Virgilio S.

Almario
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Virgilio Almario

Virgilio Almario at a poetry reading in June 2011

Born Virgilio Senadrin Almario

March 9, 1944 (age 73)
San Miguel, Bulacan, Philippine Commonwealth

Pen name Rio Alma

Occupation Poet, literary critic, lecturer, editor

Nationality Filipino

Alma mater University of the Philippines

Literary Philippine Modernism

movement

Notable National Artist of the Philippines, University of the

awards
Philippines Centennial Award, Amado V.
 Hernandez Award, Balagtas Award for Poetry and
Essay

Spouse Emelina B. Soriano

Children Asa Victoria, Ani Rosa, Agno Virgilio

Literature portal

Virgilio S. Almario (born March 9, 1944), better known by his pen name Rio Alma, is
a Filipino artist, poet, critic, translator, editor, teacher, and cultural manager.[1] He is a National Artist
of the Philippines and currently serves as the chairman of the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF),
the government agency mandated to promote and standardize the use of the Filipino language. On
January 5, 2017, Almario was also elected as the chairman of the National Commission for Culture
and the Arts.[2]
Growing up in Bulacan among peasants, Almario sought his education at Manila and completed his
degree in A.B. Political Science at the University of the Philippines.
His life as a poet started when he took master’s course in education at the University of the
East where he became associated with Rogelio G. Mangahas and Lamberto E. Antonio.
A prolific writer, he spearheaded the second successful modernist movement in Filipino poetry
together with Rogelio Mangahas and Teo Antonio. His earliest pieces of literary criticism were
collected in Ang Makata sa Panahon ng Makina (1972), now considered the first book of literary
criticism in Filipino. Later, in the years of martial law, he set aside modernism and formalism and
took interest in nationalism, politics and activist movement. As critic, his critical works deal with the
issue of national language.
Aside from being a critic, Almario engaged in translating and editing. He has translated the best
contemporary poets of the world. He has also translated for theater production the plays of Nick
Joaquin, Bertolt Brecht, Euripides and Maxim Gorki. Other important translations include the famous
works of the Philippines' national hero, José Rizal, namely Noli Me Tangere and El filibusterismo.
For these two, he was awarded the 1999 award for translation by the Manila Critics Circle.[3][4]
Almario has been a recipient of numerous awards such as several Palanca Awards, two grand
prizes from the Cultural Center of the Philippines, the Makata ng Taon of the Komisyon sa Wikang
Filipino, the TOYM for literature, and the Southeast Asia Write Award of Bangkok.
He was an instructor at the Lagao Central Elementary School from 1969-1972. He only took his M.A.
in Filipino in 1974 in the University of the Philippines. In 2003, he was appointed Dean of the College
of Arts and Letters in the said university. On June 25 of the same year, he was proclaimed National
Artist for Literature.[5]
Almario is also the founder and workshop director of the Linangan sa Imahen, Retorika, at Anyo
(LIRA), an organization of poets who write in Filipino. Award-winning writers and poets such as
Roberto and Rebecca Añonuevo, Romulo Baquiran Jr., Michael Coroza, Jerry Gracio, and Vim
Nadera are but some of the products of the LIRA workshop.
He was a founding member of the Gallan sa Arte at Tula (GAT), along with fellow poets Teo
Antonio and Mike Bigornia.
Works[edit]
Poetry Collections[edit]
 Palipad-Hangin. (1985)
 Katon Para sa Limang Pandama. (1987)
 Sentimental. (2004)
 Estremelenggoles. (2004)
 Memo Mulang Gimokudan. (2005)
 Dust Devils. (2005)
 Sonetos Postumos, book of poems with translation by Marne Kilates and paintings by National
Artist Ang Kiukok. (2006)
 Tatlong Pasyon sa Ating Panahon, poems for children with illustrations by Mark Justiniani, Neil
Doloricon, Ferdinand Doctolero. (2006)
 Buwan, Buwang, Bulawan. (2009)
 UP Diksiyonaryong Filipino
 Doktrinang Anak Pawis

National Artist for Literature (2003)

Virgilio S. Almario, also known as Rio Alma, is a poet, literary historian and critic, who
has revived and reinvented traditional Filipino poetic forms, even as he championed
modernist poetics. In 34 years, he has published 12 books of poetry, which include the
seminal Makinasyon and Peregrinasyon, and the landmark trilogy Doktrinang
Anakpawis, Mga Retrato at Rekwerdo and Muli, Sa Kandungan ng Lupa. In these
works, his poetic voice soared from the lyrical to the satirical to the epic, from the
dramatic to the incantatory, in his often severe examination of the self, and the society.

He has also redefined how the Filipino poetry is viewed and paved the way for the
discussion of the same in his 10 books of criticisms and anthologies, among which
are Ang Makata sa Panahon ng Makina, Balagtasismo versus
Modernismo,Walong Dekada ng Makabagong Tula Pilipino, Mutyang
Dilim and Barlaan at Josaphat.

Many Filipino writers have come under his wing in the literary workshops he founded –
the Galian sa Arte at Tula (GAT) and the Linangan sa Imahen, Retorika at Anyo (LIRA).
He has also long been involved with children’s literature through the Aklat Adarna
series, published by his Children’s Communication Center. He has been a constant
presence as well in national writing workshops and galvanizes member writers as
chairman emeritus of the Unyon ng mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas (UMPIL).

He headed the National Commission for Culture and the Arts as Executive Director,
(from 1998 to 2001) ably steering the Commission towards its goals.
But more than anything else, what Almario accomplished was that he put a face to the
Filipino writer in the country, one strong face determinedly wielding a pen into untruths,
hypocrisy, injustice, among others.
Ishmael Bernal
Posted on June 1, 2015

National Artist for Cinema (2001)

(September 30, 1938 – June 2, 1996)

Ishmael Bernal was a filmmaker of the first order and one of the very few who can be
truly called a maestro. Critics have hailed him as “the genius of Philippine cinema.”

He is recognized as a director of films that serve as social commentaries and bold reflections on
the existing realities of the struggle of the Filipino. His art extends beyond the confines of
aesthetics. By polishing its visuals, or innovating in the medium, he manages to send his
message across: to fight the censors, free the artists, give justice to the oppressed, and
enlighten as well as entertain the audience.
Among his notable films are “Pahiram ng Isang Umaga” (1989), “Broken Marriage” (1983),
“Himala” (1982), “City After Dark” (1980), and “Nunal sa Tubig” (1976).
He was recognized as the Director of the Decade of the 1970s by the Catholic Mass Media
Awards; four-time Best Director by the Urian Awards (1989, 1985, 1983, and 1977); and given
the ASEAN Cultural Award in Communication Arts in 1993.

Ishmael Bernal
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ishmael Bernal

Born September 30, 1938

Manila, Commonwealth of the Philippines

Died June 2, 1996 (aged 57)

Quezon City, Philippines

 Occupation Film director

Awards

Pambansang Alagad ng Sining ng Pilipinas

Ishmael Bernal (30 September 1938 – 2 June 1996) was a Filipino film, stage and television director, actor
and screenwriter. Noted for his melodramas, particularly with feminist and moral issues, he directed many
landmark Filipino films such as Nunal sa Tubig (1975), City After
Dark (1980), Relasyon (1982), Himala (1982), and Hinugot sa Langit (1985). He was declared a National
Artist of the Philippines in 2001.

Contents
[hide]

 1Biography
 2As an artist
 3As a film director
 4In Philippine television
 5Achievements
 6In New York City
 7A summary of his filmography (1971–1994)
 8Awards
 9References
o 9.1Footnotes
o 9.2See also
 10External links

Biography[edit]
Born in Manila on 30 September 1938, Bernal was the son of Elena Bernal and Pacifico Ledesma.[1] He studied
at Burgos Elementary School, Mapa High School and at the University of the Philippines where he finished his
Bachelor of Arts degree in English in 1959. After graduation he worked with Lamberto Avellana's
documentary outfit before proceeding to France where he earned his Licentiate in French Literature and
Philosophy at the University of Aix-en-Provence. He received his Diploma in Film Directing in 1970 at the
Film Insititue of India in Poona under the Colombo plan scholarship. An active pariticipant in the struggle for
artist's rights and welfare, Bernal was also a board member of the Concerned Artists of the Philippines and the
Directors Guild of the Philippines, Inc. Until his demise, he remained part of DGPI, an organization that
studies the role of film as an instrument of entertainment, education and development.[1]

As an artist[edit]
Ishmael Bernal truly loved the arts. He nurtured his passion for literature and theater by actively participating
in the U.P. Dramatic Club while finishing a college degree. He was also an avid fan of classical music
including opera. During the 1960s, Bernal put up When It's A Grey November In Your Soul, in Malate which
became one of the favorite watering holes of Manila's artists and intellectuals. Unfazed by its short-lived
success, Bernal put up Kasalo in Quezon City three decades later, which became the hang-out of students,
journalists, poets, bands, theater and film artists.[1]
As a film director[edit]
Bernal directed and wrote his first film, Pagdating Sa Dulo (At The Top), in 1971. In this film we catch a
glimpse into what Ishmael Bernal's ouvre would prefigure for the industry: it is a scene showing an aspiring
actress (played by Rita Gomez) pondering on dreams blooming in deserts of desolation and dying out in a
mirage that painfully conjures images of squatter colonies and sordid lives. The bold star stares out into the
landscape and scans it, with the camera acting as her surrogate, but finally framing her against the
embarrassingly majestic Cultural Center of the Philippines. The scene captures it all: the decadence of the
Martial Law regime, along with its perverse aspirations to art, has doomed the destinies of Filipinos. From that
time on, Bernal was established as an innovative and intelligent filmmaker who would not be content with
conventional formulas of local film making. Under his name is a broad range of film genres and themes:
historical dramas like El Vibora (The Viper), and the Bonifacio episode in the unreleased Lahing Pilipino (The
Filipino Race); sophisticated comedies like Tisoy (Mestizo), Pabling (Playboy), Working Girls I and Working
Girls II; experimental films like Nunal Sa Tubig (Speck In The Water) and Himala (Miracle); and
contemporary dramas exploring human psyches and social relationships, such as Ligaw Na
Bulaklak (Wildflower), Mister Mo, Lover Boy Ko (Your Husband, My Lover), Ikaw Ay Akin (You Are
Mine), Relasyon (The Affair), Aliw (Pleasure) and the film classic Manila By Night (or City After Dark). His
sturdy filmography is mainly clustered around the themes and problems that inevitably encrust the "social" as
the core of personal malaise.[1]
Bernal considered himself a feminist director and admitted that it was part of his interest to tackle issues
affecting women. A significant part of his work is stories about and for women. For
example, Relasyon, Hinugot Sa Langit (1985), and Working Girls. Before Bernal died in Quezon City on 2
June 1996, he was scheduled to direct a film about the life story of Lola Rosa Henson, the comfort
woman during the Japanese invasion of the Philippines.[1]

In Philippine television[edit]
Aside from film, Bernal also directed television shows like the long-time drama series Ang Makulay Na
Daigdig ni Nora (The Colorful World of Nora) for which he was named Outstanding Director in a Drama
Series by the Patas Awards in 1979; Metro Magazine, Isip Pinoy, Dear Teacher and episodes
for PETABISYON and Lorna. As an actor, he played lead roles in stage plays like Kamatayan Sa Isang Anyo
Ng Rosas (Death in the Form of a Rose) in 1991 and Bacchae in 1992.[1]
Bernal is a tireless and committed educator. He taught film direction to film students of the University of the
Philippines and Polytechnic University of the Philippines. He has conducted film and theater workshops and
directed plays for school-based theater groups. He has also collaborated with artists from different regions
through BUGKOS, the national coordinating center for people's art and literature. A real art crusader, he
supported and co-facilitated workshops and critic sessions for aspiring writers until his last days.[1]

Achievements[edit]
He won the Urian for best director four times for Dalawang Pugad, Isang Ibon (Two Nests, One Bird),
1977; Broken Marriage, 1983; Hinugot Sa Langit (Wrenched From Heaven), 1985; and Pahiram Ng Isang
Umaga(Lend Me One Morning), 1989; and the best screenplay for City After Dark, 1980. His film Pagdating
Sa Dulo, won for him the FAMAS for best screenplay award while Himala (Miracle), 1982, garnered nine
major awards in the Metro Manila Film Festival. In that same year, Bernal was chosen by the Manunuri ng
Pelikulang Pilipino as the Most Outstanding Filmmaker of the Decade 1971-1980. Among the 10 best films
chosen by the critics, five were his. These include Pagdating Sa Dulo, Nunal Sa Tubig, Manila By
Night, Himala and Hinugot Sa Langit. He was also hailed as Director of the Decade by the Catholic Mass
Media Awards (CMMA).[1]
Bernal also won the CMMA Best Director Award (1983), the Bronze Hugo Award in the Chicago
International Film Festival (1983) for the movie Himala. The Cultural Center of the Philippines presented him
the Gawad CCP Para sa Sining for film in 1990. In 1993, he received the ASEAN Cultural Award in
Communication Arts in Brunei Darrussalam.[1]
Bernal, the daring artist, bohemian, and activist, undermined the established canons of the Philippine popular
movies from within, created a void, and then filled it with cinematic excess, an hysteria that was illuminating
and iridescent.[1]

In New York City[edit]

His Nunal sa Tubig (A Speck in the Water), Aliw (Pleasure) and Relasyon (The Affair) was among the 25
Filipino films shown in New York from July 31 to August 1999, organized by the Film Society of Lincoln
Center, in partnership with the Philippine Centennial Commission, the Cultural Center of the Philippines,
IFFCOM, the Philippine Information Agency, the Consulate General of the Philippines in New York and the
Philippine Centennial Coordinating Council - Northeast USA. This series of Filipino films were presented at
the Walter Reade Theater of the Lincoln Center, in celebration of the 100th year of Philippine Independence.[2]

A summary of his filmography (1971–1994)[edit]

 [1971] Pagdating sa Dulo (On Reaching the End)
 [1971] Daluyong! (Wave)
 [1971] Pito ang Asawa Ko (I Have Seven Wives)
 [1972] El Vibora (The Viper)
 [1972] Inspiration
 [1972] Till Death Do Us Part
 [1972] Si Popeye Atbp. (Popeye and Others)
 [1973] The Sleeping Dragon
 [1974] Scotch on the Rocks to Remember
 [1974] Black Coffee to Forget (Unreleased)
 [1974] Huwag Pamarisan! Mister Mo... Lover Boy Ko! (Don't Imitate: Your Husband, My Lover)
 [1975] Lumapit... Lumayo ang Umaga (Morning Came, Went)
 [1975] Babaeng Hiwalay sa Asawa (Anna Karenina) (Woman Who's Separated From Her Husband)
 [1976] Nunal sa Tubig (Speck on the Water)
 [1976] Bonifacio (segment of Lahing Pilipino)
 [1976] Walang Katapusang Tag-araw (Endless Summer)
 [1977] Ligaw na Bulaklak (Wildflower)
 [1977] Tisoy (Mestizo)
 [1977] Dalawang Pugad... Isang Ibon (Two Nests, One Bird)
 [1978] Lagi na Lamang Ba Akong Babae? (Will I Always Be Just a Woman?)
 [1978] Isang Gabi sa Iyo... Isang Gabi sa Akin (A Night With You, A Night With Me)
 [1978] Ikaw ay Akin (You're Mine)
 [1979] Menor de Edad (Underage)
 [1979] Boy Kodyak
 [1979] Bakit may Pag-ibig Pa? (Why Is Love Still There?)
 [1979] Aliw (Entertainment)
 [1979] Salawahan (Two-Timer)
 [1980] Good Morning Sunshine
 [1980] Sugat sa Ugat (Wound in the Veins)
 [1980] City After Dark (originally entitled Manila by Night)
 [1980] Girlfriend
 [1981] Pabling (Playboy)
 [1982] Ito Ba ang Ating mga Anak? (Are These Our Kids?)
 [1982] Galawgaw (Busybody)
 [1982] Relasyon (Affair)
 [1982] Hindi Kita Malimot (I Can't Forget You)
 [1982] Himala (Miracle; also "Miracle on the Hill")
 [1983] Broken Marriage
 [1984] Working Girls
 [1984] Pridyider (segment of Shake, Rattle, and Roll)
 [1985] Gamitin Mo Ako (Use Me)
 [1985] Hinugot sa Langit (Taken from Heaven)
 [1986] The Graduates
 [1987] Working Girls 2
 [1987] Pinulot Ka Lang Sa Lupa (You Were Just Picked Off the Ground)
 [1988] Nagbabagang Luha (Burning Tears)
 [1989] Pahiram ng Isang Umaga (Lend Me a Morning)
 [1992] Mahal Kita, Walang Iba (I Love You, No One Else)
 [1994] Wating (Streetsmart)

Awards[edit]

Year Group Category Work Result

Berlin International
1983 Golden Berlin Bear Himala (1982) Nominated
Film Festival

Chicago International
1983 Bronze Hugo Himala (1982) Won
Film Festival

Pahiram Ng Isang
1990 FAMAS Award Best Director Nominated
Umaga (1989)

Nagbabagang
1989 FAMAS Award Best Director Nominated
Luha (1988)

Pinulot Ka Lang
1988 FAMAS Award Best Director Nominated
Sa Lupa (1987)
Year Group Category Work Result

Working Girls
1985 FAMAS Award Best Director Nominated
(1984)

Broken Marriage
1984 FAMAS Award Best Director Nominated
(1983)

1983 FAMAS Award Best Director Himala (1982) Nominated

Isang Gabi Sa
1979 FAMAS Award Best Director Iyo... Isang Gabi Nominated
Sa Akin (1978)

Lumapit, Lumayo
1976 FAMAS Award Best Director Nominated
Ang Umaga (1975)

Pagdating Sa Dulo
1972 FAMAS Award Best Screenplay Won
(1971)

Pagdating Sa Dulo
1972 FAMAS Award Best Director Nominated
(1971)

Best Direction
1995 Gawad Urian Award (Pinakamahusay Wating (1994) Nominated
na Direksyon)

Best Direction
Mahal Kita Walang
1993 Gawad Urian Award (Pinakamahusay Nominated
Iba (1992)
na Direksyon)

Best Direction
Pahiram Ng Isang
1990 Gawad Urian Award (Pinakamahusay Won
Umaga (1989)
na Direksyon)
Year Group Category Work Result

Best Direction
Hinugot Sa Langit
1986 Gawad Urian Award (Pinakamahusay Won
(1985)
na Direksyon)

Best Direction
Broken Marriage
1984 Gawad Urian Award (Pinakamahusay Won
(1983)
na Direksyon)

Best Direction
(Pinakamahusay Himala (1982) Nominated
na Direksyon)

Best Direction
(Pinakamahusay Relasyon (1982) Nominated
1983 Gawad Urian Award
na Direksyon)

Best Screenplay
(Pinakamahusay
Relasyon (1982) Nominated
na Dulang
Pampelikula)

Best Direction
1982 Gawad Urian Award (Pinakamahusay Pabling (1981) Nominated
na Direksyon)

Best Screenplay
(Pinakamahusay City After Dark
Won
na Dulang (1980)
Pampelikula)

1981 Gawad Urian Award

Best Film of the
Decade
Nunal Sa Tubig
(Natatanging Won
(1976) 1970-1979
Pelikula ng
Dekada)
Year Group Category Work Result

Best Film of the

Decade
Pagdating Sa Dulo
(Natatanging Won
(1971) 1970-1979
Pelikula ng
Dekada)

Best Direction
City After Dark
(Pinakamahusay Nominated
(1980)
na Direksyon)

Best Direction
1979 Gawad Urian Award (Pinakamahusay Aliw (1979) Nominated
na Direksyon)

Best Direction
Dalawang Pugad...
(Pinakamahusay Won
Isang Ibon (1977)
na Direksyon)

1978 Gawad Urian Award

Best Screenplay
(Pinakamahusay Dalawang Pugad...
Nominated
na Dulang Isang Ibon (1977)
Pampelikula)

Best Direction
Nunal Sa Tubig
1977 Gawad Urian Award (Pinakamahusay Nominated
(1976)
na Direksyon)

Metro Manila Film

1982 Best Director Himala (1982) Won
Festival [3]

Movie Director of Pahiram Ng Isang

1990 Star Awards for Movies Won
the Year Umaga (1989)
Year Group Category Work Result

Won
Young Critics Circle,
1995 Best Film Wating (1994)
Philippines
Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero
Posted on June 3, 2015

National Artist for Theater (1997)

(January 22, 1910 – April 28, 1995)

Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero is a teacher and theater artist whose 35 years of devoted
professorship has produced the most sterling luminaries in Philippine performing arts
today: Behn Cervantes, Celia Diaz-Laurel, Joy Virata, Joonee Gamboa, etc. In 1947, he
was appointed as UP Dramatic Club director and served for 16 years. As founder and
artistic director of the UP Mobile Theater, he pioneered the concept of theater campus
tour and delivered no less than 2,500 performances in a span of 19 committed years of
service. By bringing theatre to countryside, Guerrero made it possible for students and
audiences in general to experience the basic grammar of staging and acting in familiar
and friendly ways through his plays that humorously reflect the behavior of the Filipino.

His plays include Half an Hour in a Convent, Wanted: A Chaperon, Forever,

Condemned, Perhaps, In Unity, Deep in My Heart, Three Rats, Our Strange Ways,
The Forsaken House, Frustrations.

Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Guerrero on a 2017 stamp of the Philippines

 Wilfrido Maria Guerrero (January 22, 1911 – April 28, 1995) was a Filipino playwright, director,
teacher and theater artist. Guerrero wrote well over 100 plays, 41 of which have been published. His
unpublished plays have either been broadcast over the radio or staged in various parts of the
Philippines.
His plays can be found in various anthologies: 13 Plays (first published in 1947), 8 Other
Plays (1952), 7 More Plays (1962), 12 New Plays (1975), My Favorite 11 Plays (1976), 4 Latest
Plays (1980), and Retribution and eight other selected plays (1990). Guerrero also published a
family memoir, The Guerreros of Ermita (1988).
Guerrero taught and trained many notable figures in the Philippine Performing Arts: Behn Cervantes,
Celia Diaz-Laurel, Joy Virata, and Joonee Gamboa.[1]

Contents
[hide]

 1Biography
o 1.1Childhood
o 1.2Writing career
o 1.3Awards
 2See also
 3References
 4External links

Biography[edit]
Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero was born in Ermita, Manila. He wrote his first play at the age of 14 in Spanish,
entitled, "No Todo Es Risa." This play was produced at the Ateneo de Manila University when he
was 15.
Guerrero worked as a reporter and proofreader for La Vanguardia, a Spanish newspaper, and as a
drama critic for the Manila Tribune. He also worked for some time in the Philippine film industry as a
scriptwriter. He served as director of the Filipino Players from 1941–1947. In 1947 he was appointed
as Director of the Dramatic Club at the University of the Philippines despite not having a degree, and
he held that position for sixteen years.[2]
In 1962, he organized and directed the U.P. Mobile Theater, which travels around the Philippines to
give performances.[2]
Several of Guerrero's plays have been translated into and produced in Chinese, Italian, Spanish,
Tagalog, Visayan, Ilocano and Waray. Six of his plays have been produced abroad: "Half an Hour in
a Convent" at the Pasadena Playhouse, California; "Three Rats" at the University of Kansas;
"Condemned" in Oahu, Hawaii; "One, Two, Three" (premiere performance) at the University of
Washington, Seattle; "Wanted: A Chaperon" at the University of Hawaii; and "Conflict"
in Sydney, Australia.[2]
He is the first Filipino to have a theater named after him within his lifetime: The Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero
Theater of the University of the Philippines.[2]
Childhood[edit]
Guerrero grew up in an affluent family. His father, Manuel Severino Guerrero, was renowned for
having a “clinical eye” which could diagnose illness just by studying a person’s outside appearance.
His father's clientele included some of Manila’s richest denizens: Brias Roxas, the Ayalas, Pardo de
Taveras, the Zobels, the Roceses, the Osmeñas, the Alberts, et al. As a result, the young Wilfrido
enjoyed a comfortable upbringing along with his brothers Renato, Edmundo, Lorenzo, and Manuel.
As indicative of their social status, the Guerrero children were forbidden to eat with their hands
(custom in certain households) and to converse in Tagalog.
Guerrero was nearly seven when his father died. His father bequeathed the family their home at
Plaza Ferguson, two cars (which his mother sold), and a Php10,000 life insurance payout. Five
months after the funeral, the surviving family rented the first floor of the house belonging to his
cousins, the Mossesgelds, for Php50.00. His mother in turn rented the Plaza Ferguson home to an
American family to generate income.
Guerrero and his brothers attended high school at the Ateneo in Intramuros. They became choristers
to receive free tuition, but this required their presence at Mass every day. Even with their tuition
exempt (Php60.00 per semester), they still needed money to purchase their textbooks.
Guerrero completed his first play, the one-act "No Todo Es Risa," during his second year of high
school. He showed it to the late Father Juan Trinidad, S.J. (who at that time was translating the Bible
into Tagalog), who decided to stage it for their Father Rector’s (Fr. O’Brien) birthday.
By Wilfrido's third year at the Ateneo, he purportedly had his fill of hearing daily Mass. This
emboldened him to approach Don Alejandro Roces, Sr., a patient of his father and husband of a
close friend of his mother. Having heard Guerrero's proposal in his office at the Manila Tribune, Don
Alejandro readily agreed, thereby paying Guerrero's tuition for his last two years in high school and
ostensibly freeing him from daily Mass.
Writing career[edit]
It was Guerrero's favorite aunt, Maria Araceli, who discovered his writing ability. When he was 12 or
13 she noticed him writing on scraps of paper and then hiding them inside his cabinet drawer.
After his aunt's death, Guerrero wrote some of his most popular comedies, "Movie Artists,"
"Basketball Fight," and "Wanted: A Chaperone." He also made her the basis for the principal
characters in "Forever" (Maria Teresa) and "Frustrations" (Maria Araceli). “Both women are like my
aunt: imperious, strong-willed, wise, but also humane,” he wrote.[2]
Awards[edit]
Guerrero received three national awards: the Rizal Pro-Patria Award in 1961, the Araw ng Maynila
Award in 1969, and the Republic Cultural Heritage Award in 1972.
The U.P. Mobile Theater received two awards when he was director: The Citizen's Council for Mass
Media Trophy (1966) and the Balagtas Award (1969).[2]
In 1997, Guerrero was posthumously distinguished as a National Artist for Philippine Theatre.[3]

Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero was born in Ermita, Manila. He studied at the Ateneo de
Manila University, at the University of the Philippines, and briefly, at Columbia
University. He wrote his first play at age 14, and his play in Spanish, "No Todo Es
Risa", was produced at the Ateneo when he was 15.

He was later a reporter and proofreader for La Vanguardia, and drama critic for
the Manila Tribune. He worked for some time in Philippine Films (1939) as a
scriptwriter. He organized and was the director of the Filipino Players (1941-1947).

In 9147 the late Bienvenido Gonzalez, president of the University of the

Philippines, appointed Guerrero, despite his lack of a degree, assistant professor of
dramatics. He became director of the UP Dramatic Club for which he produced and
directed over 120 plays. He wrote and directed for radio for one whole year (1950-
1951) for Purico's "Dulaan ng Buhay". In 1959 he adapted six of his plays and
directed them for TV's Caltex Caravan.

In 1962 he organized and directed the UP Mobile Theater, with over 1880
performances so far, that goes on the road all over the Philippines. The UP Mobile
Theater has been the recipient of two awards: The Citizen's Council for Mass Media
trophy (1966) and the Balagtas Award (1969).

Guerrero has extensively observed the theater and drama schools in the US (on
a UP scholarship, 1956-57) and in England (on a British Council scholarship, 1965).

Several Guerrero plays have been translated into and produced in Chinese,
Italian, Spanish, Tagalog, Visayan, Ilocano and Waray. Six of his plays have been
produced abroad: "Half an Hour in a Convent" at the Pasadena Playhouse, California;
"Three Rats" at the University of Kansas; "Condemned" in Oahu, Hawaii; "One, Two,
Three" (premiere performance) at the University of Washington, Seattle; "Three Rats
and "Wanted: A Chaperon" at the University of Hawaii; and "Conflict" in Sydney,
Australia.

Twelve of his works are included in 23 college and high school textbooks and
anthologies, and are also included in the Russian Encyclopedia. His plays have been
the subject so far of seven Master of Arts theses in English literature.

Guerrero has been the recipient of three national awards: the Rizal Pro-Patria
Award (1961), the Araw ng Maynila Award (1969), and the Republic Cultural
Heritage Award (1972)

Guerrero has the unique distinction of being the first Filipino who has had a
theater named after him in his own lifetime: The Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero Theater of the
University of the Philippines, Diliman.

Upon his death in May 1995, his colleagues in the theater and the academe
drafted a resolution declaring him National Artist. Two years later, the national
government officialy proclaimed Guerrero as "National Artist for Theater" .

GlobalPinoy > Culture & History > View Topic

 Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero, Teacher and Theater Artist
Posted by Carrie B. Yan on 03/14/2011 11:00 AM

Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero is a teacher and theater artist. He devoted 35-years of his life in teaching.
His craft of sharing his knowledge to others has produced theater legends like Joy Virata, Celia
Diaz-Laurel, Joonee Gamboa and Behn Cervantes.

In 1947, he was appointed as UP Dramatic Club director and served for 16 years.

As founder and artistic director of the UP Mobile Theater, he pioneered the concept of theater
campus tour and delivered no less than 2,500 performances in a span of 19 years of committed
service.

By bringing theater to countryside, he made it possible for students and audiences in general to
experience the basic grammar of staging and acting in familiar and friendly ways through his plays
that humorously reflect the behavior of the Filipino.

His plays include "Wanted: A Chaperon, Forever," "Half an Hour in a Convent," "Frustrations,"
"Condemned," "In Unity," "The Forsaken House," "Three Rats," "Our Strange Ways," "Deep in My
Heart" and "Perhaps."

“Guerrero” – something about the name constantly brings about that feeling of quaint
familiarity mixed with something that is not wholly known. A more comparable context of
that very sensation would be that frustrating attempt to recall and elicit (from the tip of
your tongue) that specific word that you know you know and yet for some cryptic
reason, your efforts are reduced to nothing but failures. Perhaps, within the framework
of the Philippine academe, the arts and social sciences must have had at least come
across his name once or even, on more than a number of occasions during literary
discussions and critique, in reading materials or even possibly, in casual conversations
(because, why not?) Then again, who would not?

Who is Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero and why is his name so ubiquitous?

The man behind the pen

Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero is widely recognized in the field of theater and literature. As a
playwright having written over 40 plays in his lifetime including Wanted: A Chaperon,
The Forsaken House, Three Rats, Half an Hour in a Convent and more, it is not a
surprise that educational institutions would integrate his works in learning structures and
generate discourses regarding the themes present in his works and their socio-political
significance. His works often portray subject matters well-known and well-received by
Filipinos; reinstating social conditions, realities and disparities of his contemporary
whilst utilizing humor and wit in his dialogues. From being able to write a full-length play
at the age of 14 to working as a scriptwriter for Filipino films, a proofreader and drama
critic for news publications (La Vanguardia and Manila Tribune, respectively), Wilfrido
Ma. Guerrero’s undoubted skill had lead him to render his talent in teaching and
devoting 35 years of his life as a theater practitioner—ultimately playing an integral part
of the revolution in Philippine drama and theater in the 1940s and beyond.

‘Freddie’ beyond Structural Emblems

Iskos, Iskas and theatre-goers would most likely associate Guerrero’s name having
sight of the theater space at the second floor of the Arts and Sciences (AS) Building
(also known as the Palma Hall) in the University of the Philippines Diliman. The 300-
seater mini theater was named after him, after all, making him the very first Filipino to
have a theater named in his honor.

Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero or ‘Freddie’ is beyond the structural emblem that resides in UP
Diliman. His legacy extends far beyond classroom discussions of his works and
theatrical stagings. As a concrete substantiation of his excellence, he was distinguished
as a National Artist for Theatre in 1997. Freddie’s name perpetually resonates in the
Philippine Theatre scene even before the Philippine government’s official recognition.

In 1947, Bienvenido Gonzales, the President of the University of the Philippines then,
had personally appointed Freddie as an Assistant Professor for drama in the College of
Arts and Sciences and he eventually became the director of the UP Dramatic Club.
Having mentored Philippine theater’s brilliant treasures such as Behn Cervantes, Celia
Diaz-Laurel, Joy Virata and Joonie Gamboa, among others. Freddie had a knack for
further expounding theater education and appreciation beyond the constraints of four-
corner rooms and stationary theatrical stages. With the goal of educating the masses
and the less privileged through theatrical performances and its physical transportation to
various areas in the Philippine region, both provinces and cities, the UP Mobile Theater
was conceived. Freddie pioneered the concept of this theater “campus tour”. The
indubitable success and effect of the UP Mobile Theater is manifested over its 2,500
performances across the region for 19 years.

A pillar of tradition

Guerrero’s extensive repertoire may have been the very reason why his name is
seemingly found everywhere—because he was, literally, everywhere back in his time.
Guerrero wrote about his contemporary; clashing social classes, moral and religious
conflicts, conservative love affairs and betrayals bounded an aptitude for creative humor
and yet, 22 years after his passing, his works are still relevant as ever and are
continuously being staged, read and discussed as if his plays would continuously enter
themselves into a time warp.
“As one of the most outstanding Filipino playwrights in English, Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero is
one of the pillars of Philippine drama and theater,” as Antonio Mabesa, Dulaang UP’s
founding director, had aptly put.

And indeed, he is right. Guerrero’s efforts and undying commitment to utilizing theater
as an avenue for education by the very presentation of social norms, stereotypes and
realities. Spectators’ recognition of these displays instigate discourses and raise
awareness amongst their subjective environment and in turn, would perhaps ignite the
threshold for societal change from small to a larger scale.

Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero is a pillar in the Philippine Theater. He had paved the way and
supported the edifices for the local theater’s present state to be recognized as a
powerful agent beyond mere and entertainment.

And yet, despite his ubiquity, Guerrero remains unfamiliar to many, at times. Is it
because of this country’s lack of support for the arts? Is it (still) because of our
educational system’s poor handling? Is it because of the Philippines’ general perception
of the arts as just a “hobby” and can go no further than that? Perhaps.

But one thing is for certain, whatever Freddie, his theater groups and his successors,
were aiming for decades ago, we still have to aim for it, now, more than ever.

Perhaps the familiar chime of his name would be indicative of a ceaseless resonance
that there is a “Guerrero” in all of us—that we can all be part of the essential revolution
for spreading social awareness and fighting for better education, whatever decade we
may be in.

Guerrero is not just a name. Guerreros are fighters. Guerrero can be all of us
Wilfrido Maria Guerrero (January 22, 1911 - April 28, 1995) was a Filipino playwright,
director, teacher and theater artist. Guerrero wrote well over 100 plays, 41 of which
have been published. His unpublished plays have either been broadcast over the radio
or staged in various parts of the Philippines.
His plays can be found in various anthologies: 13 Plays (first published in 1947), 8
Other Plays (1952), 7 More Plays (1962), 12 New Plays (1975), My Favorite 11 Plays
(1976), 4 Latest Plays (1980), and Retribution and eight other selected plays (1990).
Guerrero also published a family memoir, The Guerreros of Ermita (1988).
Guerrero taught and trained many notable figures in the Philippine Performing Arts:
Behn Cervantes, Celia Diaz-Laurel, Joy Virata, and Joonee Gamboa.[1]
Biography
Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero was born in Ermita, Manila. He wrote his first play at the age of 14
in Spanish, entitled, "No Todo Es Risa." This play was produced at the Ateneo de
Manila University when he was 15.
Guerrero worked as a reporter and proofreader for La Vanguardia, a Spanish
newspaper, and as a drama critic for the Manila Tribune. He also worked for some time
in the Philippine film industry as a scriptwriter. He served as director of the Filipino
Players from 1941-1947. In 1947 he was appointed as Director of the Dramatic Club at
the University of the Philippines despite not having a degree, and he held that position
for sixteen years.[2]
In 1962, he organized and directed the U.P. Mobile Theater, which travels around the
Philippines to give performances.[2]
Several of Guerrero's plays have been translated into and produced in Chinese, Italian,
Spanish, Tagalog, Visayan, Ilocano and Waray. Six of his plays have been produced
abroad: "Half an Hour in a Convent" at the Pasadena Playhouse, California; "Three
Rats" at the University of Kansas; "Condemned" in Oahu, Hawaii; "One, Two, Three"
(premiere performance) at the University of Washington, Seattle; "Wanted: A Chaperon"
at the University of Hawaii; and "Conflict" in Sydney, Australia.[2]
He is the first Filipino to have a theater named after him within his lifetime: The Wilfrido
Ma. Guerrero Theater of the University of the Philippines.[2]
His Life as a Child
Guerrero grew up in an affluent family. His father, Manuel Severino Guerrero, was
renowned for having a “clinical eye” which could diagnose illness just by studying a
person’s outside appearance. His father's clientele included some of Manila’s richest
denizens: Brias Roxas, the Ayalas, Pardo de Taveras, the Zobels, the Roceses, the
Osmeñas, the Alberts, et al. As a result, the young Wilfrido enjoyed a comfortable
upbringing along with his brothers Renato, Edmundo, Lorenzo, and Manuel. As
indicative of their social status, the Guerrero children were forbidden to eat with their
hands (custom in certain households) and to converse in Tagalog.
Guerrero was nearly seven when his father died. His father bequeathed the family their
home at Plaza Ferguson, two cars (which his mother sold), and a Php10,000 life
insurance payout. Five months after the funeral, the surviving family rented the first floor
of the house belonging to his cousins, the Mossesgelds, for Php50.00. His mother in
turn rented the Plaza Ferguson home to an American family to generate income.
Guerrero and his brothers attended high school at the Ateneo in Intramuros. They
became choristers to receive free tuition, but this required their presence at Mass every
day. Even with their tuition exempt (Php60.00 per semester), they still needed money to
purchase their textbooks.
Guerrero completed his first play, the one-act "No Todo Es Risa," during his second
year of high school. He showed it to the late Father Juan Trinidad, S.J. (who at that time
was translating the Bible into Tagalog), who decided to stage it for their Father Rector’s
(Fr. O’Brien) birthday.
By Wilfrido's third year at the Ateneo, he purportedly had his fill of hearing daily Mass.
This emboldened him to approach Don Alejandro Roces, Sr., a patient of his father and
husband of a close friend of his mother. Having heard Guerrero's proposal in his office
at the Manila Tribune, Don Alejandro readily agreed, thereby paying Guerrero's tuition
for his last two years in high school and ostensibly freeing him from daily Mass.
Why He Started Writing
It was Guerrero's favorite aunt, Maria Araceli, who discovered his writing ability. When
he was 12 or 13 she noticed him writing on scraps of paper and then hiding them inside
his cabinet drawer.
After his aunt's death, Guerrero wrote some of his most popular comedies, "Movie
Artists," "Basketball Fight," and "Wanted: A Chaperone." He also made her the basis for
the principal characters in "Forever" (Maria Teresa) and "Frustrations" (Maria Araceli).
“Both women are like my aunt: imperious, strong-willed, wise, but also humane,” he
wrote.[2]
Awards
Guerrero received three national awards: the Rizal Pro-Patria Award in 1961, the Araw
ng Maynila Award in 1969, and the Republic Cultural Heritage Award in 1972.
The U.P. Mobile Theater received two awards when he was director: The Citizen's
Council for Mass Media Trophy (1966) and the Balagtas Award (1969).[2]
In 1997, Guerrero was posthumously distinguished as a National Artist for Philippine
Theatre.[3]

Victorio Edades
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Victorio C. Edades

The Sketch, 1928, Oil on canvas, 96 x 117 cm

Born December 13, 1895

Barrio Bolosan, Dagupan, Pangasinan, Captaincy

General of the Philippines

Died March 7, 1985 (aged 89)

Davao City, Philippines

Nationality Filipino

Education University of Washington, Fondation Des Ecoles D'Art

Americaines De Fontainebleau

Known for Painting

 Notable "The Sketch", "The Builders", "Interaction",

work "Fontainebleau, August 1937", "The Model and The

Artist"

Movement Modernism

Victorio C. Edades (December 23, 1895 – March 7, 1985) was a Filipino painter. He led the
revolutionary Thirteen Moderns, who engaged their classical compatriots in heated debate over the
nature and function of art. He was named a National Artist in 1976.

Contents
[hide]

 1Biography
 2Artistic development
 3The Other Moderns
 4Readings/resources

Biography[edit]
Victorio Edades was born on December 23, 1895 to Hilario and Cecilia Edades. He was the
youngest of ten children (six of whom died of smallpox). He grew up in Barrio Bolosan in Dagupan,
Pangasinan. His artistic ability surfaced during his early years. By seventh grade, his teachers were
so impressed with him that he was dubbed "apprentice teacher" in his art class. He was also an
achiever from the very beginning, having won awards in school debates and writing competitions.
After high school, Edades and his friends traveled to the United States. Before enrolling in Seattle,
Edades incidentally made a detour to Alaska and experienced working in a couple of factories.
Nonetheless, he moved on to Seattle and enrolled at the University of Washington where he took up
architecture and later earned a Master of Fine Arts in Painting. The significant event that stirred
Edades, and made him as what he is known now, was his encounter with the traveling exhibition
from the New York Armory Hall. This art show presented modern European artists such
as Cézanne, Gauguin, Matisse, Picasso and the Surrealists. His growing appreciation to what he
saw veered him away from the conservative academic art and Realistic schools and thus he began
to paint in the modern manner. The two former schools of thought were inclined more towards idyllic
subject matter, and require a mastery of refined detailing. What attracted Edades to the modernist
movement was its principle to go beyond the idealistic exteriors propagated by Impressionism and
Realism. Modernist thought encourages experimentation in artistic expression and allows the artist
to present reality as he sees it in his own way.
During his journey to America, he participated in art competitions, one of which was the Annual
Exhibition of North American Artists. His entry The Sketch (1927) won second prize. When he
returned to the Philippines in 1928, he saw that the state of art was "practically dead." Paintings he
saw dealt with similar themes and were done in a limited technique that mostly followed the works
of Fernando Amorsolo, the first Philippine national artist and the most popular painter of the time. He
recognized that there was no creativity whatsoever, and that the artists of that time were merely
"copying" each other. So in December, Edades bravely mounted a one-man show at the Philippine
Columbia Club in Ermita to introduce to the masses what his modern art was all about. He showed
thirty paintings, including those that won acclaim in America. It was a distinguished exhibit, for the
Filipino art circle was suddenly shaken by what this young man from Pangasinan had learned from
his studies abroad. Viewers and critics were apparently shocked and not one painting was sold.
Edades helped organized the University of Sto. Tomas Department of Architecture in 1930 and was
its acting head. In 1935, he was appointed as Director of the UST College of Architecture and Fine
Arts, which he organized under the wing of Architecture. He was guided by the existing American
curricula when he made the Fi Painting. On February 12, 1977, UST conferred on Edades the
degree of Doctor of Fine Arts, Honoris Causa.
Edades retired to Davao City with his family. There he taught for a time at the Philippine Women's
College and resumed his career as an artist. He died on March 7, 1985.

Artistic development[edit]
Early styles after his stint in architecture already show his inclination towards modernist technique. In
The Market and The Picnic, his choice of subject matter do not take flight from pleasant daily
scenery; yet his brush strokes and observance of non-proportionality in the figures made his
teachers consider him "very ambitious." His earlier works already showed his affinity towards the
style of Cézanne and other Post-Impressionists.
The height of his artistic development is his dynamic entry into Philippine art in 1928 with his solo
exhibit at the Philippine Columbia Club. Here he mounted his most renowned work, The Builders.
This work is the sum total of all the other pieces included in the show. They are a far cry from the
works of the first Philippine national artist and most popular painter Fernando Amorsolo and the
other classicists who painted bright cheery scenes of flawless Filipinos and their idealized daily
routines. Edades, on the other hand, presented figures in muddy earth colors – yellow ochres and
raw sienna accented by bold black contours. Subjects are distorted figures (those whose proportions
defy classical measure), and Edades’ brush strokes are agitated and harsh. The choice of his
subject also caused quite a stir to those who viewed the show. He portrayed tough, dirty construction
laborers and simple folk wrestling in dung and dust. Even his nudes are nothing like Amorsolo's
portrayal of the Filipina at her best.
With the uproar Edades' ideas raised, he knew that he cannot make a living out by merely painting
what he wished. So he got by producing commissioned works, particularly murals. He did murals for
prominent individuals (like Juan Nakpil) and institutions. His later works are said to be ‘flatter.’ His
portraits and genre paintings in Davao are not seen to be as heavy or solid as his earlier phase with
The Builders. From Cézanne, Edades grew more interested in the style of Utamaro of Japan and
other artists whose charm is in color rather than solidity.
By introducing modern ideas into the Philippine art scene, Victorio Edades managed to destroy the
conventions of domestic art, and also got rid of the clichéd ideology he believed stunted the
development of Philippine art. His defiance to what the Conservatives structured as ‘art’ was a
conscious call for real artistic expression. He attested that "art is ever the expression of man's
emotion, and not a mere photographic likeness of nature. Thus to express his individual emotion, the
artist is privileged to create in that distinctive form that best interprets his own experience. And the
distortion of plastic elements of art such as line, mass and color – is one of the many ways of
expressing one's rhythmic form." That was the reason why his disproportionate figures are made that
way – for the sake of composition.
Through his continuous propagation of modern art as shown in his works and teachings, Edades
proved that modernists were not fooling people as Guillermo Tolentino asserted. Dialectic-ally,
Edades explained that Modern Art is not anti-Classicist. He said, "From the technical point of view,
Modern Art is an outgrowth of Classical Art. Modern Art is the interpretation of the Classical concept
conditioned by the artist's new experience with the aid of improved means of aesthetic expression."
Not conforming to the academic perception of art, he made art available to the common man.
Through his determination to stand by his ideology, he became a bridge between the past and the
present.

National Artist for Painting (1976)

(December 23, 1895 – March 7, 1985)

Painting distorted human figures in rough, bold impasto strokes, and standing tall and
singular in his advocacy and practice of what he believes is the creative art, Victorio C.
Edades emerged as the “Father of Modern Philippine Painting”. Unlike, Amorsolo’s
bright, sunny, cheerful hues, Edades’ colors were dark and somber with subject matter
or themes depicting laborers, factory workers or the simple folk in all their dirt, sweat
and grime. In the 1930s, Edades taught at the University of Santos Tomas and became
dean of its Department of Architecture where he stayed for three full decades. It was
during this time that he introduced a liberal arts program that offers subjects as art
history and foreign languages that will lead to a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts. This
development brought about a first in Philippine education since art schools then were
vocational schools.

It was also the time that Edades invited Carlos “Botong” Francisco and Galo B. Ocampo
to become professor artists for the university. The three, who would later be known as
the formidable “Triumvirate”, led the growth of mural painting in the country. Finally
retiring from teaching at age 70, the university conferred on Edades the degree of
Doctor of Fine Arts, honoris causa, for being an outstanding “visionary, teacher and
artist.”
 The Sketch, 1928

Among his works are The Sketch, The Artist and the Model, Portrait of the
Professor, Japanese Girl, Mother and Daughter, The Wrestlers, and Poinsettia
Girl.

GlobalPinoy > Culture & History > View Topic

Victorio Edades, Father of Modern Philippine Painting

Posted by Carrie B. Yan on 01/18/2011 11:29 AM

Made National Artist in Painting in 1976, Victorio C. Edades was the pioneer in modernism in the
Philippine art scene. In fact, he is known as the Father of Modern Philippine Painting. A lot of his
paintings portrayed the hardships of the working class, using dark and somber colors and bold
strokes.

Edades was born on December 23, 1895 in Dagupan, Pangasinan to Hilario Edades and Cecilia
Edades. He obtained his early education in barrio schools and went to a high school in
Lingayen. In 1919, he left for the United States to study Architecture and Fine Arts at the
University of Washington in Seattle. During the summer, he worked in the salmon canneries of
Alaska. It was also during his stay in the U.S. that he married American Jean Garrott, with whom
he had his only daughter, Joan.
 He returned to the Philippines in 1928 and in the same year had his first one-man show at the
Philippine Columbian Club. He also came up with two of his most well-known works in that
year: The Sketch (also known as The Artist and His Model), and The Builders.

Edades joined the University of Santo Tomas in the 1930’s where he stayed on for three decades
and became dean of its Department of Architecture. It was he who introduced the Liberal Arts
program which led to a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts, a first in the Philippines since art was only
taught in vocational schools then. Edades later formed the Triumvirate of Modern Art with Carlos
V. Francisco and Galo B. Ocampo, after they produced a mural for the lobby of the Capitol Theater
on Escolta Street. This began the growth of mural painting in the Philippines.

However, it was also during this period that the infamous debate between the modernists and the
conservatives, including Ariston Estrada, Ignacio Manlapaz and Fermin Sanchez, took place. This
was interrupted by the second World War, but resumed in 1948, with sculptor Guillermo Tolentino
and painter Fernando Amorsolo representing the conservatives.

In 1938, Edades, together with Ocampo and Diosdado Lorenzo, established the Atelier of Modern
Art in Malate, Manila. This resulted in the formation of the Thirteen Moderns, considered the
pioneers of modern art in the Philippines. This group was led by Edades and included Ocampo,
Francisco, Lorenzo, Vicente S. Manansala, H. R. Ocampo, Demetrio Diego, Bonifacio Cristobal,
Cesar F. Legaspi, Jose Pardo, Arsenio Capili, Ricarte Puruganan, and Anita Magsaysay-Ho.

Aside from this, Edades co-founded the Mindanao Ethnoculture Foundation, which focused on the
indigenous culture and heritage of Mindanao. In his last fifty years, the subject of his paintings
had also become indigenized.

Edades retired from the UST at the age of 70, and he was bestowed with the degree of Doctor in
Fine Arts, Honoris Causa. He then settled in Davao after retirement.

On May 7, 1985, Victorio Edades passed away at the age of 89.

Edades’ major works include:

 1928 – The Sketch, National Museum Collection

 1928 – The Builders, Cultural Center of the Philippines Collection
 1935 – Interaction, with Carlos V. Francisco and Galo B. Ocampo
 1976 – Demoiselles D’avao
 1979 – Kasaysayan, a mural for a Manila bank

Among his awards are:

 1961 – Pro Patria Award, given during the Rizal Centennial Celebration
 1964 – Patnubay ng Sining at Kalinangan Award, from the City of Manila

ictorio Edades, father of Philippine modern art

(Philippine Daily Inquirer Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)FROM 1954 TO 1958, MY biggest artistic
influences were Victorio C. Edades and Gabriel Custodio, whom I had had the great opportunity to
meet while taking up Fine Arts in Manila at the time.
Professor Edades was born in Dagupan City, Pangasinan on Dec. 23, 1895. Coming from a poor
farmer's family and the youngest of 10 children, he had shown an early interest in drawing.

In 1915, he was enrolled at Pangasinan High School in Lingayen. After graduating, he got a
scholarship from the University of Washington. Edades and five schoolmates took a passenger ship
to San Francisco in April 1919. They reached San Francisco after two months by ship and then took
the train to Washington.

There, Edades studied Architecture. He kept drawing every day, until his chest hurt. A doctor
advised him to slow down, and he returned to the Philippines for a vacation. When he went back to
the US to resume his studies, he decided to shift to Fine Arts.

At the time, he was already tremendously interested in the works of Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
and Diego Velasquez (1559-1660). He also saw the works of Paul Cezanne (1839-1906), Henri
Matisse (1869-1954) and Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) in a group exhibit in 1922. It was at the time
that Edades' painting style changed from realism to neo-impressionism.

Edades earned his bachelor's degree from University of Washington in 1925, and proceeded to get
his master's, staying there for nine years. His master's thesis was the 48" x 125.5" work titled "The
Builders." Recognized as Edades' masterpiece, it is now with the collection of the Cultural Center of
the Philippines .

While studying the theory and technique of painting from European perspectives, Edades realized
America was a young country, like the Philippines. It had no culture it could call its own yet. Edades
even noted that when he was studying Architecture, he was learning the French principle of design.

During the course of his study, he met Jean Carrot, who later posed for his paintings. They fell in
love and got married after he earned his master's in 1928. They returned to the Philippines shortly.

Edades loved his country so much and wanted to contribute here what he learned in America. But
during that period, there were no galleries and no organized art associations in Manila. He found
little encouragement to spur public interest in the arts. Painting was considered a pastime, not a full-
time profession.

Defiant

Edades defied such conditions in 1929 when he exhibited his artworks at the Philippine Columbian
Club in Ermita, Manila, defending his right to self-expression. His style at the time was neo-
impressionistic, like Paul Gauguin (1848-1903) and Cezanne. His masterpiece, "The Builders," was
characterized by strong composition and dark colors.

Edades introduced modern art to the Philippines when it was still largely a conservative society. The
public was not ready to appreciate his works, and not one of his paintings was sold.

He wrote his personal account of the beginnings of modern art in the article "The Last 30 Years of
Filipino Art," published in Philippine Magazine in 1956. "The history of Filipino art during the last 30
years is strictly the history of Modern Art in the Philippines," he wrote.

" ...When I was a senior student in the University of Washington Fine Arts Department in 1925, I was
admitted into the Seattle Fine Arts Society through the recommendation of my professor-Walter F.
Isaacs. The following year, I took part in the Pacific Northwest Art Competition conducted by the
Society, in which my painting titled 'The Sketch' won the First Honorable Mention, the only award
given besides First Prize, which was won by one of my professors."

He wrote that when he exhibited 'The Sketch' at the Philippine Columbian Club, there was an uproar.
Classically trained and academe-based artists condemned the work and others like it. It was the
start of the clash between the classicists and the modernists.

Edades ended his article: "It [the exhibit] served as the opening salvo for the battle between the
Conservatives and the Moderns which has continued ever since and which will continue till the
Moderns win in the end."

At Santo Tomas
Perhaps because he had met the Dominicans in Pangasinan (the province was the Dominicans'
mission post), Edades conducted the modernist battle largely from the Dominican-run University of
Santo Tomas, whose School of Fine Arts he helped establish in 1935.

Edades taught at UST for three decades, and was joined by the likes of Carlos "Botong" Francisco,
Galo B. Ocampo, Diosdado Lorenzo, Antonio Garcia Llamas, Vicente Manansala and J. Elizalde
Navarro.

It was at the time when the UST School of Fine Arts became the seat of modern art.

In 1934, architect Juan Nakpil invited Edades to paint a mural for the lobby of Capitol Theater on
Escolta, Manila. Edades sought the help of the then 22-year-old "Botong" Francisco, who, in turn,
invited surrealist and fellow UP School of Fine Arts classmate Galo Ocampo.

They all worked on the composition, while Edades provided the initial sketches. Titled "The Rising
Philippines," it was among the first significant murals in the country.

Modern art began to flourish but modern artists still were working on their own. They needed to work
as a group to make modern art significant.

Because he was the foremost modernist advocate, Edades led the so-called Thirteen Moderns. The
group included Edades, Francisco, Lorenzo, Manansala, Galo B. Ocampo, H.R. Ocampo, Anita
Magsaysay, Cesar Legaspi, Demetrio Diego, Ricarte Purugganan, Jos S. Pardo, Bonifacio Cristobal
and Arsenio Capili.

Though World War II might have aborted collective attempts to promote modern art more
aggressively, the Thirteen Moderns eventually shone individually in the postwar era.

Powerful pedagogue

Edades, whose educational background made him one of the most progressive artists of his time,
stressed free expression more than anything else, and "not to be afraid of making mistakes."

He once wondered why I wasn't a regular student, and persuaded me to finish my bachelor's degree
in Fine Arts. I replied: "I am studying Fine Arts and painting, but my foremost goal is to become a
painter one day. If that dream doesn't come true, it's no use having a degree."

Edades understood my position and was very supportive.

Since that conversation, I noticed that Edades was spending more time in his life painting class,
teaching me all I needed to know. And he saw that I was doing better.

Whenever he found a good-looking model, he would invite some of my classmates and me to his
home on Pilar Street near Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong City, for a painting session. I learned so
much from his Life Painting class.

In March 1955, I was inspired to join the life-painting competition in UST, where I won the honorable
mention.
In the same year, in the Shell National Art Competition, my oil painting "Vista por la Noche" won a
special prize. The painting was featured in the company's 1956 calendar, and was included in their
art collection.

That competition had two separate categories for modern and conservative art. Excluding the
special prize, there were three different winners for each category.

On Aug. 5 later that year, the works were exhibited at the Northern Motors Showroom, and First
Lady Luz Magsaysay sponsored the awarding ceremony. Of the seven winners, five were students
of Edades at UST. He himself posted the newspaper clippings of the results of the Shell contest on
the bulletin boards.

As an educator, professor Edades did not try to intimidate his students, nor was he very strict with
us. He was committed to his job, and we easily sensed his sincerity. He encouraged his students to
develop their own styles, and didn't force them to adopt his style.

I remember him telling us, "If you are studying painting, you must be patient, so that you can develop
your artistic talent. You must also be sincere with your work to become successful one day."

Edades' skills as an educator proved to be one of his biggest strengths. He encouraged us to gain a
broader sense of history: "Know how art was developed, and at the same time understand music,
literature and philosophy. Do not just limit yourself to one interest or area of study."

He maintained that painting, sculpture and music were only a few of the many manifestations of art.
Art, he insisted, must be part of "all that we touch, see and hear in everyday life."

Edades emphasized that one's painting style usually depended on the painter's background: "Do not
be afraid to change your style, because, as you change your outlook in life, your style will also
change."

He added: "The influence of the Masters is not bad. Let other artists influence you, but don't copy
them. If you just copy others' works, you will not develop as an artist."

Good mentor

I was very fortunate to have him as one of my mentors. Even after so many years since I left UST,
he was always generous in supporting my artistic pursuits.

When I mounted my first one-man exhibit in 1958 at China Art Gallery, Acacia Shopping Lane,
Manila Hotel, Bonifacio Drive, Manila, Edades was there and commended me for the improvement
of my painting techniques.

In 1980, after sending Edades an invitation to my exhibit at ABC Gallery, he wrote back from Davao
to thank me for the invitation, and complimented the color reproduction of one of my paintings.

He wrote: "I admire the delicate color of the lotus petal, which blends very well with the bluish green
leaves and deep cobalt-blue water... I am very happy, indeed, to see your present work to be a great
improvement, and I hope you will continue painting in the years to come."