LESSON 01: CONTEMPORARY ART

FORMS IN THE PHILIPPINES

Contemporary Philippine Arts from the Regions

— WHAT IS ART —----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

▬ Art
➔ is a tool for communication.
➔ offers us the chase to learn and understand artists and the regions they belong to through their
works.
➔ one of the earliest and most basic forms of communication.
⇨ this can be seen in the prehistoric visual artworks like the cave drawings and other
early artifacts, as well as in our folk songs and rituals.
➔ is defined as the manifestation or use of various creative disciplines.
➔ is produced by human creativity and skill to express oneself.
➔ comes in many forms or disciplines such as literature, media arts, etc.

► The visual and performing arts are ways for people to express themselves and share their
individual insights to others. Through these arts, they catch other people’s attention, imagination, and
admiration.

— WHAT IS CONTEMPORARY ARTS —------------------------------------------------------------

▬ Contemporary Art
➔ is art that is produced at the present period, includes and develops from postmodern art, which
is itself a successor to Modern art.
➔ is art made and produced by artists living today.
➔ are statements that an artist makes about life, thoughts, ideas, beliefs, and many other things
that define human life. It reflects on the realities and values of our society; its variety portrays
the mosaic of our cultural diversity in culture.
➔ is the art of today, produced by artists who are living in the 21st century.
➔ may combine elements of performance, painting, sculpture, dance, and many other media.
➔ 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.

MODERN ART VS CONTEMPORARY ART

MODERN ART CONTEMPORARY ART

● Emerged in the late 1800’s and continued ● Emerged in the middle to late 20th
to grow for more or less a century. century up to this day.
● Uses issues as a subject for artwork. ● Uses issues as subject for artwork, but is
more socially conscious.

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— 7 MAJOR CONTEMPORARY ART FORMS IN THE PHILIPPINES —-------------------

▬ Music
➔ the art form that appeals to the sense of hearing, composed by combining notes into harmony.
➔ examples: “Babalik Sayo” by Moira, “Gusto Ko Nang Bumitaw” by Sheryn Regis, and
“Rainbow” by South Border.

▬ Literature
➔ the art form of language through the combined use of words, creating meaning, and
experience.
➔ examples: from Luzon— “A Blade of Fern” by Edith Ocampo, and “I Saw the Fall of the
Philippines” by Carlos P. Romulo; from Visayas— “Panhayhay hin Bungtohanon” by Francisco
Alvarado, and “An Higugma” by Iluminado Lucente; from Mindanao— “Dead Stars” by H.O.
Santos, and “Indarapatra at Sulayman” by Bartolome Del Valle.

▬ Theater
➔ the art form of performance.
➔ wherein dramatic text is portrayed on stage by actors and actresses and are enhanced by
props, lights, and sounds.
➔ form of art in which artists use their voices and/or their bodies, often in relation to other objects,
to convey artistic expression.
➔ examples: Tanikalang Ginto, Tula-dula (Ang Alamat ng Pag-asa), Huling El-Bimbo (Pare Ko).

▬ Film
➔ a technological translation of theater, special effects are utilized to enhance the story telling.
➔ examples: “Himala” by Ishmael Bernal, “Family Matters” by Nuel Crisostomo Naval, and
“Mindanao” by Brilliante Mendoza.

▬ Dance
➔ the art of the human form— how the body is used, mobilized, and choreographed in a specific
time, form, and space.
➔ examples: Subli in Bauan, Hip-Hop Dance, and “Tala Dance” by Sarah Geronimo.

▬ Architecture, Designs, and Allied Arts

➔ pertain to structures that are meant to be used as shelter.
➔ an art form that relies on the design and purpose of the structure.
➔ examples: Cultural Center of the Philippines by Leandro Locsin, Saint Andrew the Apostle
Church by Leandro Locsin, and Pearl Farm Beach Resort by Francisco Manosa.

▬ Visual Arts
➔ artworks, such as painting, photography, or sculpture, that appeals primarily to the visual
sense and typically exists in permanent form.
➔ examples: “The Sketch” by Victorio Edades, “Magellan’s Cross” by Raul Agas, “Salaan
(Peace)” by Rameer Tawasil, “The Bonifacio Monument” by Guillermo Tolentino, “Sandugo
(Blood Pact)” by Napoleon Abueva.

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LESSON 02: VARIOUS CONTEMPORARY
ART FORMS AND PHILIPPINE ART
HISTORY
Contemporary Philippine Arts from the Regions

— VARIOUS CONTEMPORARY ART FORMS —-------------------------------------------------

▬ Practical Art
➔ is intended for practical use or utility.
➔ is designed to be more useful rather than attractive.
➔ uses ordinary materials; things that you find in everyday life.

▬ Industrial Art
➔ is the changing of raw materials into some significant products that humans can use.
➔ aims to develop themanual skills and familiarize oneself with the tools and machines.
➔ is sometimes taught in elementary and high school.

▬ Applied / Household Art

➔ refers mostly to household arts such as flower arrangement, interior decoration, dress making,
home-making, embroidery, cooking, and others.
➔ one of the arts or techniques concerned with the maintenance and care of a household (i.e.
cooking, sewing, baby care).

▬ Civic Art
➔ includes city or town planning, maintenance, and beautification of parks.
➔ refers to beautification to improve the standards of living.

▬ Commercial Art
➔ 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.

► Commercial artists create art that is used to sell products, like advertisements found in magazines,
on social media, and other outlets.

▬ Graphic Art
➔ is anything printed from raised or sunken reliefs and plane surfaces.
➔ is a traditional category of fine arts.
➔ includes any form of visual artistic expression (i.e. painting, drawing, photography,
printmaking), usually on flat surfaces.

▬ Agricultural Art
➔ includes the preparation of plants and animal products for people to use and their distribution
to markets.
➔ examples include: crop production, horticulture (garden and orchard cultivation), husbandry
(raising of cows, carabaos, poultry, and swine), and farming.

► Agriculture is the art and science of cultivating the soil, growing crops, and raising livestock. It also
provides most of the world’s food and fabrics.

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▬ Fishery Art
➔ includes shallow and deep-sea fishing, fish refrigeration, and capturing fish with a net.
➔ about food processing, fish operation, and fish production.
➔ aims to develop the proper catching, handling, taking care, marketing, and reserving different
fishes.

— PHILIPPINE ART HISTORY (PRE-COLONIAL ARTS / ETHNIC ARTS) —-------------

▬ Pre-Colonial Arts
➔ also called as ethnic arts.

► Art of the ancient Filipinos was woven into the fabric of everyday life. They do not refer to it as art
as we do today. Instead, it was referred to as an expression of an individual, and was largely in
galleries and concert halls. They did 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.

Native Dance Forms Imitated From The Movement of Animals

Pangalay Dance Man Manok Talip Dance

● From Sulu. ● From Mindanao. ● From Ifugao
● Mimetic of the ● Imitated the movements ● Used for courtship and
movements of the sea of predatory birds. mimetic of the
birds. movements of wild fowls.

Famous Artworks During Pre-Colonial

Carving

Bulul Hagabi Okir Manunggul Jar

● From Cordillera. ● From Ifugao. ● From Tausug / ● Discovered at
● A granary God ● A wooden Samal / Badjao Manunggul cave
that plays an bench. ● Mythical at Palawan.
important role in sarimanok, the ● Was used for
rituals. naga or sepent. burials.

Textile Weaving

Pis Sayabit Malong

● From Tausug of Sulu. ● From Maranao of Lanao del Sur.
● A headpiece woven.

Mat and Basket Weaving

Tepo Mat Ovaloid Basket Bubo

● From Sama of ● From Itbayat, Batanes. ● From Ilocos
Tawi-Tawi. ● A head sling made of nito or bamboo region.
● A used to carry harvests. ● Made from
double-layered sturdy bamboo
made of Pandan strips and used
leaves. to trap the fish.

Ornamentation

Wearing gold jewelry Tattooing

● Among the upper class tagalog. ● Visayan.
● It was believed to give protection to the
individual from evil spirits. It was also a
sign of bravery and maturity.

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— PHILIPPINE ART HISTORY (ISLAMIC ERA) —------------------------------------------------

▬ Islamic Era
➔ is characterized by geometric designs and patterns, selecting focus from the believers.

► Even before the coming of Spanish colonizers, Islam was already well entrenched in the Southern
Philippines. Filipino Muslims recognize that they belong to an ummah or a group 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.

— PHILIPPINE ART HISTORY (SPANISH ERA) —-----------------------------------------------

► Art became a handmaiden of religion, serving to propagate the Catholic faith and thus support the
colonial order at the same time.

► An example of art from the Spanish era is the Colonial Baroque or Philippine Baroque. Specifically,
adobe, limestone, or brick in churches. It is the result of the combination of the style of the Europeans
and the Filipinos.

Important Happenings Related to Art During The Spanish Era

● Chinese artisans were engaged in making icons or saints out of wood or ivory.
● Colonial churches were built.
● Western musical instruments were introduced, like the 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 forms based on Catholic faith have emerged in the Pasyon— the biblical Christ’s
passion chanted in.
● Secular music was formed.
● Kundiman.
● Zarzuela was introduced.
● The first Senakulo was written in 1704 by Gaspar Aquino de Belen.
● Komedya were also introduced.
● Folk dances such as carinosa, pandango, polka, dansa, and rigodon, habanera, and tango
were introduced.
● Juan Luna (Spolarium) won gold medals and Felix Resurrection Hidalgo (Virgenes
christianas expuestas al populacho) won silver medals.

— PHILIPPINE ART HISTORY (AMERICAN ERA) —--------------------------------------------

► In the American regime, commercial and advertising arts were integrated into the fine arts
curriculum. Moreover, Americans favored idyllic sceneries and secular forms of arts.

— PHILIPPINE ART HISTORY (JAPANESE ERA) —--------------------------------------------

► Since the Japanese advocated for the culture of East Asia, preference was given to the indigenous
art and traditions of the Philippines.

► In music, the composer National Artist Felipe de Leon was said to have been commanded to write
“Awit Sa Paglikha Ng Bagong Pilipinas”. It was declared as the anthem specifically for the period, and
it conveyed allegiance to the nation reared in East Asia, where Japan was actively asserting its
political power.

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— PHILIPPINE ART HISTORY (MODERN ERA) —-----------------------------------------------

► Writers and Artists posed the question of national identity as the main theme of various art forms.

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

► In the Philippines, the Modern Era of art began after World War 2 and the granting of
independence.

▬ Victorio Edades
➔ the most well-known component of modern art painting.
➔ his works 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 all considered
“new” at that time.

► When it comes to modern art in the Philippines, 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.

— PHILIPPINE ART HISTORY (CONTEMPORARY ART) —----------------------------------

▬ Contemporary Art
➔ is an art of today produced by artists living today.
➔ [Philippine Contemporary Art] was an offshoot of social realism brought about by Martial Law.

► Arts became an expression of people’s aspiration for a just, free and sovereign society. Most of the
time, the artists used mixed media as artwork.

▬ Mixed Media Art

➔ is an artwork that the artists are using more than one material to create an artwork.

— PHILIPPINE ART HISTORY (SUMMARY) —----------------------------------------------------