CONTEMPORARY

ARTS – 12
WEEK 1

SUBMITTED BY:
CHARLES T. CADAY, JR
GAS – BATCH C
What is contemporary fine art?
Contemporary art is art produced at the present point in time. Contemporary art

includes, and develops from, postmodern art, which is itself a successor to modern art.

To define contemporary fine art culture is first to define culture. Culture is how societies

inform their lives via specific behaviors and schools of thought. Every culture and

subculture determines what is “normal” or “acceptable” to them. And it is through this

multilayered lens, that individuals determine who they are, who they will be, how they

self-actualize, when, and why.  The “fine” in fine art, was also meant to denote the

unadulterated artistic expression, requiring no actual function.

The main purpose of fine art was to essentially add beauty to society. At this time the art

did not need to be useful like say, a frying pan would, but just present as elegant and

beautiful. This notion often brings a phrase coined by French poet Théophile Gautier,

“L’art pour l’art” meaning “art for art’s sake”.

The 7 Contemporary fine art disciplines   

Painting

Painting is a type of fine art that utilizes pigmented colors by applying them to

canvas,  paper, or any other flat surface with or without a paintbrush. Oil, acrylics,

watercolors, or pastels may also be used. Fine artists have been known to employ

anything from chapel ceilings, glass windows, dumpster-dived couches, to old closet

doors as painting surfaces. This area of fine art includes drawing, usually with pencils,

markers, paint markers, charcoal, crayons, and chalk. 

Sculpture 

Sculpture is a visual art defined by the artists shaping, molding, and forming, shapes,

and figures. The freedom of sculpture is the varied materials that can be used to do this

such as stone, wire, metal, bronze, ivory, wood, plastic, clay, and other unique mediums

to create structures and forms. Some unique contemporary sculpture exhibitions have

even used pieces of clothing, colored pencils, and pennies.

Architecture is the study and the design, planning, and construction of buildings, often

based on different time periods such as Victorian, Gothic, Plantation, Colonial, or Greek

Corthinian. Today, some common architectural styles that may be recognizable are

American Craftsman, Mid-Century Modern, and High-tech architecture of the 21st

century. More contemporary architecture designs are expressive and sometimes

represent everyday items, such as the 1.5 billion dollar Hollywood, Florida Hard Rock

Casino, The Guitar Hotel.   

Poetry

Poetry is a form of literary writing which utilizes rhythm or freeform styles in the

expression of thoughts and feelings. Poetry can be written about anything from the

social to the political, romantic, and natural. Some forms of poetry call for specific

syllables, lines, stanzas, and meter. They can be extremely simple or complex, utilizing

literary techniques and figurative languages such as metaphor, similes, hyperboles,

personification, and alliteration. 

Poetry has also evolved to include the more contemporary, spoken word poetry having

its roots in the Harlem Renaissance, Beat Poets era, Call and Response of African

culture, and competitive poetry slams for youth and adults. Poetry is often paired with

the fine art forms of painting and drawing, sculpture, and dance. Some of the world’s

most renowned poets are Rumi, Walt Whitman, Robert Frost, Emily Dickinson,

Gwendolyn Brooks, Maya Angelou, Amiri Baraka, Gil Scott-Heron, Nikki Giovanni, Asia

Samson, Nayyirah Waheed, Rupi Kaur, and Jasmine Mans. 

Music 

The purpose of music is to vocalize or use instruments to express feelings, thoughts,

and harmony. The universal language of music underpins many world cultures and is a

source of historical narrative storytelling. Music is a form of rhythmic communication

involving various instruments such as percussion (yes, this includes the Piano),

woodwind, brass, and string. Music is accompanied by lyricists on many occasions, or

without and falls under several genres such as Blues, Jazz, Folk, Reggae, Country, Hip

Hop, Opera, Classic, Film Scores, Indie, Techno, Rock, Classic Rock, R&B, Trance,

Heavy Metal, and Gospel. 

Literature is comprised of the written word and associated with a collection of written

work. It does not denote anything specific in its most barebones definition, only that the

work be a written work respectively. Literature is further recognized as books,

magazines, and plays; falling into genres such as Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Short

Story, Flash Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction, Essay, Memoir, Crime,

Speculative, Anthology, Epic, Fabel, Autobiography, and literature by language eg.

French Literature, Latin Literature, and German Literature. 

Dance 

The performance fine art form of dance is the use of the body for expression of thought

and emotion, with or without music. Dance is often pre-choreographed, rhythmic,

sequential, and cultural. Types of dance are Ballet, Modern and Contemporary, Jazz,

Ballroom, Hip-hop, Folk, and Performance Art. 

Ironically, the 7 fine art disciplines are extraordinary in that they are free enough to at

some point evoke one another yet complete enough to stand strong on their own. But,

altogether an onlooker can witness 7 disciplines working in unison, or 3-4 of the 7

disciplines forming one work of art, such as in a play that utilizes the spoken word with

poetry, music and vocalizing, dancing, and the architecture of the sets. This is indicative

of how fine art sustains itself, with itself, but must also be intentionally sustained by

society. 
What are the various contemporary art forms in

the Philippines?

Contemporary arts come in different forms: fine arts, visual arts and performing arts.

Fine arts direct on contemporary painting, sculpture and architecture.

How contemporary art emerged in the

Philippines?

The art of the Philippines had been influenced by almost all spheres of the globe. It had

the taste of the Renaissance, Baroque, and Modern Periods through the colonizers who

arrived in the country. 7. RONALD VENTURA is a contemporary Filipino artist known for

his dynamic melding of realism, cartoons, and graffiti.

How will you describe the contemporary art in

the Philippines?

Philippine Contemporary Art was an offshoot of social realism brought about by Martial

Law. Arts became expression of people’s aspiration for a just, free, and sovereign

society. Since the Japanese advocated for the culture of East Asia, preference was

given to the indigenous art and traditions of the Philippines.

When did contemporary art begin in the

Philippines?

1950s

What is the importance of contemporary art in

the Philippines?
Contemporary art is important in Filipino lives. It is so important because every

contemporary art reflects someone’s feelings, ideas or perspectives. Through

contemporary art, Filipinos can express themselves in a way that will be safely

observable for others. It is a means of personal expression.

What is the role of contemporary Filipino artist?

FILIPINO artists play a role in presenting and educating the public about our history and

identity. Many artists are doing work, artist collectives are thriving, and the market is

strong. The discourse is higher. One of the aims of PCAN is to consolidate and harness

the resources of Philippine contemporary art.”

The painting features a glimpse of Roman history centered on the bloody carnage

brought by gladiatorial matches. Spoliarium is a Latin word referring to the basement of

the Roman Colosseum where the fallen and dying gladiators are dumped and devoid of

their worldly possessions.

At the center of Luna’s painting are fallen gladiators being dragged by Roman soldiers.

On the left, spectators ardently await their chance to strip off the combatants of their

metal helmets and other armory. In contrast with the charged emotions featured on the

left, the right side meanwhile presents a somber mood. An old man carries a torch

perhaps searching for his son while a woman weeps the death of her loved one.

The Spoliarium is the most valuable oil-on-canvas painting by Juan Luna, a Filipino

educated at the Academia de Dibujo y Pintura (Philippines) and at the Academia de

San Fernando in Madrid, Spain. With a size of 4.22 meters x 7.675 meters, it is the

largest painting in the Philippines. A historical painting, it was made by Luna in 1884 as

an entry to the prestigious Exposicion de Bellas Artes (Madrid Art Exposition, May

1884) and eventually won for him the First Gold Medal.
EXPLANATION/CRITIQUE;

no doubt that the painting commands attention and gives off a majestic aura. It is the

largest painting in the Philippines so far. Any viewer of the painting will feel dwarfed by

the large painting and may feel overwhelmed by the magnanimity of it. The next thing

we'll notice about the painting is the rich in colors used. Mostly, the painter made use of

warm colors for his work of art, with reds being a central color that attracts the most

attention. As what other's personal experience, the colors are striking and quite unique.

The Spolarium depicts an event during the Roman Empire, where bloodied bodies of

gladiators, who were drawn as slaves, are dragged mercilessly away by men from the

wide and powerful arena towards an unknown darkness, and where other tragically

killed gladiators are brought. A cheering crowd, screaming for blood can be noticed from

the left side of the painting while to the right a woman who is in crouched and seemingly

in sorrow.

Definitely, the painting shows a tragic event. But it also shows a deeper meaning,

especially for the Filipinos during the time of the Spanish colonization. According to

some art experts, the fallen gladiators who are being dragged in the painting are the

Filipino people, while the men dragging them are representative of the Spanish rule. It is

believed that the woman crouched on the right side of the painting is the Mother

Country or the Inang Bayan who weeps for her Philippines. The blood thirsty crowd to

the left represents the social cancer on that time. Truly, there is more than meets the

eye when it comes to the painting Spolarium.

It currently hangs in the main gallery at the ground floor of the National Museum of Fine

Arts in Manila, and is the first work of art that greets visitors upon entry into the

museum. Whether you are a foreigner or a local, it will be a great experience and an

enriching experience to visit the museum and learn more about Philippines Culture and

History.

Garapata Dex Fernandez

encounters. He sees his art as a means to trigger an audience into thinking about social

and political issues around them. Often, he uses elements of fun and humor as satire to

open up critical reflections on pressing issues. He is best known as the creator

of Garapata, a character resembling a multiple-legged head. The name translates to the

Filipino word for tick or flea from which the character is based. He conceptualized

the Garapata as an embodiment of the resiliency of the Filipino people.

He studied Fine Arts at the Technological University of the Philippines and first worked

as a graphic artist and a muralist abroad before becoming a full time artist upon his

return to the Philippines in 2007. Years of experience in the advertising industry is

evident in his art known for its pop imagery. A multimedia artist, he works on a variety of

media which include drawing, painting, murals, posters, and graffiti. He was one of the

recipients of the Thirteen Artists Award of the Cultural Center of the Philippines in 2013.
BEFORE its mischievous squint through manifold forms darted from bus seats, electric

posts, tote bags and shirts, the signature character of visual artist Dex Fernandez had

more limbs than just feet.

Garapata is a cartoon critter that crawled its way in public spaces and became one of

the more prominent and versatile figures in the local street art scene. With a

recognizable base appearance of wide, expressive eyes, sharp nose, smiling mouth

and 5 feet, Fernandez affords to morph and scale the character in infinite ways without

losing touch of its essence.

Garapata has been stickered on car windows, painted as a mural and superimposed

over pornographic images, but always manages to keep its identity afloat. The versatility

of the character is enabled by its identifiable basic form, which Fernandez said is a

product of evolution, one guided by his advertising sensibilities

“’Yung una niyan may mga kamay pa siya, minsan may buhok, pero parang very busy,”

said the artist, who studied advertising at the Technology University of the Philippines.

“Kaya naisip ko na lang i-simplify. For branding.”

Fernandez got the idea for the character from a childhood activity, when he and his

brothers loused their dogs at home. The sight of lice scattered on the floor, creeping

their way to safety or to another host, became so indelible that he thought of adapting it

to his art.

“Kasi ’di ba ’yung idea naman ng graphiti is i-spread mo ’yung piece mo, so sabi ko

parang pasok dun ’yung idea ng garapata,” he said. “Kumakalat sa bahay namin, eh di

ikalat natin sa kalye.”

Aside from spreading the image of Garapata around and even outside the country,

Fernandez showcases his art indoors. He participates in gallery exhibits with primarily

photograph-based works and paintings, marked by eclectic compositions, including the

juxtaposition of religious iconography with pop imagery.

artist to, in his words, maintain balance. The two, however, converge in his ongoing

18th solo show, titled 22ESB75CC, at Finale Art File in Makati City.

The exhibition is a homecoming of sorts, with not only the meeting of Fernandez’s two

titles in one space, but also the bringing together of all of his artistic experiments.

Showcased in the exhibit are prints and murals, as well as Garapata balloons scattered

all over the floor and wallpapers in an unprecedented scale.

The show also recounts the eventful past two years of Fernandez, wherein he lost a

parent, got involved in an assault, and pinned by a serious medical condition.

“The title of the show is actually derived from our home address, kasi during those two

years, ’yung bahay namin ’yung naging refuge ko,” he said. “Minsan dun din ako

nakakakuha ng depression dahil nakikita ko si ermat na may sakit, so lalabas ako kahit

hindi ko alam kung saan ako pupunta. Pero, at the end of the day, ’yung bahay pa rin

ang pupuntahan ko. ’Yun ang sanctuary. Doon pa rin ako kumukuha ng lakas.”