CONTEMPORARY

PHILIPPINE ARTS
FROM THE REGIONS
ENTRY PASS:
•Write your thoughts,
expectations or previous learning
in this subject.
CORE SUBJECT DESCRIPTION
The subject covers various contemporary art practices of the regions
where the school is located. It aims to provide students with an
appreciation of a broad range of styles in the various disciplines with
consideration on their elements and principles and engage them to an
integrative approach in studying arts. Through this subject, students
will broaden and acquire the necessary creative tools that open
opportunities in pursuing their individual career goals and aspirations.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
• At the end of the lesson, you are able to:
• Appreciate the history of art in the Philippines;
• Distinguish contemporary period from the other art period;
• Define contemporary arts; and
• Familiarize with the significant development in the
Philippine art
HOW THE PHILIPPINE
ART DEVELOPED?
 ETHNIC ARTS
• The ethnic art forms are primarily influenced by the geographical location
and experiences of the Filipinos.
• For instance, the dances in the country during the pre-colonial times vary
depending on the area where ancestors thrive.
• In the high lands, dance steps were imitations of the movements of certain
animals like birds while the choreography of the Filipinos near the sea were
mimics of the movement of the fishes.
 ETHNIC ARTS
• In terms of visual arts, pottery, weaving, wood carving and metal crafting were dominant
during the pre colonial period making use of the available materials surrounding them.
• About architecture, the early Filipinos used local materials such as anahaw, bamboo,
cogon, cane, rattan and other light materials in constructing structures since these were the
materials accessible in their area.
• Also, our ancestors already have their folk literature which came in forms of folk
speeches, songs and narratives.
• This folk literature verbalized their experiences.
ETHNIC ARTS
• Regarding theater arts, tribal presentations and rituals
were the early theatrical performances depicting their
beliefs.
• In music, our ancestors also have their indigenous
musical instruments like bamboo flutes and brass
gongs.
SPANISH ERA
• Replace the Philippine indigenous arts with Western art forms. Religion and secularization
greatly influenced the art in the Philippines under the Spanish regime.
• The friars were the ones supervising the practice of arts in the country with their agenda of
propagating Christianity and maintaining the power of the colonizers.
• In the field of literature, the literary works could be classified into religious and secular prose
and poetry.
• In the area of theater arts, secular and religious plays like the “Komedya” became popular.
• In choreography, religious dances commonly performed to venerate patrons and saints
proliferated.
SPANISH ERA
• There were also secular dances performed in social functions like the valse, fandango, polka,
and minuet, among others.
• In music, they introduced the PIANO and other Western instruments.
• Bands and Orchestra multiplied as the zarzuelas and operas became prevalent.
• In visual arts, Spaniards introduced painting and scuplture which mostly depicted religious
subject matters.
• In architecture, stones and bricks were predominantly used in constructing buildings like
churches, houses, and government offices.
SPANISH ERA
• Western Spanish influence was evident in architecture, the exterior,
and interior of the buildings were embellished with wood carvings
or metal works with intricate decorative designs.
• However, despite the strong influence of the Spaniards, the arts in
the country did not result in a pure Western art but a mix of
Western and indigenous art.
• Filipino artists still put Filipino touches on their art pieces.
AMERICAN ERA
• In the area of education, there are Filipinos who went abroad to study, some studied
under the tutelage of the American educators, and some learned through observation
and personal experiences. Those who went abroad to study came back to the country
carrying the concept of modern art.
• MODERN ART – refers to the practices of art in the 1860s-1960s. It was during these
years that the western world was significantly developing.
• The urbanization, consumerism, rise of the middle class, change in the political system,
secularization and the emergence of new technology affected the way of art making in
that period.
AMERICAN ERA
• Due to the technological innovations, the experimental approaches in developing art rose
above traditional art practices and methodologies.
• New forms of expression came which were avant-garde in nature.
• Modern Art continously develops even after World War II, which led to the contemporary
way of art making today.
CONTEMPORARY ART
• Refers to the recent and current practice of art ranging from 1970s up to the present.
• It mirrors the society and culture of the present times.
• It uses a combination of different methods, materials and ideas that transcend the traditional way of art
making.
• All Philippine art forms had a different twist as American way of life became a part of lives of the
Filipinos.
• The art forms and art practices in the country broadened.
• Artists experimented with different materials and methodologies and produced non-conventional artworks
with a wide-range of themes.