CHAPTER 5

ARTS
 The word art is borrowed from an Old French term ars, which adapted in Latin concept artis that
denotes skill (or kakayahan in Filipino)
 Art is a systematic arrangement performed by human skills to attain some specific purposes
opposed to nature or something artificial
 May refer to method, skill and technique involved in producing visual representations as an
outcome of thoughts and emotions
 Culture becomes visual through the work of art like:
 the lowly palayok (clay pot) from Ilocandia, Calatagan and Palawan;
 Woodcarvings from Pampanga and Paete, Laguna
 Woven fabrics from Cordillera and Manubo
 Typical lowland Filipino arts and crafts came into being due to economic, religious, aesthetic, and
domestic necessities
 Arts are being designed and made not only for art’s sake but to fulfill its practical function and
play an important part in religion, ritual and divination.

ARTS IN HISTORY
ETHNIC ARTS: CORDILLERANS AND MUSLIMS

 The fundamental artworks of different Filipino ethnic communities from the Pagan North to the
Muslim South are pottery making, carving, weaving, metal work and ornament preparation
 Clay pots were fashioned according to the domestic needs of the ethnic tribe like cooking, food
preserving, salt storing or wine fermenting
 In some indigenous communities earthen vessels were used for burial and for other religious
purposes
 Varieties of mud container (as distinguished by Ilocanos)

 Tapayan – largest earthen vessel that serves as liquid container for distilling rice wine or
pickling anchovies

 Banga (earthen jar) – smaller in size than tapayan used for storing drinking water to
maintain its freshness

 Palayok (earthen pot) – lesser in size compared to the banga and tapayan, used for
cooking

 The Manunggul Jar is a National Treasure of the Philippines. A secondary burial jar, it is
designated item 64-MO-74 in the National Museum of the Philippines, Manila. The jar was found
in Chamber A of the Tabon Cave, one of the Manunggul caves in Palawan. The jar is dated from
about 2800 years before the present. It was found by Robert Fox and Miguel Santiago.

 Hagabi – a huge wooden bench from a gigantic tree trunk is fashioned and designed as part of
Ifugao culture to express the economic and political power of the owner

 The Maranao tribe highlights an overhanging beam known as the torogan with colorful and
vivacious serpent and vine-and leaf broach that convey the prestige, power and wealth of its
aristocratic residents

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  One of the richest survivors of Philippine pre-Spanish art is Maranao decorative art, described by
critics as graceful and rhythmical. The floorbeams of the houses project beyond the walls, and the
ends or panolong, such as the decorative figure, are carved and multicolored.

 Products of the loom (habihan) are highly admired and praised due to unique design and artistic
creativity of several ethnic groups

 Weaving is the oldest way to manufacture fabric among indigenous communities

 Weaving in the Philippines has different forms, functions and materials. They also vary in design
and techniques used. Most of the common forms of weaving in the Philippines are in the form of
hats, mats, bags, baskets and textiles (clothes and blankets).

 Tapis is a typical apparel for women and the bahag for the men among the members of Ifugao,
Bontoc, Kankanay, Ibaloi, Tinguian, Isneg, and Gaddang communities in the Cordillera
mountains.

 The pis syabit and the kandit are remarkable examples of Tausog weaving
 The pis has a square decorative multicolored geometric designs and is worn as covering
on the head, usually as a sign of rank for male
 The kandit is a silk waist girdle in bold geometric patterns with sharp color contrasts

Metal craft in the Philippines

 Ilongot tribe in Nueva Vizcaya used belts made of brass coiled tightly over copper wires and
trimmed with tiny shells with notched edges
 Several tribes in Mindanao like Tausog, Yakan, and Maranao used weapons such as kris or
kampilan which were made through iron casting

SPANISH ARTS

 The western arts from Spain were introduced to the Philippines after colonizing the archipelago
from 1565-1898

 Different techniques of craftsmanship were taught by skilled friars from different religious orders:
 Orden de San Agustin (Augustinians)
 Orden de los Penitentes de San Francisco de Asis (Franciscans)
 Orden de los Predicadores de Santo Domingo de Guzman (Dominicans)

 Arts were the best media for religious instruction.

 Sculpture spoken in many ways depends on how an artist formed his obra which is embedded
with emotions. e.g Santo and Poon

 Carvers in the lowland or mainland fashioned different mannequins with wooden heads and
hands, which were attached to a bastidor or framework body. Bastidor santo or poon were
dressed with gowns of expensive material, extravagantly decorated with gold thread, beads, and
sequins.

 The skills of Filipinos on woodcarving were reflected in several religious furnishings like
decorative pulpit, huge wooden doors, choir chambers and carrozas.

 Painting of religious icons such as angels, saints, Christ and Mary and the like prevailed during
the 16th century in most religious houses.

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  The first Filipino painters copied from Spanish models in which they developed their own color
scheme of bright primary hues.

 Academia de Debujo y Pintura – first formal school for the Arts in the Philippines
 was established in 1821 and supervised by Damian Domingo; stressed much on
brushwork painting

 Printing press was introduced by Spanish religious orders

 Woodcut printing was the oldest method of printmaking in the country
 Doctrina Cristiana En Lengua Española Y Tagala – first book printed in Manila in 1953
 Most printed works were either prayer books or stampitas

 Lithography – modern method for printmaking in which a greasy medium is applied to mark out
the image on a flat surface of stone and was fundamental to the innovation of newspapers and
periodicals

AMERICAN ARTS

 Formal academic schools that include arts in the curriculum was introduced in the Philippines
during American occupation
 Imported educational materials such as textbooks, manuals, handbooks, and the like downpoured
to the country for the consumption of the natives
 Fabian de la Rosa, Fernando Amorsolo and Guillermo Tolentino captured the attention of many in
the realm of painting and sculpture

Fabian de la Rosa
 first Filipino artist who defined Philippine landscape in art
 He was sensitive to space as fundamental component interacting with the forms of the land and
the different shades of green in forests and fields

Fernando Amorsolo
 Painted his landscapes in a vibrant midmorning light and enhancing the rural scenes with the
golden tone of harvest
 His obras are revealed in warm tones that captured the dazzling tropical sunlight

Guillermo Tolentino
 He was the dominant figure in the classical sculpture
 His great masterpiece was the Bonifacio Monument in Caloocan City
 The figures of the Katipuneros and other folks surrounding the Supremo are of a more romantic
vein in their nationalism.
 Tolentino’s value on nationalism reflected on his masterpiece

KINDS OF ARTS
 Painting
 Sculpture
 Architecture
 Photography
 Decorative Arts

PAINTING

 the oldest form of two-dimensional artwork done in any flat surface to create a representational,
abstract picture, or design
 medium used for Paintings: Oil, watercolor, tempera, gouache, fresco, enamel and acrylic.

o CAVE Painting was the oldest work found in Lascaux , France, depicted by Paleolithic
hominid in about 13,000
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  In the Philippines, the two-dimensional form of Art was introduced by the Spanish religious order
to propagate the Fundamental Christian teachings and doctrines among the natives

SCULPTURE

 another old form of three-dimensional work of art using a wide variety of materials such as
clay, wood, stone, plaster, metal and ice
 Artistic outcome could be : carving, modeling, casting and assembling

VENUS FIGURINE (Willendorf, Austria)

 considered the oldest three-dimensional artwork around 30,000 BC

 height is 4.5 inch, experts believed that the sculpture of lime is a symbol of fertility

BULUL –a stylized free standing darkened wooden statue

ARCHITECTURE

 Refers to any work of art about creating and designing structural buildings.

SPECIFIC TYPES:

 Domestic
 Religious
 Governmental
 Recreational
 Educational
 Commercial / Industrial

Types of Architecture in the Philippines

 Indigenous or Folk Architecture – varies according to different tribal cultures and values that
inhabits in such place.
 Classical or Western Architecture – designs that can be seen in in different gargantuan
buildings

PHOTOGRAPHY

 Is a method of recording the image of an object by the action of light

Greek word PHOTOS – light

GRAPHIEN - draw

-means “DRAWING WITH LIGHTS”

DECORATIVE ARTS

 refers to any work of an art concerning the design and motif that can be used as body
decorations, home ornamentations and personal artistic paraphernalia
 also known as applied arts emphasize the functional nature of works and beautify the spaces in
which we live

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FUNCTIONS OF ARTS
Every created art has a reason to exist. It helps man to discover the mystery of the past, trace the history
of an ancient civilization and connect the continuous links of the past, present and future.

Recounting Past Events

 Any work of art speaks for itself and for its artist.

Examples of these arts are the ff:

1. Intramuros -known as the Walled City of Manila (spanish time buildings, garrison, statues, etc.)

2. Sagada, Mountain Province – hanging coffins in the burial sites

Expressing One’s Thought

 Art is an expression of man’s ideas, thoughts, dreams and imaginations.

 An artist put his imaginative invisibility in his masterpiece in order to become visible to the eye of
the beholder with the emotions that surround his work. Example is the Roman Catholic churches
with numerous arts of Jesus Christ with different faces and emotions. Mostly, artist do this for
charity.

Transmitting Its Meaning

 Arts express in silence the status, whether past or present, of the bearer of such particular
symbol that transmits meaning to others. Example is a ring, it symbolizes something like for a
wedding ring (for married couples), ecclesiastical ring (for patriarchs and prelates), graduation
ring, fraternity/affiliation ring.
 Hence, we can say that art itself communicates the status symbol of a person or groups of
persons in society.

Amusing and Gratifying

 Art is fashioned and created in order to amuse and gratify man.

 Artworks sometimes motivates an individual to pursue his career, aspire more or higher position
in life or persevere in life no matter how difficult it is.

MUSIC
 It is an artful arrangement of sounds throughout the centuries but relatively vary among cultures
and traditions.
 Is an outcome of combined sounds (high and low pitch) and rhythm that emanates from the inner
feelings of man associated with his sentiments, passion, love, frustration, and even anger.

Types of Music

Folk Music - this music totally belongs to the traditions. It is often gifted from one generation to the next.
(Ex. Bahay Kubo, Sitsiritsit Alibangbang)

Rhythm and Blues (R&B) – This music has its root in blues and jazz, in addition of a heavy and
persistent beat.

Pop Music - is a genre of popular music. This music has no particular set of rules to be followed to be
placed in this category; still it is closely associated with rock and rock and roll styles.

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Classical Music – a serious or conventional music following long-established principles. (Ex. Beethoven
piece)

Rock Music - a form of popular music that evolved from rock and roll and pop music during the mid- and
late 1960s. (Ex. Yeng Constantino, Pepe Smith, Francis M, Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson songs)

Reggae - a style of popular music with a strongly accented subsidiary beat, originating in Jamaica. ( Ex.
Bob Marley songs)

Elements of Music

Pitch – important element in music that determines the highness and lowness of tone.

Scale – refers to a series of musical notes arranged in ascending and descending order of pitch.

Rhythm – it is one of the musical instrument that cannot be discarded. It is associated with the duration
of tones and silences and patterns of duration.

Harmony – is an important element in music in which the sound of two or more notes that belong to
separate melodies are heard simultaneously producing a chord.