Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Introduction
The historical development of arts in the Philippines may be traced into three
periods (1) Spanish Period (2) American Period and (3) Modern Periods. Early Filipino’s
painting be manifested today among the arts and architecture of the Maranao who are
well known for the Naga dragons and the Sarimanok and printed in beautiful Panolong
of their Tarogan or King’s House.
Among Philippines Visual Arts are paintings, ethnic art which is the native
indigenous Philippine design, and the folk at which is the people’s craft as well as
handicrafts. The most common and famous folk art motifs are the Serpent Demon of the
Naga, The Sarimanok, and Tattoo Art.
Objectives
1. Discuss the development of Visual Art in the Philippines
2. Identify the visual art in the Philippines
3. Appreciate the artistic design and motif in the visual art of Filipinos.
Contents
S Ethnic Art
- This means native or indigenous Philippine design. This kind of art is
influenced by our southeast-asian neighbors. The Ethnic art has curvilinear and linear
patterns or design. This can also be traced from the primitive designs as demonstrated
in Philippine Pre-historic pottery used as surface decorations by way of painting or
engraving.
S Folk Art
- It means peoples craft as as handicrafts. This is basically made by the
well hands of the common people materials are crafted together that the process
where the itself is also an art form. The style of these products reflect the way of life of
quality and the makers.
S The Academia
> A Royal Decree promulgated on March 13, 1846 founded the Academia de Dibujo y
Pintura in the City of Manila.
> Agustine Saez, the Director, was the lone faculty member.
> Lorenzo Rocha who succeeded Saez as Director joined the school in 1867.
> Simon Flores y de la Rosa was one of those who studied at the Academia. He
created most of his religious canvases using paints. Some of his paintings include
Saint John the Baptist, Madonna and Child, and Feeding Chickens.
•/ 19th Century Masters
> Juan Luna and Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo received high honors abroad for their
works.
> While Juan Luna was in the Philippines, he studied under Saez, Rocha, and
Guerrero. His Spolarium won him a gold medal in the Exposicion Nacional de Bellas
Artes. Prior to Spolarium, he painted La Muerte de Cleopatra in 1881 in Rome.He also
painted El Pueblo y Los Reyes, Blood Compact, and Portrait of Legaspi. Luna
succumbed to heart attack in 1899 in Hongkong.
> The paintings of Hidalgo include: Virgenes Cristianas Expuestas Al Populacho, La
Barca de Aquaronte, and Oedipus and Antigone.
• Painting During the American Period
> The establishment of the Art Association of the Philippines in 1948 and the
Philippine Art Gallery in 1950 helped much to introduce modern art to the populace, to
support its struggle against conservative art, and to create patronage among art-
buyers.
> In the sixties and seventies, modern art has firmly secured itself in the cosmopolitan
art world of Manila, although the question of what is Filipino in this art, as in all the other
arts, has continually followed its development from the fifties to the present.
> The rift between the conservatives or those who subscribe to the Amorsolo and
Tolentino style of painting and the "Moderns" led by Edades would resurface in the
AAP art competition as most of its winners had modernist inclinations. Feeling that the
judges' decisions were biased, the artists who continued to practice in the conservative
tradition walked out as a form of protest and exhibited their works on the streets. These
artists were eventually more popularly associated with their studios lining the street of
Mabini, Manila. Today, they are also referred to as Mabini painters.
> In the early 16th century, some forms of native sculpture, mostly of idols, existed.
> Because of their pagan origin, the native idols were destroyed by the Spaniards.
> In time, Christianity spread, and so sculptures turned to religion for their subject
matter. They carved images of saints, crosses, crucifixes, and other religious
objects.
> The blossoming of Filipino sculpture started in the 19 th century. Example of
sculpture during this period is the Virgin, an Araneta collection which displays an
unconventional figure of the virgin. In this particular sculp, the neck thick, her
arms are bent, the face chubby and masculine, and the eyes are large and set
widely.
> Sculpture developed very slowly in the Philippines. The sculptors learned from
their predecessors or from the experience of fellow sculptors.
> Best examples of 18th century images are : the bas-relief Estaciones in the
church of Tanay; the image of the La Purisima Concepcion presumably left by
Salcedo’s men, also in Tanay; and the St. John and Christ at the Morong
Church.
> Realism developed fully in the Manila area in the 19 th century - there were not
only native sculptors but also Sanleys who were skillful in the craft.
> The well-carved images and ornamentations in the Patio of San Agustin Church
were of Baroque art. They were done mostly in the 18 th century.
✓ Sculpture during the American Period
> After the revolution in 1896, Filipino sculptors began to erect monuments.
> Monuments of Jose Rizal were constructed in plazas all over the archipelago.
> In 1905, a full- figure monument was undertaken by Ramon Martinez which was
erected at the site of the "Cry of Balintawak” in honor of Andres Bonifacio. Other
heroes were also displayed at the Bonifacio Monument.
> If Amorsolo dominated Philippine painting for the first decades of the 20th
century, in sculpture it was Guillermo Tolentino (1890-1976). Trained in the
classical style in Rome, Tolentino’s masterpieces include the Oblation in the
University of the Philippines and the Bonifacio Monument in Caloocan. His
Bonifacio monument is
One of the main architectural styles applied to the design of our churches was
the Romanesque style, which is characterized by arcades, arched windows, large
towers with round arches, and massive and thick walls, among others. Prominent
churches with this style include the Manila Cathedral and the Sto. Tomas de Villanueva
Parish in Cebu. The Baroque architectural style was then introduced, which features a
massive structural design, the use of either stone or brick, wall buttresses, the use of
vivid colors and rich interior decorations and frescoes, among others. Our Baroque
churches — the San Agustin Church in Manila, Paoay Church in Ilocos Norte, Sta.
Maria Church in Ilocos Sur and Miagao Church in Iloilo — were included by Unesco in
its World Heritage List.
Manila Cathedral
The National Commission for Culture and the Arts identified more than 20
Spanish colonial-era churches that represent the church-building orders of Augustinians,
Franciscans, Dominicans, Jesuits and Augustinian Recollects and the Seculars. The
National Museum also declared these as National Cultural Treasures. To be part of this
prestigious list, an item or place must "possess outstanding historical, cultural, artistic
and/or scientific value which is significant and important to the country.” Included in the
list are the four aforementioned Baroque churches — the Manila Cathedral, Barasoain
Church in Bulacan, Betis Church in Pampanga, Calasiao Church and Manaoag Church
in Pangasinan, Masinloc Church in Zambales, Maragondon Church in Cavite, Laoag
Cathedral in Ilocos Sur, Church of Sta. Barbara in Iloilo, and Baclayon Church in Bohol,
among others.
Miagao Church
During the Spanish colonial period, the Spanish friars and missionaries were put
in charge of educating the Filipinos. Included in the Laws of the Indies was the mandate
to teach natives the basic catechism of the Catholic Church and how to read and write.
It also mandated the establishment of universities and other educational institutions.
Thus, schools were concurrently built with churches. Prominent schools that were built
Paoay Church
Aside from churches and schools, other structures built during the Spanish
period that are now recognized as National Cultural Treasures are Intramuros, Fort San
Antonio Abad, Paco Park, the Twin Forts of Romblon Island and many others.
Established in 1571, Intramuros was the center of the Spanish occupation for
several centuries. The Walled City had 51 blocks where government officials and the
wealthiest and most influential citizens lived.Inside its walls were churches, schools,
government offices, military barracks, hospitals and residences of the elite.
Fort Santiago, Manila Cathedral, San Agustin Church, Plaza de Roma, Baluarte
de San Diego and the Ayuntamiento de Manila are located within Intramuros.
Architecture of faith has greatly influenced arts and architecture in our country.
We at Palafox Associates and Palafox Architecture Group Inc. are humbled and
honored to have been appointed to be the architects and planners of places of worship
of various faiths.
Early Churches of Intramuros
Intramuros, as the seat of religious and political power during the Spanish
Colonial Period, was the home to seven grand churches built by different religious
orders.
• SAN AGUSTIN CHURCH. ...
• THE MANILA CATHEDRAL. ...
• SAN IGNACIO CHURCH. ...
• OUR LADY OF LOURDES CHURCH. ...
• SAN FRANCISCO CHURCH. ...
• SAN NICOLAS DE TOLENTINO CHURCH.
Other Churches
Aside from these 14 churches, pilgrims may also visit other historical churches in central
and northern Luzon.