CONTEMPORARY PHILIPPINE ARTS FROM THE REGION

DR. NICANOR TIONGSON “Creating art that will contribute to social change by
enlightening viewers and audiences about the nature and causes of the problems they face as
Filipinos today.”
1972 year when the Philippines named its first national artists – world-class painter.
NATIONAL ARTIST AWARD great honor given to the Filipino whose life and works have
contributed to the advancement of the country’s arts and letters. Country’s highest honor
given to an artist who, according to NCCA, “embodies the nation’s highest ideals in the
humanities and aesthetic expression through the distinct achievements of individual citizens.”
PRESIDENTIAL PROCLAMATION No. 1001, S. 1972 created and established “the
Award and Decoration of National Artist.” This law enabled the government “to give
appropriate recognition and prestige to Filipinos who have distinguished themselves and
made outstanding contributions to Philippine arts and letters.”
INSIGNIA
 Grand Collar adorned by circular links representing the arts.
 Main Medallion commemorates the sun and the colors of the Philippine Flag.
 Stylized Letter K’s stands for katotohanan, kabutihan, at kagandahan.

National Artists of the Philippines for Literature

FRANCISCO ARCELLANA one of the greatest Filipino poets of is generation. Wrote his
first story, “The Man Who Would Be Poe”.

N.V.M Gonzalez he received a Rockefeller Foundation Fellowship, which allowed him to

study in Stanford University and Columbia University.

NICK JOAQUIN known for the works that is prolific and unparallel. Used the pen name
“Quijano de Manila”.

F. SIONIL JOSE was the founder of the Philippine Chapter of the International Oganization
PEN. In 1999, he was awarded the CCP Centennial Honors for the Arts.

JOSE GARCIA VILLA considered as a powerful literary influence in the country. He

commonly used comma in his works.

VILGILIO S. ALMARIO Filipino poet and Historian. He is known for the translation of
“Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo”

AMADO V. HERNANDEZ well-known for his disapproval of social injustices in the

country. Later imprisoned for his participation in the communist movement.

National Artists for Architecture

PHILIPPINE ARCHITECTURE reflects its cultural heritage and the demand to adapt to it
environment.
BAHAY KUBO small one-room hut built using light woven materials.
SARIAYA, QUEZON a town in Quezon known for its old houses and heritages.

ILDEFONSO P. SANTOS, JR. one of the most recognized landscape architects in the
country.

LEANDRO V. LOCSIN his works include the “Istana Nurul Iman”, the palace of the
Sultan of Brunei and “CCP”.
JUAN F. NAKPIL an engineer that has a strong faith in the Filipino Architect, with the
“belief that there is such a thing as Philippine Architecture”. He reconstructed the Quaipo
Church in 1930.

PABLO S. ANTONIO one of the leaders in modern Philippine Architecture. His works are
simple and functional.

JOSE MARIA ZARAGOSA country’s 82nd licensed architect. An architecture graduate

from UST.

National Artists for Film

JANUARY 1, 1897 Philippines experienced its first movies.

 Man with a hat
 Scene from Japanese Dance
 The Boxers
 The Place of L’Opera
SALON DE PERTIERRA on ESCOLTA STREET place where the films are shown.
60MM GAUMONT CHRONO-PHOTOGRAPH PROJECTOR using this the four films
were shown.
ANTONIO RAMOS Spanish soldier who shot the first movie in the country in 1898.
 Panorama de Manila
 Fiesta de Quiapo
 Puente de Espana
 Escenas Callejaras

LINO BROCKA his contributions are unparalleled, “breath life and hope for the
marginalized sectors of the society”.

ISHMAEL BERNAL considered to be one of the pillars of Philippine Cinema. He directed

“Himala” starring Nora Aunor, the country’s most popular celebrity at that time. This film
served “as social commentaries and bold reflections on the existing realities of the struggle of
the Filipino”.

GERARDO “Gerry” DE LEON holds the sole distinction as the most awarded film director
in the country for the prestigious Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences (FAMAS)
awards, the country’s equivalent to the Oscars. He directed the film adaptation of Noli Me
Tangere.

FERNANDO POE, JR. also known as “Da King” or FPJ. Has been given the title as the
“King of Philippine Movies”. One of the most admired Filipino film actors of all time.
PRESIDENT GLORIA MACAPAGAL ARROYO 2004 political rival of FPJ. She is the
one who declared FPJ as national artist in 2006.

EDDIE S. ROMERO works are cited as “delivered in an utterly simple style – minimalist
but never empty, always calculated, precise and functional, but never predictable.” His
presence in Philippine cinema is one that is “devoted to the art and commerce of cinema”.

National Artists for Visual Arts

NAPOLEON ABUEVA considered as the Father of Modern Philippine Sculpture.

Youngest awardee to receive the National Artist Award.
ANG KIUKOK his works which are, as cited by the NCCA, “imbued with nationalist fervor
and sociological agenda.”

VICTORIO C. EDADES the subjects found in his works are Filipino Laborers in their
everyday situations. His paintings, according to NCCA, depict the working class in ‘rough,
bold impasto strokes, standing tall and singular in his advocacy and practice.”

CESAR LEGASPI recognized as the “pioneer of the Neorealist movement in the country”.
He is known for “use of the geometric fragmentation technique, weaving social comment and
juxtaposing the mythical and modern into his overlapping, interacting forms with disturbing
power and intensity”.

VICENTE S. MANANSALA extraordinary illustrator and cubist painter. His works are
often characterized as “as visions of reality teetering on the edge of abstraction.”

FERNANDO C. AMORSOLO heralded as the “’Grand Old Man of Philippine Art.” Most
of his works depicted the rich rural landscape of the Philippines.

CARLOS “Botong” V. FRANCISCO most commonly known as “Botong”, a muralist from

Angono Rizal. Botong’s artistic genius is in his ability to turn “fragments of the historic past
into vivid records of the legendary courage of the ancestors of his race”.
 Blood Compact
 Bayanihan sa Bukid
 First Mass at Limasawa
 Magpupukot
 The Martyrdom of Rizal
 Fiesta

BENEDICTO “BenCab” R. CABRERA also known as “BenCab”, a brilliant painter who

has “upheld the primacy of drawing over the decorative color.”
SABEL symbolic scavenger which he describes as “a melancholic symbol of dislocation,
despair, and isolation – the personification od human dignity threatened by life’s vicissitudes,
and the vast inequities of Philippine society.”

National Artists for Dance

CARINOSA well-liked dance in the country. Derived from the Spanish word that means “the
loving or affectionate one”.
*3 Category of Dance
 Rural
 Tribal
 Muslim

FRANCISCA R. AQUINO one of the pioneers of the Filipino folk dances. First Filipina to
be awarded of the Order of the National Artists for Dance.

LEONOR O. GOQUINGCO also known as Cristina Luna, has been dubbed as the
Trailblazer, Mother of the Philippine Theater Dance, and Dean of Filipino Performing Arts
Critics.

RAMON OBUSAN dancer, choreographer, stage designer, and artistic director. He

established the Ramon Obusan Folkloric Group (ROFG), dance company that reflects the
culture of Filipinos in dance and music.
LUCRECIA REYES-URTULA dance director of the Bayanihan Philippine National Folk
Dance Company, which is considered as the oldest dance company in the country.

ALICE REYES legendary founder of Ballet Philippines, the country’s premier ballet dance
company.