Art in the Philippines
JANUARY 18, 2017 / KENNARDUY
https://kennarduy.wordpress.com/2017/01/18/art-in-the-philippines/
I was born and raised in the Philippines, and as a
Filipino I am always curious on how the Philippine
art was formed. The art in our country is very
unique and its uniqueness is something that made
our country extra special from all the countries in
the world. The Filipino artists are very creative as
they do tribal cave paintings, colorful weaving and
many more. Filipinos are very artistic. The Filipino
people are very creative in terms of art. For
example, Filipinos can make art through the use of
wood, leaves and a lot more. Filipinos uses natural
materials to create art. I believe that Filipinos are
one of the most creative artists in the whole wide
world and we should be proud of that. The
Filipinos are very hardworking as they have the
passion to create art. The Filipinos love what they
are doing and that what makes us successful in
art. The Philippines has a rich culture hence, every
place in the country is represented with a dance
that shows their respective tradition. Our nation
can be defined through art. The art of our country
is one of the reasons why many tourists visit the
Philippines. Additionally, the Philippines has a
vigorous artistic community influenced by Asian,
European, American orientation, and by other
countries who colonized us and made visits
through trade and commerce. Visual arts such as
artistic painting were introduced when the
Spaniards colonized our country. On the other
hand, weaving is not considered an art form before.
The Filipinos weave in order to have clothes,
baskets and a lot more. Through ages, when the
different indigenous designs were appreciated, it
became a traditional art form. Performing arts like
dances and acting was considered the first art form
in the Philippines.
In 1521, when the Spaniards arrived, they used art
as a tool to introduce and propagate Catholicism
through the use of images. They were able to
explain the faith and told stories about Christ
through paintings and sculpture. Most art forms
during the Spanish occupation were for the
church, where most of the paintings and
sculptures from Spain are placed. The enforcement
during that time was very strict, that the art must
only be for the church. The Spanish friars were the
first to introduce the art of painting. The most
common themes during that time were the
portraits of saints, passion of christ, the
crucifixion, and the portrayal of heaven and
hell. According to the article that I have read,
“During the Spanish colonial period, the art and
architecture of the Philippines were strongly
influenced by the patronage of the Roman Catholic
Church. Most art emphasized religious
iconography.” So in other words, the Filipinos
before carved santos, or statues of saints which
reflected catholic themes. However, before the
Spaniards came, early Filipinos had an art form
which they perform during rituals. Early Filipinos
performed rituals during harvest and planting
season. They also perform rituals during the birth
of a child and during deaths. The chants and
dances they would make is a form of art.
The Philippines is made out of thousands of
islands with many tribes and races. Each tribe has
its own form of song or dance like the Tinikling,
Man-manok, Banog banog and a lot more. Most of
these were performed during their rituals. On the
other hand, another art form that the Philippines
had was weaving. Before we were colonized,
weaving was already part in our culture. We use
this technique in making our clothes, hats, and
accessories. The art of weaving showed the culture
in every tribe or should I say the design depicted
their culture. Weaving is a method of textile
production with elaborate designs. It was
considered one of the oldest forms of art in the
country. The basic principle of weaving is even
applied in creating fences, shelters, and baskets.
Early Filipinos developed this kind of art through
twisting and interlacing the fibre. However,
weaving these days is slowly fading away. We need
to preserve this by training the millennials in the
art of weaving.
The Philippine art reflects diverse cultural
influences. From the early Filipinos, the coming of
the Spaniards, the trade and commerce made by
the Chinese, the momentary stay of the Japanese
during the World War II has made the art in the
Philippines into a higher form, which is far more
better that other nations in the world. With its vast
expanses of islands with different tribes and races,
Philippine art has expanded showcasing the works
of talented Filipino painters, sculptors, theatrical
artists and performers. That’s why, I am proud to
say “I AM A FILIPINO! MABUHAY!”
Sources:
http://www.livinginthephilippines.com/culture-
and-people/philippine-culture/969-culture-arts
http://www.weavedesign.eu/weaving-history/
http://ncca.gov.ph/subcommissions/subcommissi
on-on-the-arts-sca/visual-arts/the-spanish-
colonial-tradition-in-philippine-visual-arts/