LESSON 5: NATIONAL ARTISTS OF THE PHILIPPINES

At the end of the lesson, you are expected to:

• identify the works of National Artists and recognize their contributions to Philippine art and culture
through a research project report.
• analyze the works of National Artists in relation to the public sphere.
• evaluate the criteria of the National Artists Award (NAA) through creative group projects; and
• explain issues related to the NAA through a report or a critical paper.
In the previous lesson, we learned about the GAMABA as an award given to exceptional practitioners of
the traditional arts. Here we will learn about another national award for artists who engage disciplinal
areas, such as the visual arts. We might encounter some of the artists we have cited previously. In this
lesson, we look at their works more closely, especially in terms of collaboration and exchange, as we view
the National Artist Award in the spirit of the public sphere, to whom artists and award-giving bodies are
held accountable.
What is the National Artists Award?
The National Artist Award is the highest distinction bestowed upon Filipino Artists whose body of work is
recognized by their peers and more importantly by their countrymen as sublime expression of Philippine
music, dance, theatre, visual arts, literature, film and media, arts, architecture and design. These are artists
who have promoted Filipino cultural identity and dignity through their art. Administered by the Cultural
Center of the Philippines (Sentrong pang Kultura sa Filipinas) through proclamation no.1001 dated April
2 1972 by then President Ferdinand E. Marcos, the government of the Philippines confers the award to
deserving individuals as recommended by the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) and the National
Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).
What are some examples of works of National Artists?
Works of National Artists in Public Spaces: A Look at UP Diliman A good number of works by National
Artists can be found in university campuses. One such example is the University of the Philippines (UP)
campus in Diliman, Quezon City. The iconic school symbol is based on the Oblation,1935, a sculptural
work by the classically trained sculptor Guillermo Tolentino (awarded 1973) depicting a male nude with
arms outstretched as a gesture of sacrifice and freedom. It was later cast in bronze also by Guillermo
Tolentino (awarded 1973).
In the historical overview of Lesson 2, we remember Tolentino as a proponent of the academic tradition in
sculpture much like Fernando Amorsolo (awarded 1972) is in painting. Amorsolo’s romantic paintings of
bucolic landscapes and idealized portraits of prominent individuals from the Commonwealth Period and
the Second World War can be viewed at the Jorge B. Vargas Museum in UP. Aside from monuments or
statues in public spaces, as of this writing, many of Tolentino’s works can be viewed at the National
Museum. Both National Artists served as professors at the UP School of Fine Arts and have been
influential as teachers and artists.
On the other hand, Abdulmari Asia Imao’s calligraphic work done in the ‘80s (awarded 2006) at the
sculpture garden of the Vargas Museum is one of the largest public sculptures he made.
Benedicto Cabrera’s (awarded 2006) iconic Variations of Sabel, 2015 made of aluminum sheets can also
be found at the UP Theater.

B. Translations and Collaborative Works of National Artists

While artists may create work independently, artistic collaborations help develop projects involving
elaborate production work, as in the case of film or theater. The actor, filmmaker, and producer Manuel
Conde (awarded 2009) worked with Carlos V. Francisco (awarded 1973) in many of his films. One of
these films was the acclaimed Genghis Khan,1950, which told the epic adventure of a Mongolian
conqueror. This was filmed in Francisco’s native Angono. Although more known for his magisterial
murals, Francisco’s imaginative production design likewise enriched Conde’s cinematic vision. The film
was screened in many film festivals abroad and translated into 16 languages for international distribution,
the most recent of which was at the 2015 Venice Biennale. On the other hand, the pop-rock opera Tales of
the Manuvu performed at the CCP in 1985 also benefitted from the efforts of several National Artists.
Recounting the origins of the Manobo people, the scholar, poet, and teacher Bienvenido Lumbera,
National Artist for Literature (awarded 2006) wrote the libretto, while National Artist for Dance Alice
Reyes (awarded 2014), founder of Ballet Philippines, choreographed the performance. National Artist for
Theater Salvador Bernal (awarded 2003) took charge of the costume and set design. It reflected a
confluence of genres normally perceived as belonging to different realms: ballet and opera on the one
hand, popular music, and folk culture, on the other. One of the songs popularized by this production is
Noong Unang Panahon, a melancholic reminiscence of ecological transformation, still compelling in
today’s context. You may view the lyrics of the song through this website:
http://www.opmtunes.com/songs/l/leah-navarro-noong-unangpanahon.html.
Narratives in existing literary works sometimes become the basis of moving images and the performing
arts. The combined drawings and stories popularized by the prolific Francisco V. Coching (awarded 2014)
in comics, have inspired filmmakers to create adaptations on the big screen. Before the emergence of the
so-called fantaserye (fantasy series) on national television in the late nineties for example, the young
superhero Pedro Penduko first appeared in Coching’s work in Liwayway comics, and animated into film
by Gerardo de Leon, National Artist for Film (awarded 1982) in 1954. In the same decade, the poet,
novelist, and playwright National Artist for Literature Nick Joaquin (awarded 1976) wrote A Portrait of
the Artist as Filipino, 1950. The story revolves around a painting of the same title, dedicated by a crippled
artist to his two unmarried daughters, Candida, and Paula. The said painting calls the attention of
characters that take interest in the work of the once famous artist, and who give their varied appraisals of
the work. Set in prewar Intramuros, the play forwards concerns about the value of art and the plight of
artists and the nostalgia for “peace” and glory days in Manila. This was adapted for film in 1965 by
Lamberto Avellana, National Artist for Film (awarded 1976). His wife and collaborator, the actress,
director, and writer Daisy Hontiveros Avellana, National Artist for Theater (awarded 1999) played the
lead character (Candida Marasigan) in both film and theater.

ISSUESS SURROUNDING IN NAA

The works of National Artists are explorations about Filipino culture and identity, as expressed creatively
through varied styles and artistic mediums. The artists’ technical excellence and outstanding vision are
forged through a strong commitment to their respective practices. They turn out to be profound thinkers
who may well be innovative, open to experiment, and inclined toward engaging with people. The latter
may pertain to fellow practitioners or to members of the public beyond the “art world.” As we have seen
in some of the examples, several artists take on multiple roles as teachers, founders of collectives, or
community organizers.
The institutionalization of the NAA spans roughly four decades. Perhaps it is an opportune moment to
reevaluate what the award means to us today. We could, for instance, think about how the term “national”
is interpreted and exemplified by the works of artists. We could return to the history of the award back to
the Modern period in Philippine Art History discussed in Lesson 2 and ask about the kind of values and
forms an idea of nation privileges. In the same vein, we could also think about what it excludes.
The NAA the GAMABA are channels of validation that contribute to the creation of art history. In 2009,
we might recall from news reports that artists marched on the streets to protest the insertion of four
additional names and removal of one name from the roster of National Artists conveyed to Malacañang
by the Cultural Center of the Philippines.
National Artist Ramon P. Santos (awarded in 2014) was initially removed from the 2009 list despite
having gone through the proper selection process. The Palace exercised its controversial “presidential
prerogative” over the final list of awardees. That the adding of names exempted from the supposedly rigid
selection process caused such furor suggests the presence of an engaged or critical public. Even though
the NAA rests on the elite authority of the awardgiving bodies, we note how the public questioned and
demanded a judicious selection process to uphold dignity in the award.
The case went all the way up to the Supreme Court and the cooperative effort between past awardees and
cultural workers in an act of resistance to the 2009 proclamation demonstrates how the public can wield
power as stakeholders of culture and the arts. In 2013, the SC issued its decision to invalidate the
questionable conferment of the NAA to Carlo J. Caparas and three other awardees.
Moreover, the SC has ruled against any further exercise of presidential prerogative in relation to awardees
who did not undergo the appropriate vetting process. For a complete list of National Artists (until 2014),
you may visit:
http://www.gov.ph/lists/national-artists-of-the-philippines/. Rappler: Looking back: The Nat’l Artist
Awards controversies https://rappler.com/newsbreak/lookingback-national-artist-awards-controversies