NATIONAL ARTIST FOR VISUAL ARTS:

Fernando Amorsolo (May 30, 1892 – April 24, 1972)

Amorsolo is the first National Artist in the country and was known for using backlighting
technique in painting, making his creation bright and cheerful.

Carlos "Botong" Francisco (November 4, 1912 – March 31, 1969)

Francisco revived the art of mural and was considered to be the most distinguished mural
painter for about three decades and was known for using historical events as subject matter
for his murals.
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Guillermo E. Tolentino (July 24, 1890 – July 12, 1976)

Honored as National Artist for Sculpture in 1973 and was known for
designing the seal of the Republic of the Philippines, and the gold bronze
medals for the Ramon Magsaysay Award. Tolentino’s works include the “UP
Oblation.”

Napoleon V. Abueva (January 26, 1930)

Abueva was considered to be the Father of Modern Philippine Sculpture. He is

skillful in creating both representational and modern abstract sculptures using
a wide variety of materials. He was also known for creating “bouyant
sculpture,” a type of sculpture to be viewed from the surface of a pool.
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Victorio C. Edades (December 23, 1895-March 7, 1985)

Recognized as the Father of Modern Philippine Painting and was known

for using somber colors in his paintings. His works focused on factory
workers, laborers or other simple townspeople.

Vicente Manansala (January 22, 1910-August 22, 1981)

He was known for his paintings depicting realistic themes using an

abstract or a cubist style. He believed that the beauty of art is in the process,
in the moment of doing a particular painting, closely associating it with the
act of making love
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Hernando R. Ocampo (April 28, 1911-December 28, 1978)

Ocampo was largely known for his abstract paintings. His works featured
shapes bounded with curved lines painted in intense colors. His masterpiece
“Genesis” was used as the basis of the design of the curtain of the Cultural
Center of the Philippines (CCP) Main Theater.

Cesar Legaspi (April 2, 1917-1994)

Legaspi was known for utilizing and refining cubism, a style involving
breaking parts into geometric shapes, in his paintings.
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Elizalde Navarro (May 22, 1924-June 10, 1990) He was known for his hardwood
masks reflecting the human and the animal abstract paintings in oil and
watercolor, and assemblages. He was also known for his fiction works for This
Week of the Manila Chronicle, and for his figurative drawing for Lydia Arquilla’s
Juan tamad.

Ang Kiukok (March 1, 1931 – May 9, 2005) He was known for his paintings
expressing nationalism and sociological agenda during the 60’s through vivid
cubistic figures. His works include “Geometric landscape,” “Pieta,” and the
“Seated Figure.”
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Benedicto Cabrera (April 10, 1942)

Known as “ Bencab,” Cabrera was noted as the bestselling painter of his

generation of Filipino artists and also known for his sketches of a scavenger
named “ Sabel, a symbol of dislocation, despair and isolation-the
personification of human dignity threatened by life’s circumstance.”

Abdulmari Asia Imao (January 14, 1936 – December 16, 2014)

Imao was instrumental in popularizing the ukil, sarimanok and naga

motifs in the country as original Filipino creations. He helped in developing
trust and confidence among cultural groups, which is needed in building a
more humane community and society.
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Federico Aguilar Alcuaz (June 6, 1932-Fahriary 2, 2011)

Alcuaz was mainly known for his oil and acrylic paintings, and sketches in
ink. Pencil, and watercolor.

Francisco Coching (January 29, 1919-September 1, 1998)

Tagged as the “Dean of Filipino Illustrators,” Coching is best known for his
work on comics and illustrations which lead to its recognition as popular art.
He has influenced cartoonists such as Larry Alcala, Ben Infante and Nestor
Redondo.
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Jose T. Joya (June 3,1931 – 1995)

Joya is known for pioneering abstract expressionism in the

Philippines. His most notable work is the Granadean Arabesque (1958).
He also represented Philippines in the 1964 Venice Biennale.