CONTEMPORARY PHILIPPINE
ARTS FROM THE REGIONS
MIDTERMS REVIEWER
INTRODUCTION
TOPIC
SUB-TOPIC
INTRODUCTION TO CPAR
What is Contemporary Arts?
● Art21 defines contemporary art as the work of
artists who are living in the twenty-first
century.
Contemporary art of the 21st century may combine
elements of performance, painting, sculpture, dance,
and many other media. It draws on the movements
of modern art, including minimalism and assemblage
art, to create dynamic pieces that aim to challenge
the viewer and spark thought.
Many contemporary artists use their work to
comment on cultural and political issues, including
race, human rights, economic inequality, and global
conflict. As the world continues to change and
impact human life on a large scale, art continues to
experiment with new ways of reaching its audience.
LESSON 2: INTEGRATIVE ART
What is Integrative Arts?
● In Contemporary art, not only movements
can be integrated into an artwork. This
“crossbreeding” in the contemporary scene
has resulted in a hybrid art called
INTEGRATIVE ART.
The Subject of Art
● Realism - The subject is done the way it
actually looks.
● Distortion - The artist uses his or her
imagination and alters the subject according
to his or her desire.
● Abstraction - The artist breaks apart a
subject and rearranges it in different manner.
● Non-Objectivism - There is totally no subject
at all – just an interplay of pure elements like
line, shape, color and so on.
LESSON 3: ELEMENTS OF ART
➔ The elements and principles of art are
introduced to describe the various
contemporary art forms from the regions of
the Philippines generally from Luzon, Visayas
and Mindanao.
1. Line
- An element of art that is used to define
shape, contours, and outlines, also to
suggest mass and volume.
Two Characteristics of Line:
● Form - Curved, Dotted, or Broken Lines
● Direction - Vertical, Horizontal or Diagonal
Different Characteristics of lines may convey
different meanings:
A. Horizontal Lines - creates an impression of
serenity and perfect stability.
B. Vertical Line - creates an impression of
strength and perfect stability.
C. Diagonal Line - creates an impression of
action.
D. Curved Lines - creates an impression of
gradual change of direction.
E. Circular Lines - creates an impression of
abrupt change of direction.
Moreover, Lines can be classified into different types:
A. Outlines - are made by the edge of an object
or its silhouette.
B. Contour Lines - describe the shape of an
object and the interior detail.
C. Expressive Lines - catch the movement and
gestures of an active figure.
D. Sketch Lines - capture the appearance of an
object or impression of a place.
E. Calligraphic Lines - are the elegant
handwriting or lettering done by hand
F. Implied Lines - are lines that are not actually
drawn but created by a group of objects seen
from a distance.
 2. Shape
- Shape is an area that is enclosed by a line or
lines. Shapes are two dimensional figures
with height and width.
Different kinds of Shapes:
A. Geometric Shape - are circles, squares,
rectangles, triangles, and other geometric
shapes.
B. Organic Shapes - are shapes found in
nature and are free flowing, informal and
irregular (abstract shapes)
C. Positive Shapes - are the solid forms in
design.
D. Negative Shapes - are the space around the
positive shapes.
E. Static Shapes - are shapes that appear
stable and resting.
F. Dynamic Shapes - are shapes that appear
moving and active.
3. Color
- Colors are the way we see light reflected
from a surface or refracted through a prism.
Colors we see in nature are reflections of
light on the surfaces around us.
Classification of Colors:
A. Primary Colors - Red, Blue, Yellow
B. Secondary Colors - Purple, Green, and
Orange (when two primary colors mix)
C. Tertiary Colors - are the resulting colors
when two of the primary and/or secondary
colors are mixed. Like Amber, Vermillion,
Magenta, Violet, Teal, and Chartreuse.
D. Analogous Colors - are colors that lie next
to each other based on the color wheel.
Example: Yellow, Orange, and Red.
E. Complementary Colors - are colors that are
opposite to each other based on the color
wheel. Example: Red and Green, Blue and
Orange, and Purple and Yellow.
F. Monochromatic Colors - are several values
of one color.
G. Warm Colors - are colors that give the
feeling of warmth.
Example: Yellow, Amber, Orange, Vermilion,
Red, and Magenta.
H. Cool Colors - are colors that give the feeling
of coolness.
Example: Purple, Violet, Blue, Teal, Green,
and Chartreuse.
4. Space
- Space refers to distances or areas around,
between or within components of a piece and
refers to the arrangement of objects on the
picture plane.
A. In a one-point perspective, we perceive that
the position of objects meets at one point on
the horizontal line.
B. In a two-point perspective, we perceive that
the position of objects meets at two points on
the horizontal line.
5. Texture
- Texture is the element that appeals to our
sense of feel on things- rough or smooth,
bumpy or slippery.
A. Real Texture - is the actual texture of an
object. Artist may create real texture in art to
give it visual interest or evoke a feeling.
B. Implied Texture - made a piece of art to look
like a certain texture. Like a drawing of a tree
trunk may look rough but in fact it is just a
smooth piece of paper.
6. Value
- Value pertains to the lightness or darkness of
a color in a given artwork. Value can be
changed by adding white or black to a color
and these described as tint and shade.
A. Tint - pertains to the lightness of a color.
B. Shade - pertains the darkness of a color.
7. Form
- Form is the three-dimensionality of an object.
It has dimensions of height, width, and
length.
LESSON 4: PRINCIPLES OF ART
➔ Principles of art represent how the artist uses
elements of art to create an effect and
convey the artist's intent.
1. Rhythm
- This refers to the repetition of certain
elements to produce a pattern.
2. Movement
- Movement is the illusion of motion in a
painting, sculpture, or design.
3. Balance
- Balance refers to the visual weight in a
picture. It refers to the even distribution of
positions of elements in an artwork.
A. Symmetrical Balance - refers to an artwork
wherein its both sides has the same elements
in the same position.
B. Asymmetrical Balance - refers to an artwork
wherein it is balanced through the contrast or
differences of any of the elements of art.
4. Proportion
- Proportion refers to the relationships of the
size of objects in a body of work.
5. Contrast
- This principle shows differences between
elements of art in an artwork. It shows how
stronger each element of art in relation to one
another.
6. Variety
- This principle of art refers to the diversity or
the different elements used in an artwork to
make it more interesting.
7. Emphasis
- Emphasis refers to the greater impact or
highlight given to a certain element in an
artwork.
8. Harmony
- This principle of art refers to the unity of an
artwork. It is about the arrangement of the
related elements that makes an artwork to be
viewed as a whole.
LESSON 5: TRADITIONAL AND
CONTEMPORARY ARTS
Traditional Art
1. Folk Architecture
- Folk architecture in the Philippines differs
significantly per ethnic group, where the
structures can be made of bamboo,
wood,rock, coral, rattan, grass, and other
materials.
- Folk structures include simple sacred stick
stands to large spirit houses, indigenous
castles or fortresses such as the idjang, to
geologically-altering works of art such as the
Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras,
locally called payyo.
2. Maritime Transport
- Maritime transport in the Philippines involves
houseboats, boat-making and maritime
customs. Such buildings, usually made of
wood chosen by elders and craftsmen, were
used as the main vehicles of the people,
connecting one island to another, where the
seas and rivers were the roads of the people.
Various types of indigenous sea vehicles:
1. Armadahan - two-masted double-outrigger
boat.
2. Avang - the trading ship
3. Bangka - the native and widely-available
watercraft.
4. Birau / Buggoh - the dugout canoe.
5. Guilalo - the large sailing outrigger ship.
6. Falua - the open deck boat.
7. Junkung - the small motorized boat.
8. Karakoa - the large outrigger warship
9. Lepa - the houseboat
10. Salisipan - the war canoe
11. Vinta - the outrigger
3. Weaving
- Weaving is an ancient art form that continues
in the Philippines today, with each ethnic
group having its own distinct weaving
techniques.
- Weaving skills include basket weaving,
backstrap weaving, headgear weaving,
fishnet weaving and other weaving
techniques. The fabrics used are cotton,
abaca, banana fiber, grass, and palm fiber.
A. Cloth / Mat Weaving
- There are several types of woven cloth in the
Philippines. Expensive textiles are
manufactured through a complicated and
difficult method called back-strap looming.
B. Mat-Weaving
- is only done in shaded and cool places to
preserve the integrity of the mats and their
fiber. Banig of Basey is an example of mat
weaving where the weavers usually work
inside a cave, fibers used vary from banana,
grass, palm, and many others.
C. Basketry
- Fine art basketry has produced intricate
designs in the Philippines. and types
intended for particular purposes, such as
farming, storage of rice, travel kit, sword
case, and so on.
D. Weaved Headgears, Fishnets etc.
- The weaving patterns of fish traps and gears
in the Philippines are vast, of which the
Ilocano people may have the widest
collection of fish gears among the ethnic
groups of the archipelago. Notable weave
fish traps include bubo,barekbek, and
pamurakan.
4. Carving
- The craft of carving in the Philippines focuses
on woodcarving and non-clay traditional
sculptures. Woodcarving is one of the most
fascinating traditional arts in the Philippines,
with some craft from different ethnic groups
dating back to the Hispanic arrival, possibly
the oldest surviving today being pieces of a
wooden boat dating back to AD 320.
A. Wood Carving
B. Stone Carving
- Stone carving is an award-winning art form in
the Philippines. Such objects typically
represent either an ancestor or a god who
allows the spirit of a loved one to reach the
afterlife properly. Ancient carved burial urns
have been found in many places, especially
in the Cotabato region.
A. The Limestone tombs of Kamhantik
(Quezon province ) are elaborate tombs,
believed to initially possess rock covers
signifying that they were sarcophagi. These
tombs are believed to have been originally
roofed, as evidenced by holes marked onto
them, where beams have been placed.
B. Stone grave marks with okir ( Tawi – tawi )
are also notable, with the people of Tawi-tawi.
In many areas, sides of mountains are carved
to form burial caves, especially in the
highlands of northern Luzon.
C. The Kabayan Mummy Burial Caves
(Romblon) A notable stone carving on a
church is the facade of Miagao Church.
C. Ivory Carving
- Religious carvings of ivory, or garments as
locally known, became common after the
direct introduction of ivory from mainland Asia
to the Philippines, where carvings centered
on Christian symbols such as the Madonna
with Child, the Christ Child and the sorrowful
mother. Ivory carving is an art practiced in the
Philippines for more than a thousand years,
with the oldest known ivory product known as
the Butuan Ivory Seal.
D. Folk Performing Arts
- The bulk of folk performing arts in the
Philippines are traditional dances, plays and
dramas. Ethnic group in the Philippines has
its own heritage of folk performing arts, but
the Filipino folk performing arts do have
Spanish and American influences due to the
country's historical narratives.
 E. Folk (oral) Literature
- Include epics, poems, myths, and other oral
literature by a variety of ethnic groups in the
Philippines. Oral literature has influenced
people's thought and way of life, providing the
basis for beliefs, practices and social
structures that support societies in multiple
aspects of life.
F. Folk Graphic and Plastic Arts
a. Tattooing
- It was adopted thousands of years ago by
Austronesian ancestors, where it evolved into
cultural symbols in a number of ethnic
groups.
- At present, only the small village of Tinglayan
in Kalinga province has traditional tattoo
artists crafting batoks, led by master tattooist
and Kalinga matriarch Whang-od.
b. Folk Writing (calligraphy)
- The Philippines has various indigenous
scripts collectively referred to as suyat, each
of which has its own types and calligraphic
styles. Various ethno-linguistic communities
in the Philippines used scripts of various
mediums before the Spanish conquest in the
16th century until the independence period in
the 21st century.
These four suyat scripts:
1. hanunó'o/hanunoo of the Hanuno'o Mangyan,
2. buhid/build of the Buhid Mangyan
3. Tagbanwa script of the Tagbanwa
4. palaw'an/pala'wan of the Palaw’an
The revived scripts:
1. kulitan script of Kapampangan people
2. badlit script of various Visayan ethnic groups,
3. iniskaya script of the Eskaya people,
4. baybayin script of the Tagalog people, the
5. sambali script of the Sambal people, script
6. basahan script of the Bicolano people,
7. sulat pangasinan script of the Pangasinense
people
8. kur-itan script of the Ilocano people
G. Folk Drawing and Painting
- Folk drawings have been documented in the
archipelago for thousands of years. The
oldest folk art is the stone drawings and
engravings, which include the petroglyphs in
Angono.
- Pigments used in paintings range from gold,
yellow, reddish purple, green, white,
blue-green, to blue. Statues and other
creations have also been painted on by
various ethnic groups, using a variety of
colors. Painting on skin with elaborate
designs is also a known folk art which
continues to be practiced in the Philippines,
especially among the Yakan people.
H. Folk Drawing and Painting
- Hat-making is a fine art in many communities
throughout the country, with the gourd-based
tabungaw of Abra and Ilocos being one of the
most prized. Indigenous Filipino hats were
widely used in the daily lives of the people
until the 20th century when they were
replaced by Western-style hats.
 I. Mask Making M. Martial Arts
- The art of mask creation is both an - Filipino martial arts vary from ethnic group to
indigenous and imported tradition, as certain ethnic group due to the diversity of cultures
communities have mask-making practices within the archipelago.
prior to colonization, while some -
mask-making traditions were introduced The most famous is:
through trade from parts of Asia and the 1. Arnis - the most famous martial art. The
West. Today, these masks are worn mostly national sport and martial art of the
during festivals, such as the Higantes Philippines, which emphasize weapon-based
Festival, Moriones Festival, and Maskara fighting styles with sticks, knives, bladed
Festival. weapons and various improvised weapons as
well as open hand techniques.
J. Pottery
- Pottery art, known as ceramic pottery, clay
pottery and folk clay sculpture, has long been
part of various cultures in the Philippines,
with evidence of pottery culture dating back
some 3,500 years.]
- Notable pottery artifacts from the Philippines
include Manunggul Jar (890-710 BCE) and
Maitum anthropomorphic pottery (5 BC-225
AD).

K. Non-ornamental Metal Artifacts

- Non-ornamental metal crafts are metal
products which stand on their own. These
crafts are generally as elegant as they are
and seldom require ornamental metal work to
further their native aesthetics - Ethnic group
has its own terminology for craftsmen
specializing in metalwork, with the people of
Moro being one of the leading creators of
quality metalworks, typically decorated with
metalwork.

L. Blade Arts
- Many swords are specifically designed for
ceremonial purposes and agricultural
purposes, whereas other styles are
specifically used for offensive and defensive
warfare. Sword making is an ancient tradition
in the Philippines, where the Filipino
bladesmiths have been producing quality
swords and other bladed weapons for
centuries, with a variety of types influenced
by the sheer diversity of ethnic groups in the
archipelago.
The most known Filipino sword:
1. Kampilan
2. Bakunawa
3. Buaya
4. Kalaw
5. Kakatua