A brief history of Philippine art

Pre-conquest
 Art before the coming of the first colonizers
 STYLISTIC TERM- “Indigenous”
 CULTURAL TERM- “Pre-Colonial”
Ancient Filipinos
 do not refer to “art” as we do today.
 Hunter-Gatherers
Pre- conquest theater
1. CAÑAO OR KANYAW (Cordillera)- officiated by Shaman or Mumbaki. It
involves animal sacrifice and performed for healing, announcing of birth,
coming of age, during wakes, weddings, and funeral.
2. KASHAWING (Lake Lanao, Mindanao)- to ensure abundance during rice
planting and harvesting.
3. TAGBANWA (Palawan)- believes that every 13th moon, three goddesses
descend from heaven to bless the planting of rice.
Pre- conquest dances
1. PANGALAY (Sulu Archipelago)- mimetic of the movements of seabirds.
2. KINABUA (Mandayas)- imitating the movements of eagles.
3. BANOG-BANOG (Higanon)- performed by the healed patients and
mimetic of the movements of hawk.
4. MAN-MANOK (Bagobos, Mindanao)- a dance that mimics fowl
5. TALIP (Ifugao)- a dance used in courtship and is mimetic of the
movements of wild fowls.
6. INAMONG (Matigsalugs)- performed during harvests and mimicking the
motions of a pair of flirting monkeys.
7. KADALIWAS (T’Bolis)- represent the comedic movement of monkeys.
8. TINIKLING (Leyte)- a popular Tagalog folk dance often showcased for
tourists. It is evocative of the movements of crane.
Pre- conquest carvings
1. BULUL (Cordillera)- regarded as granary god that plays an important role
in rituals.
2. HAGABI (Ifugao)- wooden bench that marks the socioeconomic status of
the owner.
3. SANTOS (Laguna and Pampanga)- sculpture of saint.
 Paete, Laguna- recognized for its carving tradition
 Betis, Pampanga- remains active today despite of the many challenges
posed to contemporary practice.
 OKIR (termed ukkil in Tausug/ Samal/ Badjao)
 can be found in panolong or sultan’s house called Torogan.
Pre- conquest pottery
1. MANUNGGUL JAR (890-710BC)
 found in Manunggul Cave, Lipuun Point, Palawan
 Secondary burial vessel, where buried and exhumed bones are placed.
2. AYUB JAR (5BC-225AD)
 anthropomorphic burial jar
3. PALAYOK
 used for cooking
4. BANGA AND TAPAYAN
 containers for fermenting food or keeping liquids.
5. PAGBUBURNAY
 in Vigan thrives and is currently valued in Ilocos.
Pre- conquest weaving
Forms of weaving:
1. Textile Weaving
 imparts knowledge about people’s belief systems.
1. Examples: Pis Siyabit and Malong
 2. Traditional Weaving
 fibers are gathered from plants, and pigments are extracted from roots,
etc.
3. MAT AND BASKET WEAVING
2. Examples: Tepo Mat and Ovaloid Baskets
Ornamentation
1. UPPER CLASS TAGALOG
 portrayed wearing gold jewelry.
2. VISAYANS
 covered with tattoos to protect the individual from evil spirit and as a
badge for maturity and bravery.
 (aside from tattoo, jewelry is also believed to make the wearer more
attractive.)
Pre- conquest metal work
1. LOTOANS OR BETEL NUT BOXES OF VARIOUS SHAPES (Maranao,
Del Sur)
 made of brass or bronze. SPECIAL TECHNIQUE: lost wax or cire perdue
process
2. BRASS KENDI AND THE GADUR
 used in ceremonies.
 KENDI - a vessel used for pouring liquids
 GADUR – container with a tapered top
Islamic colonial
o Islam was already in Sulu as early as 13th century.
o Sayyid Abbubakar of Arabia married Princess Piramisuli
o Established the Sultanate of Sulu
o Introduced Quran, builds religious school called
o Madrasa that facilitated the teaching of Arabic Writing.
o Islam was embraced as religion and as a way of life by the people
 Main beliefs of Islam that influence the ways of art was made and
interpreted
o Filipino Muslims- belong to ummah
o Islamic Faith- doctrine of Tahwid
o Muslim- “away from human forms and nature toward the contemplation of
the divine”
o MOSQUE- connected with the Tahwid.
 Mirah and Qibla is in the west as a sign of unity.
 Mecca- where the Great Mosque of Mecca and its Bulbous Dome are
placed.
Context
 setting, conditions, circumstances, and occurrences affecting
production and reception or audience response to an artwork by
recognizing context, we acknowledge art’s interaction with active
forces in the society: social, political, economic, religious, and
historical to name a few.
 Example
 Bulul - contains elements of sculpture but is not
 regarded as such by its maker.
Artist’s background
 age, gender, culture, economic conditions, social environment, and
 disposition.
Some artists deliberately foreground their CULTURAL IDENTITY in their works
The contemporary in tradition art
Is it possible that a traditional art can still be a contemporary art?
 Anything traditional can become contemporary by reinterpreting its
function, use, pragmatism, or even ethics and morality.
Contemporary-Traditional Art
 refers to an art produced at the present period of time that reflects the
current culture by utilizing classical techniques in drawing, painting,
and sculpting
 Example: Toilet
 Traditional: People used outhouses to go to the toilet; not a good
tradition if it was sub-zero temperatures in the night!
 Contemporary: Now people have WCs (water closets) installed in
the interior of their homes.
Teofilo Garcia
 Born 27th March 1941 to Francisco Garcia and Concepcion Callos
from San Quintin, Abra.
 He attended Villa Mercedes Elementary School (formerly known as
Barbarit Elementary School) until 4th grade
 At the age of 15 he learned the art of Kattukong or Tabungaw hat
making from his grandfather Hipolito.
 He married Dolores Cabael from Narvacan, Ilocos Sur
 They have five children Ferdinand, Redentor, George, Jocelyn and
Carol
 National Living Treasure Awardee, 2012 (Gawad sa Manlilikha ng
Bayan)
 Teofilo Garcia is a simple man, still a farmer at heart and since he
was bestowed the title of “Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan” ( National
Living Treasure) he has been invited to give talks and demonstrations
 in the Philippines and abroad, teach local school children the art of
Tabungaw making, and open up his home/workshop to drop in visitors
who wish to meet him and buy one of his unique products.
The Art of Tabungaw Hat Making
The hat called a Kattukong is weatherproof and made from Upo
(tagalog) or Tabungaw (Ilocano), also known as Bottle Gourd or White
Pumpkin which are part of the Cucurbitaceae family of plants.
Lang Dulay
orn on August 3, 1928,[2] Lang Dulay was a T'boli princess from the
Lake Sebu region in South Cotabato. She first learnt weaving at the
age of 12 from her mother, Luan Senig.
She is known for maintaining the use of traditional motifs in T'nalak
weaving amidst commercialization of the craft which saw the
introduction of more modern designs by non-T'bolis.[1] She notably
had a mental repertoire of around 100 patterns and designs: some of
these were based on her dreams, hence her description as a
"dreamweaver".[3]
Lang Dulay set up the Manlilikha ng Bayan Center workshop in her
hometown to promote the traditional art of T'nalak weaving and by
2014, five of her grandchildren had become weavers.
Lang Dulay fell into a coma in early 2015[3] and died on April 30 of the
same year.
Gawan sa manglilikha ng bayan or national living treasures award
Is conferred on Filipinos who are at the forefront of the practice
preservation, and promotion of the nation’s traditional folk arts.
Objectives
to honor and support traditional folk artists and to see to it that their
skills and crafts are preserve.

Formalized in 1992, through Republic Act No. 7355, the Manlilikha ng

Bayan Act.
The National Commission for the Culture and the Arts oversees its
implementation.
In 2014, the Senate of the Philippines adopted Senate Resolution No.
(SRN)765 aimed at recognizing the accomplishments of the country’s
living treasures.

The award is tied with a program that ensures the transfer of their
skills to new generations and the promotion of the craft both locally
and internationally.
Emblem
 The award logo is a representation of the human form used in traditional
cloth. Below the logo is the phrase “Manlilikha ng Bayan” written in
Baybayin,an ancient Filipino script used in the Philippines in the 16th
century.
Criteria for judging a GAMABA nominee
1. Should be a Filipino citizen or a group of citizens belonging to an
indigenous / traditional cultural community anywhere in the Philippines,
engaged in Filipino traditional art in the following categories: folk
architecture, maritime transport, weaving, carving, performing arts,
 literature, graphic and plastic arts, ornament, textile or fiber art, pottery
and other artistic expressions of traditional culture;
2. Should have been engaged in the tradition and craft for a significant
period of time with at least 50 years of existence and documentation;
3. Should have produced and performed of artistic, distinctive, and superior
quality;
4. Should possess mastery of the tools and materials that are needed for the
art and must have a reputation for being an art master and craft maker in
the community where he / she belongs;
5. Should have passed on and/ or will pass on the traditional crafts and skills
to other members of the community by virtue of teaching;
6. In case when a Manlilikha ng Bayan candidate is incapable of teaching
further his/ her craft and skill due to age or infirmity;
 He / she should have created a significant body of work and has
contributed to the development of the tradition and craft
 He / she should have played a role in the preservation and revitalization of
the artistic tradition in the community.
 He/ she has been recognized as a master of his / her craft and admired
for his character and integrity in his / her community.
Ginaw Bilog (d. 2003)
- Poet, Hanunuo Mangyan Panaytayan,Oriental Mindoro (1993)
 Ambahan – is a kind of poem consisting of seven syllable lines which
most of the time contains messages of love and friendship.
Masino Intaray
- Musician and Storyteller, Pala’wan Brookes Point, Palawan (1993)
- A musician and a poet whose Expertise were the Basal, Kulilal, and Bagit.

 Basal – is kind of musical ensemble Played during the “tambilaw”, a

ritual Of rice sharing among the Palawan People as an offering to the
Lord of rice and during the “tinapay”, a rice wine drinking.
Samaon Sulaiman
- Musician, Mamasa Pano, Magundanao (1993)
- Master in playing the kutyapi, a 2-stringed plucked lute. The Kutyapi Is
one of the most difficult to master indigenous Filipino instrument.
Alonzo Saclag
- Musician and Dancer, Lubugan, Kalinga A master of dance and
performing arts.
- He has also mastered the dance patterns and movements associated with
his people’s ritual. He is the founder of the Kalinga Budong Dance Troupe
to ensure that the music and dance of his ancestor are passed to the
younger generations.
Eduardo Mutuc
- Metal smith, Kapampangan, Apalit, Pampanga
- Creating religious and secular art in silver, bronze and wood.
The Production Process and the Changing Environment
- Dynamic changes are faced by the traditional artists; these changes
displaced indigenous people from their ancestral land. These are the
calamities, modernization and capitalistic endeavors.
Factors affected the traditional artists’ production
1. Tourism
- Lands are converted into sites for tourist consumption. Ecological domains
are prone to distraction and art form native to the community tend to
diminish its quality.
2. Mining and infrastructure projects
- Different establishments evict people from their dwellings and causes
severe damage to the environment.
3. Militarization
- Insecurity and tension brought about by the military bases arrest the
people’s ability to create art.
4. Christianization
- people are led to believe that their traditions and practices have no place
in the contemporary culture.
Medium and techniques of visual art
- Denotes the means by which an artists communicates his ideas
- Something that translates his feelings or thoughts into a beautiful reality
The medium of visual art in 2-D
 Water Color
 Fresco
 Pastel and Chalk
 Oil
 Tempera
 Encaustic
 Acrylic
 Stained glass
 Tapestry
 Mosaic
 Crayons
 Charcoal
Water color
- A simple coloring medium
- Has less luminous effect when applied but easy to use
Fresco
- A paint on a moist plaster surface applied with lime water mixture
Pastel and chalk
- Dry pigments held together by a gum binder and compressed into stick
Oil
- Is pigment mixed with linseed oil and applied in canvass
- Expensive, Flexible, Glossy, Dries slowly but lasts long
Tempera
- A mineral pigment mixed with egg yolk or egg white and ore
Encaustic
- Used by Egyptian in the portrait of face as in the case of community
- Done with wax colors by the use of heat
Acrylic
- A medium most widely used by the painters these days because of the
characteristics of transparency and quick drying
Stained glass
- Is a combination of small pieces of colored glass held together by hands
of lead
Tapestry
- A fabric consisting of warp where colored threads are woven to make
designs
- Used in wall hangings or furniture cover
Mosaic
- A picture decoration which are cut small pieces of colored stones or glass
and glued or pasted on a surface with cement or plaster
Crayons
- Are pigments bound by wax and compressed into painted sticks used by
students
Charcoal
- Made from carbonized materials from heating wood
The medium of visual art in 3-D
 Stone
 Granite
 Marble
 Jade
 Ivory
 Metal
 Bronze brass
 Copper
 Gold
 Silver
 Lead
 Plaster
 Clay
 Glass
 Wood
Technique of visual art
Technique
- Means, a process, or a method of using the medium in a manner that he
wishes to finish an art work
Print
- A form of duplicating
- In the process of printmaking it involves the preparation of a master image
on a plate which may be made of metal, wood or stone from which the
impression is taken.
- Each print is considered an original work, not merely a reproduction
Printing
- In art this means reproduction.
- A single design is made to be multiplied
- Nowadays printing is a popular as painting and sculpture
Relief printing
- Is a process of cutting away a portion in a design which is not needed
Intaglio printing
- The process in the preparation of the impression is the opposite of those
of relief printing
Planagraphic process
- A surface painting treated first chemically or mechanically so some areas
have printing while others have none
Stencil process
- Done by cutting out a paper, cardboard or metal sheet so when ink is
rubbed over it
Photography
- An actual likeness of the design
- It is the use of camera to produced the desired copy
- Literally drawing or writing with light
*The Elements of Art
•The building blocks or ingredients of art.
Line
•A mark with length and direction.
•A continuous mark made on a surface by a moving point.
Color
•Consists of hue (another word for color), intensity (brightness) and value
(lightness or darkness).
Value
•The lightness or darkness of a color.
Shape
•An enclosed area defined and determined by other art elements; 2-dimensional.
Form
•A 3-dimensional object; or something in a 2-dimensional artwork that appears
to be 3-dimensional.
- e.g.: a triangle which is 2-dimensional is a shape but a pyramid which is 3-
dimensional is a form.
Space
•The distance or area between, around, above, below, or within things.
- E.g.: Foreground, middle ground, background (creates depth) and the act
of being positive (an artwork is filled with something) and negative (an
artwork is filled with nothing.)
Texture
•The surface quality or “feel” of an object, its smoothness, roughness, softness,
etc. Textures may be actual or implied.
*The Principles of Art
- What we use to organize the elements of art, or the tools to make art.
Balance
•The way the elements are arranged to create a feeling of stability in a work.
Symmetrical Balance
•The parts of an image are organized so that one side mirrors the other.
Asymmetrical Balance
•When one side of a composition does not reflect the design of the other.
Emphasis
•The focal point of an image, or when one area or thing stands out the most.
Contrast
•A large difference between two things to create interest and tension.
Rhythm and Movement
•A regular repetition of elements to produce the look and feel of movement.
Pattern and Repetition
•Repetition of a design.
Unity
•When all the elements and principles work together to create a pleasing image.
Variety
•The use of differences and change to increase the visual interest of the work.
Proportion
•The comparative relationship of one part to another with respect to size,
quantity, or degree; SCALE.
Themes and Subject of Contemporary Art
Subject of the art
•Can be a person, animal, event, etc.
•This is the topic of the artwork.
•The inspiration and style of the artwork.
Realism
•Artwork is done the way it look exactly the same from the model.
Distortion
•The artwork is inspired of something that the artists alters base on his/her
imagination and satisfaction.
Abstraction
•The object of abstract artworks cannot be easily identified.
Non Objectivism
•The artwork does not have any subject or inspiration.
Themes
•The concept of the art.
•It focuses on the topic more than the styles and techniques.
Identify Politics
•An anti-authoritarian political and cultural movement about identity, inequality
and injustice. It focuses on experiences of people.
Body Globalization
•This theme is about knowledge and awareness of our physical body and how it
affects our lives.
Migration
•How change in identity and belongingness in their migrations or their ancestors’
shape their identities today is being portrayed in this theme.
Technology
•It shows how technology affects daily life and the world of art.
Society and culture
•It promotes culture and deliver message to society. The background of the artist
is a crucial factor in this.
Time and memory
•It shows the importance of memory in a person’s existence and time in both art
and history.
Institutional and Political
•This states the nature of an institution and how the artist perceives it.