tabuena

 Abstractionist Artists

1. Constancio Abenardo

2. Lee Aguinaldo

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3. Jose Joya

4. Fernando Zobel

5. Arturo Luz – Street Musicians (1952)

6. Nina Saguil - Cargadores (1951)

Modern Architectural structures:

1. Church of Holy Sacrifice (1955)

2. Church of the Risen Lord

3. Chapel of Saint Joseph the worker

VII. CONTEMPORARY ART.

What is contemporary art?

Is it similar to Modern art? What are the general

characteristics of contemporary art?

Contemporary art is much different from Modern art as it

said earlier modern art is referred “traditional” compared
to contemporary art. How would that be? An example is
the work of Fernando Amorsolo, he painted his painting
“HarvestScene in 1942. At that time, the painting was
considered contemporary. Today, we refer to that work
as an example of Modern art produced during Japanese era. But some of the artists continue to produce
work ‘til today and in that sense their works can be describe as contemporary by virtue of being of the
present.

What contemporary really is? Contemporary art is an art of today produced by artists living of today. It
is a fluid term, and its use can change depending on the context.

Philippine Contemporary Art was an offshoot of social realism brought about by Martial Law. Arts
became expression of people’s aspiration for a just, free and sovereign society.

Artists use mixed media. Their artworks are site specific, process - based and they integrate various
art forms.

Contemporary art has the following characteristics;

a. collaborative / participative
b. interactive
c. Process - oriented (meaning that there is less emphasis on the finished product and a
single author or creator. There is a wide range of strategies, media and techniques)

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 d. Site specific (they cannot be experienced in the same way if we remove from their
original place.

Contemporary art is distinguishable from Modern art in historical, stylistic, and cultural terms.

Important Happenings during the rise of Contemporary Art

 Many cultural projects ensued amid the backdrop of poverty and volatile social conditions
under the leadership Of Ferdinand Marcos and Imelda Marcos in 1965
 Martial Law was Declared on September 21, 1972
 New Society or Bagong Lipunan was built by Marcos in which the main focus is to rebirth the
lost civilization and aspiration to modernization and development in which the main vision is to
combine the fine arts, architecture, architecture, interior design, tourism, convention city
building, engineering , urban planning, health and among many others through an art and
culture program.

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