MODULE 2 Jessa C.

Carreon
Instructor

Chapter 2: I’M A FILIPINO

BUT I DON’T KNOW
MANANSALA!
REDISCOVERING
PHLIPPINE ART
INTRODUCTION
Folk architecture in the Philippines differ significantly per ethnic group,
where the structures can be made of bamboo, wood, rock, coral, rattan,
grass, and other materials. Before we were influenced by Westerners, we
already developed our own sets of culture and values. Philippine art has
been conscious of these changes and has become a way to reminisce and
remember our old virtues and rich roots. That is why it is very important to
study Philippine art. It is part of our identity and that simply because we
have a beautiful culture worth celebrating.

Balangay Philippine Art

COMPETENCIES:

At the end of this chapter, the students can:

a. express their devotion to and interest in their national identity

through Filipino-inspired outputs such as writings, art criticism, and
simple artworks;

b. be able to articulate knowledge about prominent and notable Filipino

artists: their lives, works, and influence on the country;

c. incorporate their national identity when criticizing works of art by

Filipinos; and

d. interact and respond to the arts by being able to go to museums and

galleries and writing reviews or blogs about works of art.

Lesson 1: How Is Philippine Art?: A Survey

on the Markers of Our Artistic Culture

OBJECTIVES:
At the end of this lesson, the students can:

a. analyze and critique qualities of Philippine art through some

Filipino artists presented

b. recognized notable technical characteristics and innovations of

Filipino artists

c. apply the Filipino subject matter or technique through simple

creative output

Rendition of Amorsolo’s “Baguio” (artwork by the author)

INTRODUCTION:
Filipinos are actually art lovers. We love colorful things. These are so evident
in our jeepneys, the colorful decorations during fiestas and festivals. Our
diversity is indeed reflected in our art forms and it makes us united and
unique.

ACTIVITY:
Look up Fernando Amorsolo’s other works if possible. If not, refer to the
example given.

1. Upon closer observation of Amorsolo’s works (or the rendition

presented), why do you think was he dubbed as the “Painter of
Philippine Light”?

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2. What do you think are the qualities of Philippine art? In your opinion,
what makes a Philippine art Filipino?

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3. When the modernism came in, what do you think happened to

Philippine art? How have we preserved our identity despite the
influences? How has it shaped our minds about the past?

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ABSTRACTION:
The names below are some of the notable artists who have captured our
sensibilities:

1. Fernando Amorsolo interpreted the “Philippine Light”

Amorsolo has his own style with the impressionist painters who
aimed to express the simple beauties of nature and life. He was able
to paint luminous skin as light strikes it and creates a certain glow.
He was coined as the master of Philippine Light. Because of his
excellent style, his paintings never fail to bring back the warmth and
idyllic scenes of Philippine provinces and traditions.

Analogous is a type of color harmony which

technically means those colors that are next to
each other in the color wheel.

2. Vicente Manansala developed his rendition of transparent cubism

technique

The cubist aspect of Manansala has broader facets and planes than
the original cubism. He further developed it into transparent cubism,
which shows panels of shapes interfacing each other.

An example on the application of transparent cubism by Manansala

3. Hernando R. Ocampo’s style was considered by some critics as
the most Filipino

Ocampo is known for his abstract compositions of biological forms

that are portrayed in bold strokes of colors that seem to oscillate
before your eyes. His subject matters are usually nature’s flora and
fauna, hence reflective of the natural beauty of his country.

Ina at Anak by H.R. Ocampo

4. Napoleon Abueva’s modernist but Filipino-themed sculptures

Abueva kept Filipino themes in his sculptures such as rice planters,

mother and child, carabaos, and the like. His bold and edgy
interpretation of such themes intensified the kind of spirit present in
his dynamic and often monumental sculptures.

Napoleon Abueva’s Sculpture

 Create a simple drawing, take an original photo, or paint a simple
abstracted design which best represents your idea of Filipino art. Use your
local roots: where you came from and what you commonly see around you.

Use the box for your work. If it is a photo, paste your picture here.
Assessment

1. In what ways are the artists different and diverse despite their
common goal to depict Filipino nuances?

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2. In your opinion, how do their differences in styles help the quality of

the art scene in the country?

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3. During the 1950’s, there was a faction that emerged between the
conservatives and modernists. Who among the given artists are
considered conservatives? How about modernists? Why were they
categorized as such?

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4. Can you name other Filipino artists who were at the forefront of
artistic development in the country? Enumerate at least five and give
a brief description of their artistic achievement.

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Lesson 2: What Is the Shape of Philippine
Art?: Forms of Our Art

OBJECTIVES:
At the end of this lesson, the students can:

a. Familiarize yourself with the materials that we have in the country;

b. Utilize some of the materials into special projects; and

c. Develop concern for our cultural items and even the raw materials
they used, and participate in activities that will help conserve,
preserve, and protect our resources.

INTRODUCTION
Filipinos are very good at imitations. Since our adaptation abilities are very
strong, we have imbibed many foreign influences and made them our own.
In this lesson, we will look at the other forms of art that we have been
working with and were further developed to showcase world-class Filipino
talent.

DRAG Queens of the Philippines

ACTIVITY:
TASK 1: WEAVING

Materials: Scissors, glue, and construction paper

Instructions:

a. You may want to group 2 colors of papers together before cutting.

b. Cut the first colored paper into strips around half an inch wide. Cut
along the longer side of the paper. You may fold the paper into two
and then cut from the center.

c. Using the next set of colored paper cut into strips, weave one by one
through the papers laid out on the floor. Use the alternate motion of
“over-and-under”.

d. Glue into place the first strip and repeat the process until you finish
the entire area. Your finished product can be used as a mat or
background decoration.

TASK 2: KOMIKS

a. Start by creating a story board with simple drawings. Think of simple

story snippet. It can be a funny personal encounter, a reaction to
current events, or something informative.

b. Create short and simple dialogues. Effective comics should have a

punchline or something that the reader can take away after reading it.
Use the boxes below for illustration. Draw more boxes if needed,
ABSTRACTION:
The following are just some of the major forms of Philippine art.

Forms of local art:

Graphic Arts – Usually identified Assemblage – Characterized by the

with advertising art because of their collection and assembly of found
flat and graphic style for easy objects usually on a flat surface.
reproduction. Imagine a collage but with volumetric
objects.

Bamboo Art Food Art

Basketry Furniture

Book Design Installation and Site-specific Art

Dress Komiks and Editorial Cartoon

Embroidery Leaf Art

Effigies – Protest art in sculptural Printmaking – Reproduction of

from made with papier mache which several originals using a series of
is mostly burned later to symbolize printmaking techniques. These are
opposition. all made by hand, one by one.

Mat Weaving Photography

Metalcraft Pottery

Multimedia Sculpture

Painting and Related Forms Sound Art

Paper Art Tattoo Art

Performance Art Video Art

Personal Ornaments

Philippine Materials:

Clay: earthware, red clay called terra-cota, stoneware, and porcelain

Wood: wood carving used in bul-uls, sundul (grave markers) panolong (house
beams), santos (graven images)
Tools: paet (carving tool), hiwas (skew), landay (shallow gauge) lukob (deep
gauge), trespico or tatlong kanto (parting tool), encarnacion or encarnado
santos-rendering of flesh tones

Furniture: floral and curving vine designs in Pampanga

Sculpture of toothpick trees, fantasy birds, and fans in Paete Laguna

Taka or papier Mache in Paete and creating higantes in Angono Rizal

Papel de hapon for the pabalat wrapper tradition of paper cutting in

Bulacan

Philippine hardwood: warmth of tone and natural coloration that ranges

from dark brown to yellow, to reddish hues, as well as fine grain texture

Retablos by Napoleon Abueva for chapels

Weathered wood: artists like Jerusalino Araos and Rey Paz Contreras used
old railroad tracks or stairs and beams of demolished houses

Bamboo and rattan: Kenneth Cobonpue

Mindanao wood: tail ends of houses

Basketry: buri, rattan, pandan, bamboo splits, ibus, nipa palm, saha
(banana pulp), hat making.

Food: kiping (rice wafer for the pahiyas decoration); dayap food wood carving
in Bulacan

Metal: bronze or brass using ciere perdue or “lost wax method”. Using wax
for mold. Spaghetti strips of wax is placed on outer layer of brass to create
the designs. Pukpuk method

Stones and precious stones

Fiber, dyes and pigments

Philippine colors and their local names

English Name Filipino English Name Filipino

 Counterpart Counterpart

Red Labaga (Ilokano), Pink Kalimbahin or

kanaway Rosas
(Maranao)
Mabaya (Batanes)
Orange Kahel or Brown Kayumanggi
Dalandan

Yellow Dilaw, Kunig Gray Malamaya

(Iloko), Amarilyo

Green Lungti White Puraw (Iloko)

Blue Bughaw Ivory Garing

Purple Pupura or Morado Emerald Esmeralda

Violet Lila Black Dagtum (Cebuano)

or Itim

Lesson 3: What NOW?: The Contemporary

Times

OBJECTIVES:
At the end of this lesson, the students can:

a. Critique the works of contemporary artists;

b. Have a more comprehensive understanding of the implication of

technological advancements to our art scene; and

c. Develop a broader understanding of the application and connection

of art to different areas of knowledge.

INTRODUCTION
When considering Contemporary Art, it can be difficult to define or describe
any one common style. Artists approach their work in a multitude of ways. A
wide array of media and materials may be used to convey a wide array of
concepts, themes, and subject matter.
 Contemporary Art- Eleanor Giron

ABSTRACTION:
Precursors of postmodern art in the Philippines can be dated back to the
EDSA 1 revolution. During the Aquino government, many reforms in the
once Marcos-controlled institutions like the CCP, National Museum, and
Metropolitan Museum of Manila were implemented. There was a move
toward the decentralization of art institutions. The three primary reform
thrusts of the CCP were Filipinization, democratization, decentralization, and
artistic excellence. Because of this, some marginalized artists and art groups
during the Marcos regime were given opportunities to display their works to
the public. Filipino masses also had more access to the art collection and
grants were given to those who aspired to produce and exhibit original works
from their local areas (Dellosa, et.al. 2019).

The following are some artists who are important in society’s notion of
patriotism:

1. BenCab – National Artist for Visual Arts-Benedicto Cabrera has works

which span a lot of important periods in our history, especially the
 postwar period. One of his work series entitled “Sabel” depicts the
disorientation that Filipinos experienced during the postwar period.

2. David Medalla – “The avatar in Europe in performance art”, as

described by art critic Leo Benesa. Performance art is one of the new
artistic expressions of the contemporary period where the artist
himself is the artwork.

3. Pacita Abad – one of the women artists in the country that has
produced a strong voice and identity when it comes to women’s art.
Born in Batanes, her works are characterized by bold and bright
colors. She has traveled to more than 50 countries with works
exhibited to more than 200 galleries.

4. Elmer Borlongan – Painter of Filipino nuances which he depicted

with much dignity in his masterful works. His paintings are mostly
figurative with subject matters that tackle mostly the daily and
mundane activities and interactions of Filipinos. He is one of the most
exceptional in the aspect of painting in our country.

5. Mark Salvatus – Salvatus has created much discourse and narratives

in his works on the notions of urbanization, Internet, and
technological age, with political, social, and economic grounding. His
works are considered intermedia, combining mark-making, sounds,
videos, and found objects in his works.

6. Leeroy New – one of the youngest recipients of Thirteen Artists

Awards, Leeroy is an artist of his own, known mostly for his
installation art that are often other-wordly with an alien feel. He
pioneered the “Aliens of Manila”, which are curated photographs of
people wearing his creations of bodysuits and headgear.

7. Archie Oclos – He has always been active in the public sphere,

painting murals depicting social realities of both the present and the
memories of the past governments. He was recently awarded one of
the Thirteen Artists of CCP.
 8. Mars Bugaoan – A young and emerging artist whose works echo the
displacement that we often experience because of the demands of
work and globalization. His works have evolved from printmaking to
being sit-responsive, incorporating the landscape of the site into the
installation of the art piece.

Assessment

The growth of the art scene after modernism has become fast paced,
propelled more by the effects of globalization. Given the changes that
happened after the revolution together with the decentralization,
Filipinization, and diversification of modes and media in the arts, write a
short essay about your opinion about these events in our contemporary art
scene.

Guide Questions:

1. How has the Internet age affected the works of artists?

2. What are the factors taken into consideration in the life of an artist?
What do you think are the implications of these in their lives?

3. What can you say about artist validation systems? (awards and
competitions)

4. How has diaspora and displacement affected the and modified artistic
expressions?

5. How do you think individual art bodies or organizations are shaping

our attitudes toward the arts?

(Write your essay on the next page.)