ARTISTS A N D

ARTISANS
 Arts is one of the most significant ways in which we try to grapple with how
the present unfolds.
 In Robert Henri’s “The Art Spirit”, he stated that “Art when really understood
is the province of every human being. It is simply a question of doing things,
anything, well. It is not an outside extra thing. When the artist is alive in any
person , whatever his kind of work may be, he becomes an inventive ,
searching, daring self-expressing creature. He becomes interesting to other
people. He disturbs, upsets, enlightens and he open ways for better
understanding. Where those who are not artists are trying to close the book
he opens it, shows that there are more pages possible.”
 In Peter Drucker’s seminal book “Post-Capitalist Society”, he
stated that “the real controlling resource and the absolutely
decisive factor of production is neither capital, not land not labor.
It is knowledge. Instead of capitalist and proletarians, the classes of
the post capitalist society are the knowledge workers and the
service workers.”
 One type of knowledge that fuels the 21st Century is creativity.

In the 1st episode of the video series “New Ways
of Seeing”, underscored the significance of not only
the discovery of the cave paintings, but also the
paintings themselves.
Jerry Saltz asserted that “these first artists invented a way
to get the three-dimensional world into two dimensions
and attach value to their own ideas. And all of the history
of art flows forth from this invention.”
 Saltz is apparently referring to the first cave painters who
painted images of animals, hunting scenes, and a variety
of symbolic figures created during the Stone ages.

The most integral development that allowed the identity of

an “artist” to fully emerge is the systematization and
sophistication that his world-the art world-has become.
 The impulse to create is at the core of human civilization,
much like the impulse to communicate through language.
Early on, artists were embedded in the development of
culture, and in turn, art was nurtured by the varying
cultures in which it existed.
 The works produced varied from the prosaic (lacking beauty) to those that
explored a wide range of aesthetic possibilities. Artists created objects
which are present in all of the affairs of man such as ornamentation in tools and
other surfaces, weaving patterns in textiles, visual features and the design/plan
for architectural structures and ritual and burial implements.

 Artists even created places and spaces where communities may gather.
Examples are numerous monuments and memorials such as infamous Vietnam
Veterans Memorial in Washington DC. Cave paintings have an aura of mystery
like the Pyramid of Giza, or have alluded comprehension like the Stonehenge.
THE ARTISAN A N D THE GUILDS

 Magnificent structures are appreciated not only for their historical significance
but more so for their aesthetic characteristics that render them uniqueness.
What made the difference was the materials, medium and the principles
behind the process of their creation.

 Another factor that contributes to the preservation of the design and overall
aesthetic or beauty of an artwork is the emergence of the technology and
knowledge in managing and conserving all of these objects and structures.
 Consider the Gothic cathedrals and other megastructures that
were built all over in Europe during the Middle Ages. Craftsmen
and builders in the past fulfilled overlapping roles such as the
draftsman, architects and engineers and even as the builder.

 Gothic cathedrals along with other structures inspired by its

architectural tenets have survived through time, not only by their
sheer durability , but more so through the articulation of the
process that they followed.
 Example of an artwork which has an articulation of process is the Cologne
Cathedral in Germany. The account was that master mason Gerhard Ryle
started the project in 1248 but was only completed roughly 600 years later,
claiming the record as one of the longest construction projects to date.
 The practice of artists was not grounded to individual capacities or success;
rather in the commitment to work together as a collective. Guild were a type
of social fellowship, an association structured with rules, customs, rights and
responsibilities. With a lifetime commitment to a particular trade, an artisan
develops immense skill and expertise in his craft.
 A master artisan or craftsman would be open to hiring apprentices who
would be under his instruction. In this guild, artistry and technology flourished
under one roof.
ALBRECHT DURER

 Born in 1471, his father was a goldsmith and he was also an

apprentice but later on shifted to Visual arts. His life was ripe with
travels since it was customary to travel after completing an
apprenticeship to gather more experience and knowledge.

 He also published quite a number of books ad treatises including

those that talked about practical skills which would be useful to
other artisans and craftsmen who dared to read it.
FILIPINO ARTISANS DURING THE SPANISH COLONIAL PERIOD

 Artisans first learned to depict religious images and scenes.

Friars being non-artists themselves provided references the
artists could use. Spanish friars commissioned a lot of artisans
to carve, paint and engrave images for churches and public
sites.

 Each locality had their own style or feature the way their
depictions made. Example is the manner in which Boholano
artists would paint saints and scenes which were different
from those Rizal or in Laguna.
PROJECT K ISAME

 It refers to a collective endeavor amongst enthusiasts and advocates

who aimed to promote this art form through documentation,
engagement, and appreciation of surviving ceiling paintings in more 60
churches in the Philippines.

 Technology and heritage conservation occupied a substantial part of

this project. One example of a Spanish Architecture that has been
documented is the Church of the Most Holy Trinity in Loay, Bohol.
CHURCH OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY

 Built in 1822, the ceiling paintings were rendered trompe l’oeil style
depicting biblical scenes.

 In 2003, it became a National Historical Landmark . This church was one of

those heavily damaged during the devastating earthquake that rattled Bohol
in 2013.The Bell tower was the only section of the structured which remained.
 From the church, the next patrons of the arts were the new elite, the
ilustrados or the middle class.

 Portrait paintings became a fad. Two other important genres for painting
at that time were the tipos del pais and letra y figuras.

 Tipos del pais was watercolor paintings that showcased the

different local inhabitants of the country in different garbs, and clues
to their occupation and status while letra y figuras combined the
principle of tipos del pais and incorporated it as a means to illustrate
the letters of one’s name or surname.
DAMIAN DOMINGO OF THE ACADEMIA DE DIBUJO.

 One key example that illustrated the systematization of art instruction- a

combination of sorts of the guild and the art school- was the
establishment of Damian Domingo of the Academia de Dibujo.

 This is known as the best tipos del pais painter, this school specialized
in teaching the miniaturismo style of painting along with the tenets of
classical European painting. Miniaturismo style is an art showing a
person in a serious motive and outlook while holding an object that tells
about his/her power and status of living.