What are Contemporary

Visual Arts
 CONTEMPORARY VISUAL ARTS

Contemporary art is the term used for art of the

present day. Usually, the artists are alive and still
making work. Contemporary art is often about
ideas and concerns, rather than solely the
aesthetic (the look of the work). Artists try different
ways of experimenting with ideas and materials.
 NATIONAL ARTIST
FOR CONTEMPORARY
VISUAL ARTS
 Fernando Amorsolo (May 30, 1892 – April
24, 1972)

• known as the Grand Old Man of Philippine Art.

• Born in Manila, he was educated at the Art
School of the Liceo de Manila, the University of
the Philippines School of Fine Arts, and spent
time abroad in Spain and the United States.
 Fernando Amorsolo (May 30, 1892 – April
24, 1972)
• Lauded for his skill in depicting light and form,
Amorsolo is well known for his paintings of idyllic
Philippine rural life.
• He rejected Western ideals of beauty and sought to
promote Filipino beauty instead, and his use
of chiaroscuro became an artistic trademark that set
his work apart from the rest.
Maiden in a
The Mestiza (1943)
Stream (1921)
Planting Rice (1946)
Guillermo Tolentino (July 24, 1890 – July
12, 1976)
• Guillermo Tolentino is a giant in the landscape of
Philippine sculpture, and indeed no other sculptor
is so widely known, except for perhaps Napoleon
Abueva.
• His masterpiece, the Bonifacio Monument in
Caloocan, was completed in 1933 and symbolizes
the Filipino cry for freedom.
Guillermo Tolentino (July 24, 1890 – July
12, 1976)
• Other famous works include the Oblation, now
an iconic symbol of the University of the
Philippines, as well as the marble statue of
Ramon Magsaysay at the GSIS Building.
• Tolentino also created numerous busts and
statues that can be found at iconic sites
throughout the country.
 Napoleon Abueva (January 26, 1930 –
February 16, 2018)
• One of the youngest to ever be conferred the
Order of National Artist, Napoleon Abueva
received the award at the young age of 46.
• The Father of Modern Philippine Sculpture,
Abueva was instrumental in shaping
sculpture in the Philippines.
 Napoleon Abueva (January 26, 1930 –
February 16, 2018)

• He was recognized for being adept at a variety of

forms and materials. In fact, he was equally as
comfortable with classical sculpture as he was with
more abstract forms, and his work is made from
anything from local hardwood to coral to brass.
Kiss of Judas (1955) Nine Muses (1994)
Victorio Edades (December 23, 1895 –
March 7, 1985)

• Victorio Edades was a key figure in the

history of Philippine art, counted as one
of the revolutionary Thirteen Moderns
and later called the Father of Modern
Philippine Painting.
Victorio Edades (December 23, 1895 –
March 7, 1985)

• Edades moved away from the idyllic landscapes of his

contemporary Amorsolo and instead preferred to paint
a more sobering picture of Philippine society.
• His works employed dark and somber colors, and were
focused on depicting the dirt and sweat of laborers,
factory workers, and the Philippine proletariat.
Victorio Edades (December 23, 1895 –
March 7, 1985)
• Edades became Dean of the Department of
Architecture in the University of Santo Tomas,
later instituting an art degree program.
• He invited Carlos Francisco and Galo B. Ocampo
to become professors at the university, and the
three were later known as the Triumvirate.
The Sketch Portrait of the
Professor
Poinsettia Girl.
Vicente Manansala (January 22, 1910 –
August 22, 1981)
• A master of the style of Cubism, Vicente Manansala
is credited as one of the figures in the Philippine art
world who popularized neo-realism in the country.
• He was educated at the University of the
Philippines School of Fine Arts, later training in
Paris, Banff, Montreal and at the Otis School of
Drawing in Los Angeles. 
Vicente Manansala (January 22, 1910 –
August 22, 1981)

• Manansala developed a style called transparent

cubism, where he masterfully overlaid colors
and shapes to depict forms and figures.
• This style is exemplified in his
works Kalabaw, Mother and Child, Madonna of
the Slums, and Still Life with Green Guitar.
Vicente Manansala (January 22, 1910 –
August 22, 1981)

• Most of Manansala’s artistic estate

currently resides in Holy Angel
University’s The Vicente Manansala
Collection.
Madonna of
Still Life with Green
the Slums
Guitar