Profiles of National Artists of the Philippines

National Artists
of the Philippines
What is a National Artist?
 A Filipino citizen who has been given the rank and title of National Artist in
recognition of his or her significant contributions to the development of Phi
lippine arts and letters.
 The rank and title of National Artist is conferred by means of a Presidential

Proclamation. It recognizes excellence in the fields of Music, Dance, Theate
r, Visual Arts, Literature, Film and Broadcast Arts, and Architecture or Allied
Arts.
What is the Order of National Artists?
 Given a Grand Collar symbolizing their status. Recipient of this Grand Coll
ar make up the Order of National Artists.
 The Order of National Artists (Orden ng Gawad Pambansang Alagad ng Si

ning) is thus a rank, a title, and a wearable award that represents the high
est national recognition given to Filipinos who have made
distinct contributions in the field of arts and letters.

 It is jointly administered by the National Commission for Culture and the
Arts (NCCA) and the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) and is confe
rred by the President of the Philippines upon recommendation by both in
stitutions.
 As one of the Honors of the Philippines, it embodies the nation's highest

ideals in humanism and aesthetic expression through the distinct achieve
ments of individual citizens.
 The order of National Artists shares similarities with orders, decorations,
and medals of other countries recognizing contributions to their national
culture such as the U.S. National Medal for the Arts, and the Order of Cu
lture of Japan.
 According to the rules of the National Commission on Culture and the A

rts, the Order of National Artists should be conferred every three years.
The Insignia of the Order of National Artists
 Composed of a Grand Collar featuring circular links portraying the arts, and
an eight-pointed conventionalized sunburst suspended from a sampaguita
wreath in green and white enamel.
 The central badge is a medallion divided into three equal portions, red, whit
e, and blue, recalling the Philippine flag, with three stylized letter Ks – the “K
KK” stands for the CCP’s motto: “katotohanan, kabutihan, at kagandahan”
(“the true, the good, and the beautiful”), as coined by then first lady Mrs. Im
elda Romualdez Marcos, the CCP’s founder.
 The composition of the Grand Collar is silver gilt bronze. In place of a ros
ette, there is an enameled pin in the form of the insignia of the order.
When was the Order of National Artists Created?
It was established by virtue of Presidential Proclamation No. 1001, s.

1972, which created the Award and Decoration of National Artist, “to give a
ppropriate recognition and prestige to Filipinos who have distinguished the
mselves and made outstanding contributions to Philippine arts and letters,”
and which posthumously conferred the award on the painter Fernando Am
orsolo, who had died earlier that year.
Legal Basis of the Order of National Artists
 Proclamation No. 1144, s. 1973 named the CCP Board of Trustees as the National Arti
st Awards Committee (or Secretariat).
 Presidential Decree No. 208, s. 1973 reiterated the mandate of the CCP to administer
the National Artists Awards as well as the privileges and honors to National Artists.
 Executive Order No. 236 s. 2003, otherwise known as the Honors Code of the Philippi
nes, conferred additional prestige on the National Artist Award by raising it to the level
of a Cultural Order, fourth in precedence among the orders and decorations that com
prise the Honors of the Philippines, and equal in rank to the Order of National Scientist
s and the Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan.
 Section 5 of EO 236 stated the President may confer the Order of National Arti
sts “upon the recommendation of the Cultural Center of the Philippines and the
National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).”
 Executive order No. 435, s. 2005 amended Section 5 (IV) of EO 236, giving the
President the power to name National Artists without the need of a recommen
dation, relegating the NCCA and the CCP to mere advisory bodies that may or
may not be heeded. This expanded President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s flexibili
ty to proclaim National Artists at her discretion, which led to the controversy of
2009 and the subsequent intervention of the Supreme Court by issuing a status
quo ante order against the awardees that year.
 May 2009, four recommendations were sent to President Arroyo by the Secretariat, Presid
ent Arroyo issued proclamations on July 2009 for three, excluding for one nominee, Ramo
n P. Santos.
 In addition, President Arroyo issued proclamations for four individuals who were not reco
mmended, namely, Cecile Guidote-Alvarez, Francisco T. Mañosa, Magno Jose J. Caparas, a
nd Jose “Pitoy” Moreno. These four artists have not been vetted and deliberated upon by th
e Secretariat.
 As a result, the majority of living national artists (Almario, Lumbrera, et. Al.) filed a petitio
n questioning President Arroyo’s abuse of her discretion by proclaiming as national artists i
ndividuals (Guidote-Alvarez, Caparas, Mañosa, andMoreno) who have not gone through t
he rigorous screening and selection process of the NCAA and the CCP.
Criteria for the Order of National Artists
1. Living artists who are Filipino citizens at the time of nomination, as well as
those who died after the establishment of the award in 1972 but were Fili
pino citizens at the time of their death;
2. Artists who, through the content and form of their works, have contribut
ed in building a Filipino sense of nationhood;
3. Artists who have pioneered in a mode of creative expression or style, thus

earning distinction and making an impact on succeeding generations of ar
tists;
4. Artists who have created a substantial and significant body of work and
/or consistently displayed excellence in the practice of their art form thu
s enriching artistic expression or style; and
5. Artists who enjoy broad acceptance through:

a. Prestigious national and/or international recognition, such as the Gawad CCP Para
sa Sining, CCP Thirteen Artists Award and NCCA Alab ng Haraya;
b. critical acclaim and/or reviews of their works;
c. Respect and esteem from peers.
Those submitting nominations for National Artist must submit the following;
1. A cover letter from the nominating organization. The cover letter shall be accompanied
by a Board Resolution approving the nomination concerned with the said resolution sign
ed by the organization President and duly certified by the Board Secretary.
2. A duly accomplished nomination form;
3. A detailed curriculum vitae of the nominee;
4. A list of the nominee’s significant works categorized according to the criteria;
5. The latest photograph (color or black and white) of the nominee, either 5”x7” or 8”x11”;
6. Pertinent information materials on the nominee’s significant works (on CDs, VCDs and D
VDs);
7. Copies of published reviews; and
8. Any other document that may be required.
Honors and Privileges
A member of the Order of National Artists is granted the following hon
ors and privileges:
1. The rank and title of National Artist, as proclaimed by the President of t

he Philippines;
2. The insignia of a National Artist and a citation;

3. A lifetime emolument and material and physical benefits comparable in
value to those received by the highest officers of the land such as:
a. a cash award of One Hundred Thousand Pesos (P100,000.00) net of ta
xes, for living awardees;
b. a cash award of Seventy-Five Thousand Pesos (P75,000.00) net of taxe

s, for posthumous awardees, payable to legal heir/s;
c. a monthly pension, medical and hospitalization benefits;

d. life insurance coverage for Awardees who are still insurable;
e. a state funeral and burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani;

f. a place of honor, in line with protocular precedence, at national state f
unctions, and recognition at cultural events.

Arts.
Profiles of Nation
al Artists
Fernando Amorsolo
National Artist for Visual Arts – Painting, 1972
Paco, Manila, National Capital Region
 A portraitist and painter of rural Philippine landscapes.
 Best known for his illuminated landscapes, which often portayed traditional Filipino customs, culture,
fiestas and occupations. His pastoral works presented “an imagined sense of nationhood in counterp
oint to American colonial rule” and were important to the formation pf Filipino national identity.
 He was educated in the classical tradition and aimed “to achieve his Philippine version of the Greek id
eal of the human form.”
 Amorsolo used natural light in his paintings and developed the backlighting technique Chiaroscuro,
which became his artistic trademark and his greatest contribution to Philippine painting.
Francisca Reyes-Aquino
National Artist for Dance, 1973
Bocaue, Bulacan, Region 3 – Central Luzon
 She is noted for her research on Philippine folk dance. She is a recipient of the Republic Award of Merit
and the Ramon Magsaysay Award.
 Known as the “Mother of Philippine Folk Dancing.”
 Her most noted works is her research on folk dances and songs as a student assistant at the University o
f the Philippines. Pursuing her graduate studies, she started her work in 1921 traveling to remote barrios
in Central and Northern Luzon.
 She served as supervisor of physical education at the Bureau of Education in the 1940s. The education b
ody distributed her work and adapted the teaching of folk dancing in an effort to promote awareness a
mong the Filipino youth regarding their cultural heritage.

Botong Francisco (1914-1969)
Angono, Rizal, Region 4A - CALABARZON
 Carlos Modesto Villaluz Francisco, popularly known as Botong, was amuralist. He was a most distinguis
hed practitioner of mural painting for many decades and best known for his historical pieces.
 He was invariably linked with the modernist artists, forming with Victoria Edades and Galo Ocampo wh
at was then known in the local art circles as “The Triumvirate,” who broke away from Fernando Amorsol
o’s romanticism of Philippine scenes.
 According to restores Helmuth Joseph Zotter, Francisco’s art “is a prime example of linear painting wher
e lines and contours appear like cutouts.”
 Botong’s unerring eye for composition, the lush tropical sense of color, and an abiding faith in the folk v
alues typified by the townspeople of Angono became the hallmark of his art.
Amado V. Hernandez (1903-1970)
National Artist for Literature, 1973
Hagonoy, Bulacan, Region 3 – Central Luzon
Tondo, Manila, National Capital Region
 A writer and labor leader. He was known for his criticism of social injustices in the Philippines a
nd was later imprisoned for his involvement in the communist movement.
 He was the central figure in a landmark legal case that took 13 years to settle.
 He began writing in Tagalog for the newspaper Watawat when he was still a teenager. He wou
ld later write a column for the Tagalog publication Pagkakaisa and become editor of Mabuhay.
 His socio-political novels were based on his experiences as a guerilla, as a labor leader, and as a
political detainee.
Antonio J. Molina (1894-1980)
National Artist for Music, 1973
Quiapo, Manila, National Capital Region
 A composer, conductor and music administrator. He was known as the Claude Debussy of the Philip
pines dues to his use of impressionism in music.
 Molina made his first composition in 1912 titled Matinal, which is preserved in an unpublished volu
me called Miniaturas, Vol. 1. He was appointed to teach at the UP Conservatory of Music, pursuing a
career in music education until being appointed a dean of the Centro Escolar Conservatory of Music.
 He founded CEU String Quartet which was professionally organized and financed by its music school
 As a composer, he is credited with over 500 compositions.

Juan F. Nakpil (1899-1986)
National Artist for Architecture, 1973
Quiapo, Manila, National Capital Region
 An architect, teacher, and a community leader. In 1973 he was tapped as the Dean of Filipino Architects.
 He took up Engineering at the University of the Philippines and later, at the University of Kansas – where
he received his bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering. He then studied Architecture at the Fontainebleau S
chool of Fine Arts, in France upon the recommendation of Jean-Jacques Haffner, one of his professors at t
he Harvard Graduate School of Architecture.
 Nakpil worked in Andres Luna de San Pedro’s architectural firm (1928), and Don Gonzalo Puyat & Sons;
eventually opening his own architectural firm in 1930.
 He also designed the International Eucharistic Congress altar and improved the Quiapo Church in 1930 b
y erecting a dome and a second belfry.
Guillermo Tolentino (1890-1976)
National Artist for Visual Arts – Sculpture, 1973
Malolos, Bulacan, Region 3 - Central Luzon
 He is hailed as the “Father of Philippine Arts.” He sculpted the University of the Philippines’ Mon
ument and main symbol, the UP Oblation, as well as the Bonifacio Monument in Caloocan City.
 Known as a master in classical sculpture. He received national recognition for his work on the B
onifacio Monument, the design for which was chosen in a competition organized by sculptor Vi
cente Francisco, and architects Andres Luna de San Pedro and Tomas Mapua.
 His winning design featured an obelisk with a bird of freedom perched atop of it.
 He was also the artist who designed the medals for the Ramon Magsaysay Awards, as well as t
he seal of the Republic of the Philippines.

Jose Garcia Villa (1908-1997)
Singalong, Manila, National Capital Region
 A poet, literary critic, short story writer, and a painter. He was awarded the Guggenheim Fellowship in cre
ative writing by Conrad Aiken.
 He is known to have introduced the “reversed conconance rhyme scheme” in writing poetry, as well as th
e extensive use of punctuation marks – especially commas, which made him known as the Comma Poet.
 He used the pen name Doveglion (derived from “Dove, Eagle, Lion”) based on the characters he derived f
rom himself. These animals were also explored by another poet e.e. cummings in Doveglion, Adventures i
n Value, a poem dedicated to Villa.
 Villa first tried painting, bu turned into creative writing after reading Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Ande
rson.
Napoleon Abueva (1930)
National Artist for Visual Arts – Sculpture, 1976
Tagbilaran, Bohol, Region 7 – Central Visayas
 He is considered as the “Father of Modern Philippine Sculpture.”
 One of his mentors was Guillermo Tolentino, whom relegated to him the ta
sk of replicating the oblation sculpture for the Campus of U.P. Los Banos.
 His Sandugo or Blood Compact shrine in Bohol, Tagbilaran City is a landmar
k at the site of the first international treaty of friendship between Spaniards
and Filipino.
Leonor Orosa-Goquingco (1917-2005)
National Artist for Dance, 1976
Jolo, Suu, Region 15 – Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao
 She could play the piano, draw, design scenery and costumes, sculpt, act, direct, dance and choreograph.
 Her pen name was Cristina Luna and she was known as Trailblazer, Mother of Philippine Theater Dance and
Dean of Filipino Performing Arts Critics.
 In 1939, she was the only dancer sent on the first cultural mission to Japan, at the age of 19.
 She created The Elements in 1940, the first ballet choreographed by a Filipino to commissioned music.
 She choreographed the first Philippine folkloric ballet, Trend: Return to the Native.
 She was an Honorary Chairman of the Association of Ballet Academies of the Philippines, the founding mem
ber of the Philippine Ballet Theater, and was known as a Zontian and a performing arts critics and columnist o
f the Manila Bulletin.

Lamberto V. Avellana (1915-1991)
National Artist for Film and Theater, 1976
Bontoc, Mountain Province, Region 14 - Cordillera Administrative Region
 Avellana’s films such as Anak Dalita and Badjao attained international acclaim despite budgetary limitations that ha
mpered the post-war Filipino film industry.
 He was named by the President Ferdinand Marcos as the very first National Artist of the Philippines for Film.
 He married his teenage sweetheart Daisy Hontiveros, an actress who eventually also became a National Artist in 19
99.
 Avellana directed more than 70 films in a career that spanned six decades. Anak Dalita (1956) and Badjao (1957) p
erhaps stand as the most prominent works from his oeuvre. Anak Dalita, which was named Best Film at the 1956 As
ia-Pacific Film Festival, was a realistic portrayal of poverty-stricken Filipinos coping with the aftermath of World War
II. Badjao was a love-story among the sea-dwelling Badjaos, an indigenous Filipino people hailing from Mindanao.
Nick Joaquin (1917-2004)
 He is best known for his short stories and novels in the English language.
He also wrote using the pen name Quijano de Manila.
 He is considered as one of the most important Filipino writer in English,
and the third most important overall, after Jose Rizal and Claro M. Recto.
 Joaquin used his position to work for intellectual freedom in society. He
secured the release of imprisoned writer Jose F. Lacaba.
Jovita Fuentes (1895-1978)
National Artist for Music,1976
Capiz, Region 6 – Western Visayas
 An opera singer long before Lea Salonga’s break into Broadway, there was already Jovita Fuentes’ portrayal of Cio-c
io san in Giacomo Puccini’s Madame Butterfly at Italy’s Teatro Municipale di Piacenza. Her performance was hailed a
s the “most sublime interpretation of the part.”
 She was teaching at the University of the Philippines Conservatory of Music (1917) before leaving for Milan in 1924
for further voice studies.
 After eight months of arduous training, she made her stage debut at the Piacenza. She later embarked on a string
of music performances in Europe essaying the roles of Liu Yu in Puccini’s Turandot, Mimi in Puccini’s La Boheme, Iris
in Pietro Mascacagni’s Iris, the title role of Salome.
 In recognition of these achievements, she was given the unprecedented award of “Embahadora de Filipinas a su M
adre Patria” by Spain.

Victorio C. Edades (1895-1985)
Dagupan, Pangasinan, Region 1 – Ilocos Region
 He was the leader of the revolutionary Thirteen Moderns who engaged their classical c
ompatriots in a heated debate over the nature and function of art.
 While espousing his beliefs and ideas on Modern Art, Edades sparked a debate betwee
n modern and academic (classical) art. The Herald Mid-Week Magazine, Sunday Times
Magazine and This Week contained the issues addressed by him and Guillermo Tolentin
o, who spoke up for the side of the Conservatives.
 Through his determination to stand by his ideology, he became a bridge between the p
ast and the present.
Pablo Antonio (1901-1975)
Binondo, Manila, National Capital Region
 A pioneer of modern Philippine architecture, he was recognized in some quarters as the forem
ost Filipino modernized architect of his time.
 Ramon Arevalo, the engineer in charge of the Legislative Building project, funded Antonio’s ed
ucation at the University of London. He completed a five-year architecture course in three years,
graduating in 1927.
 Antonio first came into prominence in 1933 with the construction of the Ideal Theater along A
venida Rizal in Manila. His work caught the eye of the founder of the Far Eastern University in M
anila, Nicanor Reyes, Sr., who was looking to build a school campus that was modern in style.
Vicente Manansala (1910-1981)
Macabebe, Pampanga, Region 3 – Central Luzon
 A cubist painter and illustrator. His paintings are described as “visions of reality teeteri
ng on the edge of abstraction.” His talent was revealed through the copies he made of
the Sagrada Familia and his mother’s portrait that he copied from a photograph.
 Manansala received a six-month grant by UNESCO to study at the Ecole des Beaux-Art
s in Banff and Montreal, Canada.
 He believes that the beauty of art is in the process, in the moment of doing a particula
r painting, closely associating it with the act of making love. “The climax is just when it’
s really finished.”
Gerardo de Leon (1913-1981)
National Artist for Film, 1982
Manila, National Capital Region
 An actor-turned-film director. He made his acting debut in the 1934 film Ang Dangal.
 He made eight more films as an actor before he became a director. He made his directional debut
with Bahay-Kubo (1939). One of his unfinished projects was Juan de la Cruz (1972) with Fernando
Poe, Jr.
 Nicknamed “Manong,” de Leon is the most awarded film director in the history of the Filipino Aca
demy of Movie Arts and Sciences’ FAMAS Awards.
 He was awarded seven FAMAS Aawards, three of them received consecutively. His 1961 film The
Moises Padilla Story was selected as the Philippine entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the
32nd Academy Awards but was not accepted as a nominee.
Carlos P. Romulo (1899-1985)

 Best known for his illuminated landscapes, which often portayed traditional Filipin
o customs, culture, fiestas and occupations. His pastoral works presented “an imag
ined sense of nationhood in counterpoint to American colonial rule” and were imp
ortant to the formation pf Filipino national identity.
 He was educated in the classical tradition and aimed “to achieve his Philippine ver
sion of the Greek ideal of the human form.”
 Amorsolo used natural light in his paintings and developed the backlighting techn
ique Chiaroscuro, which became his artistic trademark and his greatest contributio
n to Philippine painting.
Atang de la Rama (1905-1991)
National Artist for Theater and Music 1987
 Honorata de la Rama-Hernandez commonly known as Atang de la Rama, was a singer, bodabil perfor
mer, and first Filipina film actress. By the age of 7, she was already starring in Spanish Zarzuelas such a
s Mascota, Sueno de un Vals, and Marina. At the age of 15, she starred in the Zarzuela Dalagang Buki
d, where she became known for singing the song, Nabasag na Banga.
 During the American occupation of the Philippines. She fought for the dominance of the kundiman, a
n important Philippine folk song, and the zarzuela, which is a musical play that focused on contempora
ry Filipino issues such as usury, cockfighting, and colonial mentality.
 She belived that art should be for everyone; not only did she perform in major Manila theaters.
Antonio R. Buenaventura (1904-1996)
Baliuag, Bulacan, Region 3 – Central Luzon
 He composed songs, compositions, for solo instruments as well as symphonic and or

chestral works based on the folk songs of various Philippine ethnic groups. He was als
o a conductor and restored the Philippine Army Band to its former prestige as one of
the finest military bands in the world making it “the only band that can sound like a sy
mphony orchestra.”
 He promoted Philippine music by extensively using folk materials in his works. He rec
orded folk and dance music around the country. He composed the music and did the
notations for the folk dances as researched by Aquino.
Lucrecia Reyes-Urtula (1929-1999)
National Artist for Dance,1988
Iloilo City, Iloilo, Region 6 – Western Visayas
 A choreographer, dance educator, and researcher. She spent almost four decades in the discovery and s
tudy of Philippine folk and ethnic dances. She applied her findings to project a new example of an creati
ve growth. Over a period of thirty years, she had choreographed suites of mountain dances, Spanish-infl
uenced dances, Muslims pageants and festivals, regional variations and dances of the countryside for the
Bayanihan Philippine Dance Company of which she is the dance director.
 Among the widely acclaimed dances she had staged were the following: Singkil, a Bayanihan signature
number based on a Maranao epic poem; Vinta, a dance honoring Filipino sailing prowess; Tagabili, a tale
of tribal conflict; Pagdiwata, a four-day harvest festival condensed into a six-minute breath taking specta
cle; Salidsid, a mountain wedding dance; Idaw, Banga and Aires de Verbena.
Francisco Arcellana (1916-2002)
 He is considered an important progenitor of the modern Filipino short st

ory in English. He pioneered the development of the short story as a lyric
al prose-poetic form within Filipino literature. His works are now often ta
ught in tertiary-level-syllabi in the Philippines.
 Arcellana won the 2nd place in 1951 Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awar
ds for Literature, with his short story, “The Flowers of May.”
Cesar Legaspi (1917-1994)
 His early works, alongside those of peer, Hernando Ocampo are described a
s depictions of anguish and dehumanization of beggars and laborers in the c
ity.
 These include Man and Woman and Gadgets’. Primarily because of this early
period, critics have further cited Legaspi’s having “reconstituted” in his painti
ngs “cubism’s unfeeling, geometric ordering of figures into a social expressio
nism rendered by interacting forms filled with rhythmic movement.”
Leandro V. Locsin (1928-1994)
Silay, Negros Occidental, Region 18 – Negros Island Region
 He reshaped the urban landscape with a distinctive architecture reflective of Philippine

Art and Culture. He belives that the true Philippine Architecture is “the product of two g
reat steams of culture, the oriental, and the occidental . . . To produce a new object of
profound harmony.”
 Every Locsin Building is an original, and identifiable as a Locsin with themes of floating
volume, the duality of light and heavy, buoyant and massive running in his major works.
 Locsin’s largest single work is the Istana Nurul Iman, the palace of the Sultan of Brunei,
which has a floor area of 2.2 million square feet.
Hernando R. Ocampo
Sta Cruz, Manila, National Capital Region
 A leading radical modernist artist in the Philippines. He was a member of the Saturday Group of artists
(also known as the Taza de Oro Group) and was one of the pre-war Thirteen Moderns.
 His works reflected the harsh realities of his country after the Second World War. However, many of his
works depicted lush sceneries and the beautiful Philippine landscapes through his skilful use of fierce an
d bold colors.
 He was credited for inventing new mode of abstraction that exemplifies Philippine flora and fauna and
portrays sunshine, stars, and rain.
 His acknowledged masterpiece Genesis served as the basis of the curtain design of the Cultural Center o
f the Philippines Main Theater.

Lucio D. San Pedro (1913-2002)
Angono, Rizal, Region 4A - CALABARZON
 When he was still in his late teens, he succeeded his deceased grandfather a
s the local church organist. By then, he had already composed songs, hymns
and two complete masses for voices and orchestra.
 He received the title Professor Emeritus from Ateneo de Manila University.
 He is popular for his contributions to the field of Philippine music such as th
e lullaby “Sa Ugoy ng Duyan,” made with another National Artist for Music, L
evi Celerio, and the symphonic poem “Lahing Kayumanggi.”
Lino Brocka (1939-1991)
National Artist for Film, 1997
Pilar, Sorsogon, Region 5 – Bicol Region
 Catalino Ortiz Brocka was a film director. He is widely regarded as one of the most
influential and significant Filipino filmmakers in Philippine cinema history.
 He founded the organization Concerned Artists of the Philippines (CAP), dedicated

to helping artists address issues confronting the country.
 Brocka was openly gay and he often incorporated LGBT themes int his films.
 He was posthumously given the National Artist of the Philippines for Film award fo
r “having made significant contributions to the development of Philippine Arts.”
Felipe Padilla de Leon
Penaranda, Nueva Ecija, Region 3 – Central Luzon
 He Filipinized western music forms, a feat aspired for by Filipino compos

ers who preceded him. The prodigious body of De Leon’s musical compo
sitions, notably the sonatas, marches, and concertos have become the ful
l expression of the sentiments and aspirations of the Filipino in times of st
rife and of peace, making him the epitome of a people’s musician.
 He wrote the operas Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo.
Wilfredo Ma. Guerrero (1911-1995)
National Artist for Theater, 1997
Ermita, Manila, National Capital Region
 He wrote well over 100 plays, 41 of which have been published. His unpublish
ed plays have either been broadcast over the radio or staged in various parts of
the Philippines.
 He was appointed as Director of the Dramatic Club at the University of the Phili
ppines despite not having a degree, and he held that position for sixteen years.
 He is the first Filipino to have a theater named after him within his lifetime: The
Wilfredo Ma. Guerrero Theater of the University of the Philippines.
Rolando S. Tinio (1937-1997)
National Artist for Theater and Literature, 1997
 He was an active participant in the Filipino movie industry and enjoyed w

orking with Philippine celebrities who he himself had admired in his child
hood.
 He is often described as a religious, well-behaved and gifted person.
 He was the sole inventor of “Taglish” in Philippine poetry. He gave an aut
hentic tone to the poetry of the native. middle-class Filipino
N.V.M. Gonzales
Romblon, Region 4B - MIMAROPA
 Gonzalez attended creative writing classes under Wallace Stegner and K

atherine Anne Porter at Stanford University. At U.P., Gonzalez was only o
ne of two faculty members accepted to teach in the university without h
olding a degree.
 On 14 April 1987, the University of the Philippines conferred on N.V.M.
Gonzalez the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa.
Levi Celerio (1910-2002)
National Artist for Music and Literature, 1997
Baliuag, Bulacan, Region 3 – Central Luzon
 He was a prolific songwriter, with over 4,000 songs to his credit. He is p

erhaps best known for being a leaf-player, a feat for which he was put in
to the Guinness Book of World Records.
 He received a scholarship to the Academy of Music in Manila and becam
e the youngest member of the Manila Symphony Orchestra.
 Known for being a good lyricist, his songs cherish life, convey nationalisti
c sentiments and utter grand philosophies.
Arturo Luz (1926)
 He is a founding member of the modern Neo-realist school in Philippine

art.
 His early drawings were described as “playful linear works” influenced by
Paul Klee. His best masterpieces are minimalist, geometric abstracts, allu
ding to the modernist “virtues” of competence, order, and elegance; and
were further describe as evoking universal reality and mirrors an inspirati
on for an acme of true Asian modernity.
Fernando Amorsolo

Fernando Amorsolo

Fernando Amorsolo

Fernando Amorsolo


Arts.

Profiles of National Artists of the Philippines

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Profiles of National Artists of the Philippines

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National Artists

 The rank and title of National Artist is conferred by means of a Presidential

 The Order of National Artists (Orden ng Gawad Pambansang Alagad ng Si

distinct contributions in the field of arts and letters.

 As one of the Honors of the Philippines, it embodies the nation's highest

 According to the rules of the National Commission on Culture and the A

It was established by virtue of Presidential Proclamation No. 1001, s.

3. Artists who have pioneered in a mode of creative expression or style, thus

5. Artists who enjoy broad acceptance through:

1. The rank and title of National Artist, as proclaimed by the President of t

2. The insignia of a National Artist and a citation;

b. a cash award of Seventy-Five Thousand Pesos (P75,000.00) net of taxe

c. a monthly pension, medical and hospitalization benefits;

e. a state funeral and burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani;

 The rank and title of National Artist is conferred by means of a Presidential

 A portraitist and painter of rural Philippine landscapes.

eal of the human form.”

and the Ramon Magsaysay Award.

 Known as the “Mother of Philippine Folk Dancing.”

in Central and Northern Luzon.

mong the Filipino youth regarding their cultural heritage.

o’s romanticism of Philippine scenes.

e lines and contours appear like cutouts.”

pines dues to his use of impressionism in music.

 As a composer, he is credited with over 500 compositions.

he seal of the Republic of the Philippines.

ative writing by Conrad Aiken.

n Value, a poem dedicated to Villa.

 He is considered as the “Father of Modern Philippine Sculpture.”

Dean of Filipino Performing Arts Critics.

f the Manila Bulletin.

mpered the post-war Filipino film industry.

s the “most sublime interpretation of the part.”

for further voice studies.

in Pietro Mascacagni’s Iris, the title role of Salome.

adre Patria” by Spain.

 A portraitist and painter of rural Philippine landscapes.

ry Filipino issues such as usury, cockfighting, and colonial mentality.

 He composed songs, compositions, for solo instruments as well as symphonic and or

Bayanihan Philippine Dance Company of which she is the dance director.

 He is considered an important progenitor of the modern Filipino short st

 He reshaped the urban landscape with a distinctive architecture reflective of Philippine

portrays sunshine, stars, and rain.

f the Philippines Main Theater.

 He founded the organization Concerned Artists of the Philippines (CAP), dedicated

 He Filipinized western music forms, a feat aspired for by Filipino compos

 He was an active participant in the Filipino movie industry and enjoyed w

 Gonzalez attended creative writing classes under Wallace Stegner and K

 He was a prolific songwriter, with over 4,000 songs to his credit. He is p

 He is a founding member of the modern Neo-realist school in Philippine

 A portraitist and painter of rural Philippine landscapes.

 A portraitist and painter of rural Philippine landscapes.

 A portraitist and painter of rural Philippine landscapes.

 A portraitist and painter of rural Philippine landscapes.

 The rank and title of National Artist is conferred by means of a Presidential

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