Panglao, Bohol

6340 PHILIPPINES
Member: Bohol Association of Catholic Schools (BACS) – Diocese of Tagbilaran
Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP)

UNIT 1: Integrative Art as Applied to

PhilippineContemporary Art
Lesson
3

The vernacular architecture of the Philippines is diverse

and developed according to the traditions, history
and influences exposure experienced by each culture
or society. They ranged from simple Bahay Kubo which is the basis of all Filipino
cultural architecture which gave way to houses like Bahay na bato, up to the
palaces such as Torogans, fortifications like the Classical Kota's and Idjangs,
Colonial Forts and mega structure such as Banaue Rice Terraces which is built from
carving of the mountain walls, and Mosques in Mindanao.

Philippine weaving involves many threads being measured,

cut, and mounted on a wooden platform. The threads are
dyed and weaved on a loom. Before Spanish colonization,
native Filipinos weaved using fibers from abaca, cotton, and bark cloth. Textiles,
clothes, rugs, and hats were weaved. Baskets were also weaved and used as
vessels of transport and storage, and for hunting. These baskets were used to
transport grain, store food, and catching fish. They also used weaving to make
just about all of the clothing that was worn. They weaved rugs that they used for quilts and bedding. The
quality of the quilt/bedding was based on how soft, how tight together, and the clean pattern. The patterns
were usually thick stripes with different colors and with a nice pattern.

In the early 19th century, wealthier, educated Filipinos

introduced more secular Filipino art, causing art in the
Philippines to deviate from religious motifs. The use of
watercolor paintings increased and the subject matter of paintings began
to include landscapes, Filipino inhabitants, Philippine fashion, and
government officials. Portrait paintings featured the painters themselves,
Filipino jewelry, and native furniture. Landscape paintings portrayed scenes of
average Filipinos partaking in their daily tasks. These paintings often showcased
ornately painted artists' names. These paintings were done on canvas, wood, and a variety of metals. During
World War II, some painters focused their artwork on the effects of the war. Common themes included battle
scenes, destruction, and the suffering of the Filipino people.

The Philippines has numerous indigenous scripts

collectively called as suyat. Various ethno-linguistic
groups in the Philippines prior to Spanish
colonization in the 16th century up to the independence era in the 21st
century have used the scripts with various mediums. By the end of colonialism,
only four of the suyat scripts survived and continue to be used by certain
communities in everyday life. These four scripts are hanunó'o/hanunoo of
the Hanuno'o Mangyan people, buhid/build of the Buhid Mangyan people, apurahuano/tagbanwa of the
Tagbanwa people, and palaw'an/pala'wan of the Palaw'an people. All four scripts were inscribed in the
UNESCO Memory of the World Programme, under the name Philippine Paleographs (Hanunoo, Buid,
Tagbanua and Pala’wan), in 1999.
 The religion of the Ifugao people is based on ancestor worship
and the veneration of spirits and gods of nature. Rice deities are
particularly revered. These bululs are activated through ritual, the
bulol guardian figures are believed to contain spirits capable of ensuring abundant
harvests, increasing rice yields and protecting against catastrophe. Shaped like a rice
mortar, the distinctive base of the sculpture is a visual link to its spiritual purpose. The
pairing of male with female is a fundamental feature of Cordilleras’s ancestral art.

There are numerous types of Filipino dances, varying in influence,

from the country's regions. Types of Filipino dance include
Cordillera, Muslim, tribal, rural, and Spanish style dances. Jerrah is
the most well-known kind of dance in the cordillera region. Within the Cordilleras’
dances, there are the Banga, Bendayan, Lumagen/Tachok, Manmanok,
Ragragsakan, Salisid, Talip, Tarektek, and Uyaoy/Uyauy. The Banga dance shows
the grace and strength of women in the Kalinga tribe. Women performing the Banga balance heavy pots
on their heads while dancing to beat of wind chimes. This mimics Kalinga women collecting and transporting
water. Another dance, called Lumagen or Tachok, is performed to celebrate happy occasions. When
Lumagen is performed, it is meant to symbolize flying birds and is musically paired to the beat of gongs.
Another cordillera dance, Salisid, is the dance to show courtship. In the Salisid dance, a male and a female
performer represent a rooster attempting to attract a hen.

Many towns have their own versions of the Senakulo, using

traditional scripts that are decades or centuries old. A version is
held at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, sponsored by the
Department of Tourism. Popular film and televisions stars often join the cast of the
play. In Taguig, they popularize the modern version of Jesus Christ Superstar
reshown at the Fort Santiago Amphitheater for the benefit of Manileños. In
Mexico Pampanga and Dinalupihan, Bataan, the actor portraying Jesus has
been actually nailed to the cross to simulate Christ's passion as best and as painfully possible. Similar shows
are also held in Makati and in the Santa Ana district of Manila.

The Arnis, also known as Kali or Eskrima, is the

martial art of the Philippines. The three are roughly
interchangeable umbrella terms for the traditional
martial arts of the Philippines ("Filipino Martial Arts", or FMA) that emphasize
weapon-based fighting with sticks, knives, bladed weapons and various
improvised weapons as well as "open hand" or techniques without weapons. It is
also known as Estoque (Spanish for rapier), Estocada (Spanish for thrust or stab)
and Garrote (Spanish for club). In Luzon they may go by the name of Arnis de Mano. The indigenous martial
art that the Spanish encountered in 1610 was not yet called "Eskrima" at that time.

The late Neolithic Manunggul Jar (c. 890–710 BC) used for burial, was
found in the Manunggul Cave. This elaborate burial jar is topped with
two figures. The front figure is the deceased man. The rear figure is
holding a steering paddle directing the boat and soul of the man to the afterlife. Traditional
pot-making in certain areas of the Philippines would use clay found near the Sibalom River.
Molding the clay required the use of wooden paddles, and the clay had to be kept away
from sunlight. Native Filipinos created pottery since 3500 years ago. They used these
ceramic jars to hold the deceased.

Filipino cuisine is composed of the cuisines of 144 distinct

ethnolinguistic groups found within the Philippine
archipelago. The majority of mainstream Filipino dishes
that compose Filipino cuisine are from the cuisines of the Bikol, Chavacano,
Hiligaynon, Ilocano, Kapampangan, Maranao, Pangasinan, Cebuano (or
Bisaya), Tagalog, and Waray ethnolinguistic tribes. Dishes range from the very
simple, like a meal of fried salted fish and rice, to the complex paellas and
cocidos created for fiestas of Spanish origin. Popular dishes include: lechón (whole roasted pig), longganisa
(Philippine sausage), tapa (cured beef), torta (omelette), adobo (chicken or pork braised in garlic, vinegar,
oil and soy sauce, or cooked until dry), kaldereta (meat in tomato sauce stew), mechado (larded beef in
soy and tomato sauce), pochero (beef in bananas and tomato sauce), afritada (chick en or pork simmered
in tomato sauce with vegetables), kare-kare (oxtail and vegetables cooked in peanut sauce), pinakbet
(kabocha squash, eggplant, beans, okra, and tomato stew flavored with shrimp paste), crispy pata (deep-
fried pig's leg), hamonado (pork sweetened in pineapple sauce), sinigang (meat or seafood in sour broth),
pancit (noodles), and lumpia (fresh or fried spring rolls).
- refers to the works of art that have developed and accumulated in the Philippines from the beginning
of civilization in the country up to the present era. Philippine art reflects to its society and non-Filipinos the
wide range of cultural influences on the country's culture and how these influences honed the country's
arts. The art of the Philippines can be divided into two distinct branches, namely, traditional arts, and
nontraditional arts. Each branch is further divided into various categories with subcategories.

1. TRADITIONAL ARTS - bearers of traditional arts can be nominated as Gawad Manlilikha ng Bayan
(GAMABA), equal to National Artist.

➢ Folk architecture – including, but not limited to, stilt houses, land houses, and aerial houses
➢ Maritime transport – boat houses, boat-making, and maritime traditions
➢ Weaving – including, but not limited to, basket weaving, back -strap loom weaving, headgear
weaving, fishnet weaving, and other forms of weaving
➢ Carving – including, but not limited to, woodcarving and folk non-clay sculpture
➢ Folk performing arts – including, but not limited to, dances, plays, and dramas
➢ Folk (oral) literature – including, but not limited to, epics, songs, and myths
➢ Folk graphic and plastic arts – including, but not limited to, calligraphy, tattooing, folk writing,
folk drawing, and folk painting
➢ Ornament, textile, or fiber art – hat-making, mask-making, accessory-making, ornamental
metal crafts
➢ Pottery – including, but not limited to, ceramic making, clay pot-making, and folk clay
sculpture
➢ Other artistic expressions of traditional culture – including, but not limited to, non-ornamental
metal crafts, martial arts, supernatural healing arts, medicinal arts, and constellation traditions

2. NON-TRADITIONAL ARTS – bearers of non-traditional arts can be nominated as National Artist,

equal to Gawad Manlilika ng Bayan.
➢ Dance – including, but not limited to, dance choreography, dance direction, and dance
performance
➢ Music – including, but not limited to, musical composition, musical direction, and musical
performance
➢ Theater – including, but not limited to, theatrical direction, theatrical performance, theatrical
production design, theatrical light and sound design, and theatrical playwriting
➢ Visual arts – including, but not limited to painting, non-folk sculpture, printmaking, photography,
installation art, mixed media works, illustration, graphic arts, performance art, and imaging
➢ Literature – including, but not limited to, poetry, fiction, essay, and literary/art criticism
➢ Film and broadcast arts – including, but not limited to, film and broadcast direction, film and
broadcast writing, film and broadcast production design, film and broadcast cinematography, film and
broadcast editing, film and broadcast animation, film and broadcast performance, and film and broadcast
new media
➢ Architecture and allied arts – including, but not limited to, non-folk architecture, interior design,
landscape architecture, and urban design
➢ Design – including, but not limited to, industrial design, and fashion design