Contemporary Philippine Arts ART AND NATURE

From the Region - art is not nature.

Arts - sunsets, stars, waves, these are all
- is an expression or application of human natural things, they are not works of art.
creative skill and imagination, producing - a work of art is man-made.
works to be appreciated primarily for their Although it may closely resemble nature,
beauty or emotional power. you can never duplicate nature.
- can be a form of creative activity such - nature is evanescent and always
as dancing, music, painting, literature. recreating itself. Art is non-repeatable and
➣ Uprooting - always just beginning new unchanging.
chapters, but never really finishing those.
➣ Meme - pop art HISTORY OF ARTS
THE NATURE OF ART - the origin of art history can be traced
Art is Everywhere back to the Prehistoric era.
- art is found everywhere. It is very much a - the earliest artifacts come from the
part of our lives. Paleolithic era or the Old Stone Age, in the
- art is not confined to our cities and form of rock carvings, engravings, pictorial
towns alone. Art also exists among ethnic imagery, sculptures, and stone
groups. arrangements.
CAN WE IGNORE THE PRESENCE OF ART? ARTS IN HISTORY
- we find art in the clothes and • Prehistoric • Renaissance • Modern
accessories we wear, in the design of our • Civilizations • Baroque
furniture and the style of our houses and • Continental • Neoclassic
vehicles we use. • Medieval • Romantic
- we find art objects in the home and ARTS THROUGH THE AGES
community, in school, church, in trade. • Contemporary Arts - new arts forms
Art exists in all forms of human society • Romantic Arts - self expression
and in every generation because it serves • Modern Arts - fine arts
some fundamental human needs. • Renaissance Arts - genius and design
ART AS EXPRESSION AND • Christian Period - craftsmanship
COMMUNICATION • Roman Period - skills
- we express our emotional state by some • Greek Period - techniques
visible signs and activities. Contemporary Arts
- expression in the arts, however, is not - is the art that springs out of the
limited to the revelation of emotions present-day events and passion of the
alone. The personal and his penetrating society.
psychological insights into human reality - arts being created by now.
are also conveyed through the arts. WHY IS IT UNIQUE?
- the artist uses symbols which he - art functions in a global society that is
organizes into some comprehensible culturally diverse and
equivalent of the experience that he is technology-oriented.
trying to convey. - it has become a collaborative process
- if the symbols are understood by his and the audience plays an active role in
audience, the communication has been reacting and constructing meaning about
established. But sometimes, it is not the the work of art.
artist's main intention to communicate.
WHY STUDY CONTEMPORARY ARTS? TYPES OF ARTS
- it serves as a form of expression of ➣ Visual Arts - seeing (painting,
peoples present feelings and longings. sculpture, photograph, filmmaking)
➣ Arts and Politics ➣ Applied Arts - seeing and using
➣ Arts and Society (graphic design, fashion design, product
PABLO PICASSO design)
- There is a story about Ancient Art and ➣ Performance Arts - seeing and
Pablo Picasso. The story is that he once experiencing (dance, music, theater)
visited Altamira, the famous Paleolithic • Art forms in different regions vary in
cave in Northern Spain. Picasso was said subject, theme, style, medium, and
to have emerged from the cave shaking technique.
his head. When questioned about his • There are certain characteristics that are
reaction to the art, Picasso - the leading common to all. First, the arts share the
modern artist of his time - replied - same tradition and influences, which our
“In 15,000 years we have invented country has undergone for more than four
nothing!” centuries.
➣ Those old cave paintings are so ELEMENTS OF ART
amazing, it seems like we haven't come 1. Space
up with much more creative or impressive - space in visual arts can be defined as a
stuff since then. We've just gotten better void, an emptiness which can either be
with the tools we have. So, it's kind of a positive or negative. The positive space
play on words. Did we invent something refers to a space enclosed with a shape
totally brand new, or are we just using the while the negative space denotes the
same old ideas in fancier ways? opposite.
➣ Positive - the subject - shapes or
objects you see first.
➣ Negative - the background - empty
space between the subject.
- moreover, in other art forms, space can
be referred to as an interval or pause. In
literature, it is the pause between words,
whereas in music, it is the interval
between notes.
- space refers to the area that is occupied
by an object or a subject, as well as the
area surrounding that object or subject.
- an illusion of space can still be created
in a two-dimensional surface using
perspective. There are two types of
perspective:
➣ Atmospheric Perspective - utilizes the
properties of light and air in depicting the
illusion of distance.
➣ Linear Perspective - involves the use of
vanishing points and receding hidden
lines.
2. Line - color can also vary from dull or bright,
- is the extension of a point, a short or long depending on its intensity, like in music,
mark drawn or carved on a surface. It is where intensity can also refer to the
an implied path suggesting:
loudness or softness of a sound.
a.) Direction: vertical, horizontal, diagonal
5. Value
b.) Character: jagged, curved, series of
dots or broken lines. - in visual arts, value is a degree of
➣ Solid lines - can be used in order to lightness or darkness of color.
define form. - in music, it is called pitch, which is the
➣ Broken Lines - typically used to suggest highness or lowness of a tone. The tone
hidden forms.
colour or timbre refers to the quality of the
- in theater, a line may refer to the scripts
sound.
of the actor. In dance, it is the series of
- like color, value suggest an atmosphere
steps that a dancer makes.
3. Shape and Form or mood, also found in other art forms

- when the ends of the line meet, they (e.g., strong contrast suggests a strong

form a shape. Shape can also be emotional response, especially in writing.)

described as a figure separate from its 6. Texture

surrounding area or background. It can - is the surface of an artwork.

either be geometric (angular) - - it can be actual or tactile, meaning, it

measured forms or organic (curvy) - can really be felt by touch; or it can be

natural or living forms. simulated or illusory, which means it can

- form is slightly similar to shape. But only be seen, not felt.

shape is two-dimensional, while form is

three-dimensional. For instance, the
square is an example of shape, the cube
is a form. The circle is a shape, the sphere
is a form.
4. Color
- probably the most striking art element
that catches the eye is color.
- it is sensational created by visible
wavelengths of light caught in a prism.
- it is a mixture of organic or synthetic
substances called pigments, using a
paint or dye.
- colors create a mood or tone, such as
red for passion, anger, and love; blue for
peace, nobility, and sadness; and yellow
for gaiety, innocence or jealousy.
- color can also have different meanings,
depending on one’s culture.
VISUAL ARTS: PAINTINGS ➣ Folk Genre - mainly focuses on the
• Contemporary Arts everyday activities of the folk.
- refers to art produced today. It can be ➣ Folk-naive - uses a lot of color and
spontaneity.
through the form of painting, sculpture,
• Historical Painting
photography, performance and video art.
- depicts a scene from the past. It often
• Painting has a lesson concerning national values.
- refers to the process of applying color • Interiors
on a flat surface. - this refers to painting inside of a part of
- forms can be created using a wide a house or a building.
variety of materials such as watercolor, - this usually reveals the social class of the
acrylic, ink, oil, pastel, and charcoal. family living in that particular house, as
- surfaces for painting include wood, well as the traits of the people living in it.
canvas, cardboard, and paper. • Landscapes
- painting is considered two-dimensional, - portrays natural scenery or urban
meaning it only has height and width. scenes.
FORMS OF PAINTING - mixed media is now used in creating
• Easel Painting landscape paintings.
- is perhaps the most common form of - closely related to landscapes are
painting which involves applying color to seascapes, which focus on large bodies
a board or canvas that is fixed on an of water, particularly the ocean of the sea.
upright support called an easel. • Portraits
- these are meant to be framed and hung - refers to a painting portraying one or
on a wall after creating them. more specific individuals.
• Murals - this usually portrays the physical
- is described as a huge wall-sized characteristics of the subject and seeks to
painting used to impart a message to the show an understanding of that person’s
public. character.
• Telon Painting • Nudes
- a telon is described as a backdrop or - these are paintings that portray the
background for the stage which are used unclothed human figure.
for komedya, sarswela, and senakulo, the - nude painting sessions are conducted in
popular forms of theater in the country. galleries.
• Collage • Religious Painting
- this refers to a form of painting that - common subjects of religious painting
involves combining images in a single include a lone religious image, lives of the
artwork. saints, and scenes based from the
- this entails cutting and pasting Scriptures like the Nativity scene, and the
materials such as paper, fabric, tin foil, Station of the Cross.
and other relatively flat materials onto a
board or canvas.
THEMES OF PAINTING
• Genre Painting
- portrays people in daily activities.
- during the contemporary period, genre
painting took several directions. One of
these new approaches is:
SCULPTURE OTHER FORMS OF VISUAL ART
- is the branch of the visual arts that - the following are some of the visual arts
operates in three dimensions. used by various companies and offices.
- it is one of the plastic arts. • Advertising Art
- in contrast to painting, sculpture has - this refers to using paid space or time in
three dimensions - height, width, and any of the media to inform and influence
depth. the public.
- it is created by either carving, modelling, - used to encourage the public to
or assembling parts together. patronage certain goods and services, or
GENERAL KINDS OF SCULPTURE: to support policies or persons.
• Free-standing • Bamboo Art
- a kind of sculpture that can - refers to works made of bamboo that
independently stand in space. may be used for everyday purposes, fr
- it has a flat horizontal base. decorations or ornaments.
- all its sides contribute to the overall form • Basketry
of the sculpture. - this refers to the art of creating
• Relief containers by weaving, plaiting, or
- this kind of sculpture does not have a braiding materials into hollow
flat horizontal base. three-dimensional shapes that can either
- the form is projected from a flat surface. be used for carrying, storage, and
➣ Low Relief or Bas-relief - slightly from trapping animals.
the low surface. • Book Design
➣ High Relief - involves structuring and reproduction of
• Assemblage bound pages that are filled with text and
- this sculpture is formed by putting images, and are protected by hard or soft
together materials such as found objects, covers.
pieces of paper, sponges, wood scraps, • Costumes
and other materials. - these are garments, hairstyles, and
- a good example of this is Lamberto accessories that are worn by individual
Hechanova’s Man and Woman. members in particular society
• KInetic Sculpture • Embroidery
- considered as sculpture in motion - this refers to the art of stitching
because the entire sculpture of some ornaments on cloth by hand.
parts of the sculpture are moving with the • Food Art
wind or are vibrating with the surrounding - this involves packaging and
air. presentation of food in an artistic way.
• Welded Sculpture - food art involves enhancing the food
- creating these sculptures involve the itself or its packaging in an artistic way.
process of connecting sheets of metal • Furniture
together by using an acetylene or electric - these are decorative and functional
torch. objects which are typically found in a
• Use of Glass public or private dwelling or building
- a kind of sculpture where the medium of - these are also known as muebles or
expression used by the artist is glass. kasangkapan.
• Komiks and Editorial Cartoon • Printmaking
- both komiks and editorial cartoons - refers to transferring images from a firm
involve illustrations of stories or events. surface, such as metal or wood, to a
➣ Editorial Cartoon - is a single-frame pliable surface, such as cloth or paper,
illustration that may either makes fun of using pressure.
political leaders or institutions, or • Tattoo Art
comments on current events. - this refers to a body adornment
➣ Komiks - may use single or multiple permanently engraved on the skin using a
frames with conversations of people or sharp instrument and plant dyes or inks.
animals placed inside “balloons”. • Textile Weaving
• Leaf Art - this refers to the process of creating
- is used in religious rituals, food wrapping, cloth by interweaving a series of parallel
and even as a form of modern artistic vertical threads with another series of
expression. This makes leaf art different horizontal threads at right angles.
from basketry. CONTEMPORARY ARTS
• Personal Ornaments - refers to art being created by now.
- these are objects that are worn on the - contemporary is derived from the Latin
human body. prefix con, which means “together” or
- these are worn either to enhance a part “with”, plus tempus which means “time”.
of the body of the wearer, to exhibit rank, - the chronological view defines
or to symbolize ritualistic and emotional contemporary art as related to this
states. current period in art history, and refers to
• Photography art that is new, recent, modern or pertains
- this refers to the process of producing to the present moment.
images using a light-sensitive chemical - the historical usage, meanwhile, regards
plate or film. contemporary art as a specific stage in
- photographs are taken to serve as the story of the evolution of art, referring to
portraits and as propaganda which is a specific location in space and time.
highly useful medium for an artist. - emerged in the Philippines in reaction to
• Pottery social and cultural realities during 1970’s
- is a general term for decorative and which was an era of repression and
useful objects made from clay and set off censorship of artistic expressions.
at high temperatures. - Philippine art became the means to
- this is frequently interchanged with oppose the regime, and the political art of
“ceramics”. However, it is important to social realism flourished at this time.
note that application of ceramics is wider ➣ Socio realism - is an art movement
and even industrial use. which sought to expose the real condition
➣ Earthenware or Terracotta - this type of Philippine society and used art to
of pottery is made from clay and is usually transform it.
fired at 1,700 - 2,100 °F. - progressive art developed a culture that
➣ Stoneware - this type of pottery is would convey the authentic aspirations of
made from clay and feldspar. the Filipino people.
➣ Porcelain - made from kaolin, a special - the end of martial law in the wake of
type of clay that is extra fine, white, and EDSA People Power Revolution in 1986
feldspar. brought the Philippines into the
contemporary period.
 commercialization of creative contents
• Contemporary art as a which are tangible and cultural in nature.
Breaking of Norms • Contemporary as Commentary
- contemporary art can be seen as a - art has been used to answer our need
transgression of established norms and for information.
rules. Established artforms are scrutinized - artists who fulfill our need for
commentary often speak in a language
and contemporary art reworks them to
easy to understand, they view art as the
see them with fresh eyes.
primary goal to communicate by means
- contemporary art is ruled by the cult of of subject matter.
the new, endeavoring to create works of • Contemporary art in Spirituality
art that are “radical” &“interdisciplinary”. - artists may create to express spiritual
- appropriation is an important beliefs about the destiny of life controlled
by the force of a higher power.
preoccupation in contemporary art which
• Contemporary as Remembrance
is the practice of creating a new work by
- art can be remembrance which is
taking a pre-existing image and com-
something done as an aid to memory. We
bining the borrowed image with new ones. need to commemorate important events
• Contemporary art and Local Heritage and people that have shaped our history
- contemporary art professes an and show reverence for those who have
awareness of local heritage which is gone before us.
something that can be passed from one • Contemporary art as Self-expression
generation to the next, can be conserved - art fulfills an expressive function when
or inherited, and has historic and cultural an artist conveys information about
value. These are physical objects, places his/her personality, feelings or worldview.
of heritage and the various practices of CONTEMPORARY ART - FILIPINO ARTISTS
heritage unique to the region or locality AND THEIR CONTRIBUTION
that are conserved or handed down from • Artist - one who professes or practices
one generation to another. an imaginative art.
FUNCTIONS OF CONTEMPORARY ART ARTISTS ROLE IN THE PAST
• Contemporary art for Pleasure - to create something that uplift the spirit,
- a visual delight in the work of art, can something aesthetically pleasing and
take many forms including an entertaining.
appreciation of beauty or decoration, or ARTIST IN TODAY’S ERA - THE FILIPINO
delight in an element of surprise. ARTIST ROLE
- most cultures that have a definition of 1. Personal - the artist expresses what
beautiful, define it as something pleasing he/she feels.
to the eye, and often resembling an ideal 2. Social - the artist expresses what
of some sort. he/she sees around him/her.
• Contemporary art as Profession 3. Physical - the artist finds a need to
- artists earn a living through their art create something not only pleasing to
since art and ideas are never free. They look at but also something useful as well.
possess value in the complex web of the 4. Immaterial - the artist gives form to the
creative industries that combine the immaterial, the hidden truth of the
creation, production, and universe, and the spiritual force that
inhabits the world.
Banksy once said, “The purpose of art is which is awarded by the National
to comfort the disturbed and disturb the Commission for Culture and the Arts
comfortable” (NCCA) together with the Cultural Center
ROLE OF FILIPINO CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS of the Philippines (CCP).
• gives his opinion about the culture of his WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE A NATIONAL
time. ARTIST?
• work as a crusader, attempting to sway 1. Living artists who have been Filipino
the viewer to his/her side. citizens for the last 10 years prior to
• criticize social issues, exposing the nomination as well as those who have
inequalities of life, effects of urbanization, died after the establishment of the award
globalization, and neo-colonialism, in 1972 but were Filipino citizens at the time
evident in most contemporary works of their death.
today. 2. Artists who have helped build a Filipino
• advocate for what he/she believes in. sense of nationhood through the content
He/she creates an artistic controversy, and form of their works.
thereby becoming an agent of change. 3. Artists who have distinguished
• the Filipino artist is versatile. He/she themselves by pioneering in a mode of
creates,not only to realize his/her personal creative expression of succeeding
fulfillment, but also to express a point of generations of artists.
view. He/she is a storyteller, narrating 4. Artists who have created a significant
everyday life or extraordinary events; body of works and/or have consistently
presenting cultures in different lights and displayed excellence in the practice of
recording and preserving history for future their art form. Enriching artistic expression
generations to see. or style.
(e.g., Fernando Amorsolo) 5. Artists who enjoy broad acceptance
➣ Poverty Porn - is a tactic used by through prestigious awards/recognitions.
nonprofits and charity organizations to BENEFITS OF BEING A NATIONAL ARTIST
gain empathy and contributions from • Every national artist is entitled to a
donors by showing exploitative imagery of “medallion and citation; a one-time cash
people living in destitute conditions. award of one hundred thousand pesos
(₱100,000) net of taxes; a monthly life
• Proclamation 1001 dated April 2, 1972 by pension; life insurance coverage (for
then President Ferdinand E. Marcos, the awardees who are still insurable);
government of the Philippines confers the • A posthumous award consisting of the
award to deserving individuals as medallion and citation and ₱75,000 in
recommended by the Cultural Center of cash shall be given to the deceased
the Philippines (CCP) and the National awardees’ nearest kin or a representative
Commission for Culture and the Arts designated by the family.
(NCCA). • State funeral and burial at the LNMB.
• To be National Artist is considered to be
the highest national recognition given to
Filipino individual who have made
significant contributions to the
development of Philippine arts
GAWAD SA MANLILIKHA NG BAYAN which means a person who has attained
(GAMABA): distinction. He strikes to dispense justice in
• Eduardo Mutuc (2005 awardee) the community through his work as a
- he dedicated his life in creating religious manughusay which is an arbiter of
and secular art in silver, bronze and wood. conflicts.
According to him, craftsmanship begins • Masino Intaray (1993 awardee)
with respect for one’s tools and the - he is a prolific and pre-eminent epic
medium, and the only way to improve canter and storyteller recognized for his
one’s skills is to immerse oneself, learn the outstanding mastery of various traditional
technique, and to practice. musical instruments of the Palaw’an
• Darhata Sawabi (2005 awardee) people, such as basal, kulilal and bagit. He
- she is a Tausug weaver of pis syabit – is an outstanding master of the basal,
the traditional cloth tapestry worn as a kulilal (musical ensemble) and bagit; a
head cover. Women in Sulu province have gifted pot, bard artist, and musician.
grown up learning in weaving the pis • Samon Sulaiman (1993 awardee)
syabit and she is one of those who took - he is Magindanaon, who is highly
the art of pis syabit making to heart. sophisticated in weaving, okir designs,
• Haja Amina Appi (2005 awardee) jewelry, metalwork and brassware which
- she is recognized as a master mat art is Southeast Asian yet distinct in
weaver among the Sama indigenous character.
community for her unique designs, • Uwang Ahadas (2000 awardee)
straightness of her edging (tabig), and - his near-blindness eyesight made music
fineness of her sasa and kima-kima. his constant companion. He is a Yakan, a
• Lang Dulay (1998 awardee) people to whom instrumental music is of
- she is a T’boli traditional weaver of much significance, connected as it is with
“tinalak” or T’boli cloth made of colorful both the agricultural cycle and the social
abaca fabrics. She used abaca fibers as realm.
fine as hair which speaks more eloquently • Ginaw Bilog (1993 awardee)
than words can. - he is a Hanunoo Mangyan who is
• Salinta Monon (1998 awardee) considered as a master of the ambahan
- she is a Tagabanwa-Bagobo traditional poetry. He shares old and new ambahans
weaver of distinct abaca fabrics called with his fellow Mangyans and promotes
inabal. She developed a keen eye for the this poetic form in every occasion. A
traditional designs and can identify the common cultural aspect among cultural
designs as well as the author of a woven communities nationwide is the oral
piece just by a glance. tradition characterized by poetic verses
• Alonzo Saclag (2000 awardee) which are either sung or chanted.
- he is a Kalinga master of dance and the • Magdalena Gamayo (2012 awardee)
performing arts who mastered not only - she is a master weaver who makes
the Kalinga musical instruments but also “inabel”, an Ilokano handwoven cloth. She
the dance patterns and movements was awarded for her wide array skills in
associated with his people’s ritual. textile weaving. Her handiworks are finer
• Federico Caballero than most abel. Her blankets have a very
- he is a Sulod-Bukidnon epic chanter who high thread count and her designs are the
works for the documentation of the oral most intricate that sometimes take up to
literature. He is considered as bantugan five colors.