Contemporary Arts Reviewer
that shaped the major cities of the country to
Philippine Contemporary Arts of the Region
• An appreciation of contemporary art forms,
found in the various regions by understanding
the elements and principles
Contemporary Arts
Philippine Contemporary Arts
• Art produced at present period in time
• Art that has been and continues to be created
during our lifetimes
• Work of arts made since the aftermath of
World War II and is used to describe the works
of artists still living and creating art works
• Special type of art, rather than a general
adjectival phrase, goes back to the beginnings
of Modernism in the English-speaking world
• Artworks that brings awareness towards the
most perplexing and important matters
• Contemporary art viewers are challenged to
set aside questions such as, “Is a work of art
good?” or “Is the work aesthetically pleasing?”
• Instead, viewers consider whether art is
“challenging” or “interesting.”
Contemporary Arts Era
• Known to produce more experimental works
and tackles a wider variety of social, economic
and political issues
• Made art as a whole to reflect the current
issues that hound our world today, such as
racism, globalization, third-world country
oppression, feminism among many others
Philippine Contemporary Art Movement
• A movement that was given birth by the
various changes of the post-war world order
• The Philippine society is being given a new
identity - an independent one
• No longer is the Philippines just a colony of a
western power but now a a country with its
own sovereignty and a people defining its own
identity in the modern world
• The modern art movement is a prevalent
scene in the pre-war era of the Philippines,
from various art art-deco inspired architecture
the new art pieces which showed abstract
imagery and modernist styles and techniques
which would create the building blocks of what
is to become the contemporary scene in the
post-war era
• The art style cultivated by Victorio Edades,
Carlos “Botong” Francisco and Galo Ocampo
also known as the “The Triumverate” departed
heavily from the classical inspired style of the
past of Fernando Amorsolo and Fabián de la
Rosa
• Amorsolo and de la Rosa artists of great note
in Philippine history, with de la Rosa highly
considered as the first filipino artist to be of
note in the early 20th Century to Amorsolo as
the most well-known master of the art next to
the greats of the Spanish era like Juan Luna
and Felix Hidalgo “The Triumverate” though
created as the preliminary drive of modern
movement and with works highly considered
as contemporary in nature the role that these
men have is more for kickstarting the transition
from the modern arts towards the
contemporary arts
• A new group was needed to start the
breakaway from the established aesthetical
canon to the abstract, expressionist, symbolist
and other modes of creative expression
characteristic of the art of the modern world
• Women Working on the Rice Field by Fabián
de la Rosa
o El Kundiman by Fabián de la Rosa
o Fruit Pickers Harvesting Under the
Mango Tree by Fernando Amorsolo
o The Sketch by Vitorio Edades
o The Builders by Vitorio Edades
o Princess Urduja by Botong
Francisco
• A group known as the 13 Moderns a group
remembered also by the “The Triumverate” a
group which appeared to effect the desired
transformation towards a much more
 modernist inspired perspective in the way art is
being approached
• The group paved the way for a mix of various
approaches and understanding from academic
to self-taught artists and artists who learned
from overseas to the homegrown artists
implementing the ideas with a distinct local flair
• Academic Artist established an ideal
perspective to what art is supposed to be a
conservative approach to the creation and
subjectivity of the art
• Rivaling them was a group of artists who
wanted a change of direction a change in
perspective and a change in aesthetic identity
of the art pieces
• Academic Artists who were trained in the
prestigious schools rivaled heavily with the
rising group of neo-realist painters -who
wanted to move away from the “establishment
ideologies” of the academic artists
• The two groups had different ideologies,
philosophies and approach toward the creation
and subjectivity of art
• This rivalry even led organization in the arts to
moves that would avoid direct confrontations
between the artists
o Dalawang Isda by H.R. Ocampo
o Conquerers by H.R. OCAMPO
o Barung Barong by Vicente
Manansala
o Capas by Demetrio Diego
o Tree Planting by Cesar T Legaspi
Elements of Art
- It enables us to:
 Describe what the artist has done;
 Analyze what is going on in a particular piece;
and
 Communicate our thoughts and findings using
a common language
1. Line 5. Texture
2. Shape 6. Value
3. Form 7. Color
4. Space
1. Line
- A moving point in space
- The most basic element of art
- A continuous mark made on some surface by
a moving point
- Is not found in nature
- Essential as a concept to define shape
 Straight Line – formal, poise, balanced
 Horizontal Line – denotes calmness and
serenity; represents horizons
 Diagonal Line – produces tension;
suggests movement and action
 Parallel Line – suggest speed in motion
 Curved Line – shows grace; femininity;
flow
 Spiral Line – suggests infinity; confusion
 Zigzag Line – shows restlessless; anger;
suggests confusion
2. Shape
- Is a form made by intersecting lines
- Pertains to the use of areas in two-
dimensional space that can be defined by
edges
- Can be geometric or organic
- Are defined by other elements of art (such as
line, form, space, value, colour, and texture)
3. Form
- An object with three-dimensions, or a shape
drawn to produce the appearance of a 3D
object
- Refers to objects that are three-dimensional,
or have length, width, and height
- Illusion of form can be achieved in two-
dimensional work
 Blocks – solid and stable
 Flowing Forms – exudes grace
 Inverted Pyramid – instability
 Shapes in “Movement”
4. Space
- Distances or areas around, between or within
components of a piece
- Space can be positive (white or light) or
negative (black or dark), open or closed,
shallow or deep and two-dimensional or
three-dimensional
- Sometimes space isn’t actually within a pieve,
but the illusion of it is
5. Texture
- Used to describe either the way a three-
dimensional work actually feels when
touched, or the visual “feel” or a two-
dimensional work
6. Value
- Refers to the lightness or darkness of a volor
- Value becomes critical in a work that has no
colors other than black, white & a gray scale
 The lightness or darkness shown in an
- with one another to stress their differences
artwork
7. Color
- Produced when light, striking an object, is
reflected back to the eye
 Hue – family of a color (Ex. Red, green,
blue…)
 Intensity (Saturation) – purity of a color
(How bright or dull the color is)
 Value – how light or dark the color is
Chapter 4: Principles of Art
Principles of Art
- The set of rules or guidelines that organize and
combine the elements of art to create an artwork
- These principles are considered by the artist to
produce the desired impact or message of his art
1. Balance 5. Unity
2. Contrast 6. Harmony
3. Pattern 7. Variety
4. Rhythm 8. Proportion
1. Balance
- Refers to the visual weight of the elements of
the composition
- It is a sense that the painting “feels right”
- Arranging elements so that no one part of a
work overpowers, or appears visually heavier
than any other part
 Symmetry – achieved by the use of
identical balance compositional units on
either side of a vertical axis within the
picture plane
 Approximate Symmetry – achieved by the
use of similarly balanced compositional
units on either side of a vertical axis within
the picture plane
 Radial Symmetry – even, radiating out
from a central point to all four quadrants of
the shape’s constraining plane
 Asymmetry – attained when the visual
units on balance either side of a vertical
axis are not identical but are placed in
positions within the picture plane so as to
create a “felt” equilibrium of the total form
concept
2. Contrast
- The difference between elements of art in a
composition, such that each element is made
stronger in relation to the other
- Created by using elements of art that conflict
3. Pattern
- The uniform repetition of any of the elements
of art or any combination thereof
- Created by repeatedly using elements to
accomplish an overall design
4. Rhythm / Movement
- Created by movement implied through the
repetition of elements of art in a non-uniform
but organized way
- Related to rhythm in music
- The way of combining and reiterating the
elements of art to produce the look and feel
of movement as if with a visual tempo
5. Unity
- The arrangement of elements and principles
to create a feeling of completeness and unity
towards a single concept or artistic plan
6. Harmony
- Arranging elements so that no one part of a
work overpowers, or appears visually heavier
than any other part
- Harmony is achieved by using similar
elements throughout the work. It gives an
uncomplicated look to a piece of artwork.
7. Variety
- The complement to unity and harmony, and is
needed to create visual interest
- The quality or state of having different
elements which give a design a visual and
conceptual interest
8. Proportion
- The comparison of dimensions or distribution
of forms
- The relationship in scale between one
element and another, or between a whole
object and one of its parts
- Measurement of the size and quantity of
elements within a composition