Reymart D.R.

Umali
BSRE 1-3

A Reflection Paper on Western Art History and Philippine Art History: The Product of

Imaginative Minds and Skillful Hands

Western art history and Philippine art history take us a journey through centuries.

It will lead us to tackle different stages and eras of art history in both regions. It also

talks about the role of art in culture and the place of the artist in society. Western art

history and Philippine art history doesn’t only depict the development of art but also the

story behind each artwork. It can be cultural, political or even in spiritual aspects.

The history of western art was described according to its successive periods and

movements. It starts with the introduction of Ancient Classical Art or Pre-historic art that

depicts old cultural paintings in the caves.  Moreover, it also talks about the following

periods including the Medieval, Renaissance, Mannerism, Baroque, Rococo,

Neoclassicism, and Romanticism.  In the Medieval Period, it was focused on dark

imagery, biblical subjects, classical mythology, and comparison between Romanesque

and Gothic Architecture.  When it comes to the Renaissance Period, it mainly tackles

individualism, realism, precision of human anatomy and detailed artwork that was

headed by famous artists namely; Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael Santi.

On the other hand, Mannerism Period is characterized by the deliberate distortion and

exaggeration of perspective, especially the elongation of figures. Subsequently, the

Baroque Period talks about the richness, criticism, stylistically complex, and dramatic

aspect in different arts. One of the famous artists in this era is Caravaggio and

Rembrandt. Furthermore, Rococo was focused on the Lightness, elegance, natural

forms, asymmetrical design, and subtle colors in the majority of arts. On the other hand,

Neoclassicism was characterized based on the renewed interest in classical antiquity,

characterized by its Imaginative elements, focus on passion, and emotion in arts.

On the other hand, Philippine art history is a product of a cumulative past

especially during colonization.  It has changed and influenced the multiple political,

cultural, and social movements that country has gone through. Our history of arts

comes with different periods including the Pre-colonial Period, Spanish Colonial Period,

American Colonial Period, and Post-colonial Period. In the Pre-colonial art period, it

consisted of religious symbols and specific decorative art patterns to the community.

The known art of that time is the Tagalog ancient script called Baybayin. Subsequently,

the Spanish colonial art period introduced formal painting, sculpture, architecture which

was inspired by the Byzantine, Gothic, Baroque, and Rococo styles. Most of the artwork

at this period is religious based. Paintings at that time are headed by famous Filipino

artists namely; Damian Domingo, Juan Luna, and Felix Hidalgo. In American Colonial

art period, art illustration, advertising, and commercial design gained popularity and

were incorporated in Fine arts. Neoclassicism has also become popular in architecture

in this period. Moreover, some of the notable artists at this period were Fabian dela

Rosa, Fernando Amorsolo, Guillermo Tolentino and the triumvirate of Philippine Modern

Art including Victorio Edades, Carlos “Botong” Francisco, and Galo B. Ocampo. Lastly,

the Post-colonial period or contemporary period is the art produced in the present

period of time.

Through watching all videos about western art history and Philippine art history,

I was amazed because of how their art styles developed over the years. Maybe some

art movements develop based on political and religious context, while others are

created as a contrast to the current popular art movement. It was also surprising that
Reymart D.R. Umali
BSRE 1-3
most of the western art depicts the historical events, data and meanings which we

cannot easily guess. Likewise, Philippine art also depicts the past events in our history

especially during colonization. For me, this is one of the major factors why all of the art

in our world should be kept and preserved because it doesn’t only represent art itself

but also the history and major events that happened in a particular country.

Nevertheless, I mostly appreciate the effort of all artists in western region because they

really put an effort and time into making a particular art. That’s why I did not wonder why

most of their art was very beautiful because they took a long time just to finish an art

especially, architecture. Honestly, I am a fan of Greek and Roman Art. Thus, I am

happy to watch and learn the history of western art particularly when it comes to Roman

and Greek architecture. All of the structures they made were stunning and intricate. You

will be amazed by the design and every single detail it’s possessed. However, I can’t

imagine how they were able to make a very intricate and massive architecture at that

time without the use of any technology.  Sadly, I was also shocked when I found out that

there were instances that some of the western countries copied some of the other works

in other regions and adapted it for their own purposes. Yet, I still believe that it was just

only for the sake of development and progress. On the other hand, I am proud of what

Filipinos achieved in the art industry despite of the life they had gone through especially

during colonization.  I was amazed by some Filipino artists like Ildefonso Santos, Virgilio

Almario, Abdulmari Asia Imao and Salvador Bernal especially when they tell a story on

how they persevered in the beginning of their journey until they were recognized as

National Artists. However, I realized that it was very important to preserve and keep our

art history because different forms of arts in the Philippines mirror our society which has

diverse cultural influences from east to west and diverse traditions from Luzon to

Mindanao.