CONTEMPORARY PHILIPPINE ARTS FROM THE REGIONS

TIMELINE OF PHILIPPINE ARTS:

ERA TIME CHARACTERISTICS DISTINCT FEATURES

ETHNIC ART Pre-13 AD Integral to life Arts for ritual purposes or for everyday use. As local communities become
established, art starts to go beyond mere craft, i.e. stone weapons or jewelry but
starts to have decorative elements, meaning and context.
ISLAMIC ART 13AD Geometric designs Characterized by geometric designs and patterns eliciting focus from believers
SPANISH ERA 1521-1898 Faith and Catechism When the Spaniards arrived in the Philippines in 1521, the colonizers used art as a
tool to propagate the Catholic faith through beautiful images. With communication
as problem, the friars used images to explain the concepts behind Catholicism, and
to tell the stories of Christ’s life and passion.
Damian Domingo AKA Damian Gabor Domingo
• 1st Filipino to paint his face, the first self-portrait in the Philippines
• Founder of the Academia de Dibujo y Pintura, the first school of drawing in
the Philippines (1821)
• "Father of Filipino Painting" ALIAS "The First Great Filipino Painter"
 He established the Academia de Dibujo y Pintura in 1821.
AMERICAN ERA 1898-190 Secular Art Forms From one colonizer to another – after more than three centuries of Spanish
rule, the Americans came. They set out to conquer the Filipinos through education
and governance – the public school system and a system of government.
Classicism: Fabian dela Rosa (1869 – 1937) was the first painter of note for the
20th century. He was noted for his realistic portraits, genre, and landscapes in
subdued colors. He was enrolled at the Escuela de Bellas Artes y Dibujo and took
lessons from Lorenzo Guerrero.
Modernism would have its seeds planted in the 1890’s with Miguel Zaragosa’s two
pointillist works. Emilio Alvero later produced several Impressionist still life
paintings. But it would take an architect to give modernism its needed boost in the
country. Juan Arellano would be known as an architect but his Impressionist
landscapes are as impressive as his buildings.
Carlos “Botong” Francisco, (1913 – 1969), Angono-based painter, depicted
Philippine history in his “History of Manila” mural at the Manila City Hall.
JAPANESE ERA 1941-195 Orientalizing The arrival of the Japanese caused tremendous fear, hardships and suffering
among the Filipinos. The Filipino way of life was greatly affected during the
Japanese period. The Filipinos lost their freedom of speech and expression. The
development of art was also stopped. Filipinos greatly feared the "zoning". There
were Filipinos spies hired by the Japanese to point those who were suspected of
being part of the guerilla movement. The Japanese made some changes in the
1|Page
RMB/RN/MAN/2017 TO GOD BE ALL THE GLORY!
CONTEMPORARY PHILIPPINE ARTS FROM THE REGIONS
system of education.
Under their rule, the Japanese imposed their own music on the country. Japanese
music was heard daily in radio broadcasts. Their songs were also taught in public
schools. Students, however, never took these songs to heart.
In response to the Japanese propaganda, Filipino painters reacted by producing the
following works: “A Day Begins” by Vicente Alvarez Dizon, 1942, genre scenes that
seem neutral. Yet there were still many artists who portrayed the atrocities of war
in their collections such as “Rape and Massacre in Ermita” by Diosdado Lorenzo
MODERN ERA 196-1969 National Identity Modern era in Philippine Art began after World War 2 and the granting of
Independence. Writers and artists posed the question of national identity as the
main theme of various art forms. Modern art is characterized by the artist's intent
to portray a subject as it exists in the world, according to his or her unique
perspective and is typified by a rejection of accepted or traditional styles and
values.
CONTEMPORARY 1970 up to Social Realism Contemporary art as the work of artists who are living in the 21st century.
present Contemporary art mirrors contemporary culture and society, offering the general
audiences a rich resource through which to consider current ideas and rethink the
familiar. The work of contemporary artists is a dynamic combination of materials,
methods, concepts, and subjects that challenges traditional boundaries and defies
easy definition. Diverse and eclectic, contemporary art is distinguished by the very
lack of a uniform organizing principle, ideology, or -ism.

Contemporary Art: Elements/Principles

a) Appropriation: Traditional Art(ie: Paintings and Portrait) appropriated/ used/ placed in T-shirts, Mugs and the likes
b) Performance: The depictions of ordinary events/activities into socially relevant themes such as poverty, commercialism and the likes.
c) Space: transformation of space (sculpture installation in malls and parks, flash mobs presentations)
d) Hybridity: The mixing of unlikely materials to produce an artwork (sand, mud, coffee and the likes)
e) Technology: the use of video and social media/ internet (youtube sensations, instagram/facebook)

2|Page
RMB/RN/MAN/2017 TO GOD BE ALL THE GLORY!