PHILIPPINE

NATIONAL
ARTISTS
•The Order of National Artists of the Philippines
(Filipino: Orden ng mga Pambansang Alagad ng
Sining ng Pilipinas)
• is an order bestowed by the Philippines on
Filipinos who have made significant
contributions to the development of Philippine
art. Members of the Order are known as
National Artists. Originally instituted as an
award, it was elevated to the status of order in
2003
•The Order is administered by the
Cultural Center of the Philippines by
virtue of President Ferdinand Marcos's
Proclamation № 1001 of April 2, 1972
and the National Commission for
Culture and the Arts. The first award
was posthumously conferred on Filipino
painter Fernando Amorsolo.
 --
• Categories under which National Artists can be recognized originally included:

• Music - singing, composition, direction, and/or performance;

• Dance - choreography, direction and/or performance;
• Theater – direction, performance and/or production design;
• Contemporary Arts – painting, sculpture, printmaking, photography,
installation art, mixed media works, illustration, graphic arts, performance art
and/or imaging;
• Literature – poetry, fiction, essay, playwriting, journalism and/or literary
criticism;
• Film and Broadcasting/Broadcast Arts – direction, writing, production design,
cinematography, editing, camera work, and/or performance; and
• Architecture, Design and Allied Arts– architecture design, interior design,
industrial arts design, landscape architecture and fashion design.
• The National Artist of the Philippines are based on a
broad criteria, as set forth by the Cultural Center of the
Philippines and the National Commission on Culture and
the Arts:

• Living artists who have been Filipino citizens for the last
ten years prior to nomination as well as those who have
died after the establishment of the award in 1972 but
were Filipino citizens at the time of their death;
• Artists who have helped build a Filipino sense of
nationhood through the content and form of their works;
• Artists who have distinguished themselves by pioneering
in a mode of creative expression or style, making an
impact on succeeding generations of artists;
• Artists who have created a significant body of works
and/or have consistently displayed excellence in the
practice of their art form, enriching artistic expression or
style; and
• Artists who enjoy broad acceptance through prestigious
national and/or international recognition, awards in
prestigious national and/or international events, critical
acclaim and/or reviews of their works, and/or respect
and esteem from peers within an artistic discipline.
Benefits
• The rank and title of National Artist, as proclaimed by the President of the
Philippines;
• The insignia of a National Artist and a citation;
• A lifetime emolument and material and physical benefits comparable in value
to those received by the highest officers of the land such as:
• a cash award of one hundred thousand pesos (₱100,000.00) net of taxes, for living
awardees;
• a cash award of seventy-five thousand pesos (₱75,000.00) net of taxes, for
posthumous awardees, payable to legal heir/s;
• a monthly life pension, medical and hospitalization benefits;
• life insurance coverage for Awardees who are still insurable;
• a state funeral and burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani;
• a place of honor, in line with protocolar precedence, at national state functions, and
recognition at cultural events
List of the National Artists of
the Philippines
• Posthumously recognized as the Philippines National Artist on April 28, 1972,
four days after his death; given the tittle “Grand Old Man of Philippine Art”
for his influential style and technique that has inspired generations of artists;
well-known for his genre paintings and landscapes and his idealized depiction
of the dalagang Filipina; his works often incorporate his trademark style of
backlighting technique that makes the canvas feel alive with the light; other
than landscapes, his body of work includes portraitures, landscapes, sketches,
historical paintings, and advertising art.
• Dalagang Bukid (1936) Planting Rice (1946)
• known as a dancer and researcher
(Philippine Folk Dances and Games-
documented local forms of
celebrations and rituals, 1926;
utilized for instruction for public and
private schools) of Philippine folk
dance; made the Filipino youth
more knowledgeable of their
cultural heritage.
• Major Works:
• Philippine Folk Dances and Games
(1926)
• Philippine National Dance (1946)
• Gymnastics for Girls (1947)
• Philippine Folk Dances Vol. 1-6
• awarded four years after his death; known for historically themed murals such
as the Filipino Struggles through History which is displayed in the Manila City
Hall; one of the pioneers of modernism in the country (along with Victor
Edades and Galo Ocampo); his art reflects the value and the colors of his town
Angono that has been a trademark of his works and style; credited with the
discovery of the Angono Petroglyphs (one of the earliest examples of
prehistoric art in the Philippines).
 First Mass at Limasawa

Muslim wedding
• writer and stalwart of the laborers; believed that his art should act
as a conscience of society, correcting and calling attention to what
is needed; he was the 1st who drew away from the flowery and
ornate quality of the Tagalog language and instead wrote in prose
that is much closer to the everyday spoken language.
• Mga Ibong Mandaragit
(Novels - 1969) – 1st
major work when he
was still in prison;
bared the problems of
society, focusing on
the land and farming
problems during the
1950s.
• Luha ng Buwaya (Novels - 1972)
• A teacher, composer, and
conductor; known for his
impressionist style in music and
as part of the musical triumvirate
of the Philippines (includes
Nicanor Abelardo and Francisco
Santiago); acknowledged as
visionary in Philippine music
bringing it to the modern times;
innovations include the
pentatonic scale, linear
counterpoints, and the lively
ninth and eleventh cords, among
others;
Major Works:
Orchestral Music (Ang
Batingaw, Kundiman-
Kundangan)
Chamber Music (Hating
Gabi, Kung sa Iyong
Gunita)
Vocal Music (Awit ni Maria
Clara, Larawan Nitong
Pilipinas)
an artist, engineer, civic leader, and teacher; known for his
lest innovations in the field of Philippine architecture
(designs beautiful and functional); principles reflect his
belief in Philippine architecture, tradition, and culture.
•Major Works:
•Administration
Building and Library,
UP Diliman
•Reconstruction of the
Brazil Shrine
•Manila Jockey Club
•Old Humanities
Building, UP Los
Baños
• a premier sculptor and esteemed
professor at the UP, Diliman;
specialized in commemorative
sculptures of historical figures that
are monumental and grand;
receives training from the UP
School of Fine Arts and later at the
Royal Academy of Fine Arts in
Rome; as he returned, he became a
professor at his alma matter and
taught many future stars of
Philippine art
• Major Works:
• Bonifacio Monument, Caloocan (1933)
• Oblation, UP, Diliman (1935)
• pen name Doveglion (derived
from dove, eagle, lion); one of
the best contemporary poets in
the world; known for
introducing the consonance
rhyme scheme and used
punctuation marks especially
the comma in a novel and lyrical
way; Have Come, Am Here
(international acclaim in New
York, 1942) and soon after
various recognitions,
fellowships, and awards were
given to him.
• Major Works (collected and published
under following titles):
• Footnote to Youth
• Many Voices
• Poems by Doveglion
• Poems 55: The Best Poems of Jose Garcia
Villa as Chosen by Himself
• Poems in Praise of Love: The Best Love
Poems of Jose Garcia Villa
• The Portable Villa
• The Essential Villa
• Mir-i-nisa
• Storymasters 3: Selected Stories from
Footnote to Youth
• The youngest recipient of the
title National Artist at the age of
46; given the distinction of being
the “Father of Modern
Philippine Sculpture” for his
nonrepresentational sculptural
works; adept in using a diverse
range of media such as adobe,
metal, cement, marble, etc.; but
still prefers Philippine hardwood
such as narra, molave, acacia,
kamagong, etc.; his works have
been exhibited in various
museums in the Philippines and
abroad.
• Major Works:
• Kaganapan (1953)
• The Transfiguration (1979)
• University of the
Philippines Gateway
(1967)
• The Nine Muses (1994)
known as “The Boy Wonder of Philippine Movies”; not only a film director but
also an established theater director; first to use point-of-view camera technique
that transformed film narration.
• his career started as a theater artist forming the Barangay Theater Guild (with
wife Daisy Hontiveros); later inspired by the works of Carlos P. Romulo in
handling film
• Major Works:
• Sakay (1939) his 1st film which was
critically acclaimed and won best
picture; set the tone for the rest of
his films, career, winning film awards
here and abroad.
• Kalderong Pilak (1954)
• Anak Dalita (1956) won grand prize at
the Asian Film Festival
• Badjao (1957) won Best Director of
Asia nod in Tokyo
• The Evil Within (1970)
• was a Filipino national artist in
creative dance. She played the
piano, drew art, designed
scenery and costumes,
sculpted, acted, directed,
danced and choreographed.
Her pen name was Cristina Luna
and she was known as
Trailblazer, Mother of Philippine
Theater Dance and Dean of
Filipino Performing Arts Critics.
She died on July 15, 2005 of
cardiac arrest following a
cerebro-vascular accident at the
• Major Works:
• TREND: Return to Native
• In a Javanese Garden
• Vinta!
• Filipinescas: Philippine
Life, Legend and Love
• The Magic Garden
• Noli Dance Suite
Uses English language in his works, yet his
heart is undeniably Filipino; started his
career as proofreader and journalist using
the pen name Quijano de Manila;
ventured to poetry, stories, novels, and
plays.
His style is defined as flowery and Spanish-
influenced English which is coined by
critics as “Joaquinesque”; study Filipino
psyche in the changing social climate set
during the Spanish colonial period.
After he was named as the National Artist
for Literature; he used his influence to
fight for intellectual freedom and helped
free imprisoned writer Jose F. Lacaba
during the Marcos regime.
• Major Works:
• The woman Who Had Two Navels
• A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino
• Manila, My Manila: A History for
the Young
• The Ballad of the Five Battles
• Rizal in Saga
• Alamanac for Manileños
acclaimed theater actress,
performing in various theater
productions in Europe; recognized
in Spain and given a title “La
Embahadora de Filipinas a su
Madre Patria” (the 1st and only of
record).
• Her success in Europe afforded
her to produce operas in the
Philippines and she became the
chairperson of the Music
Promotion Foundation of the
Philippines. Her talent and stature
brought her all over the world to
promote Philippine music.
• Major Works:
• Cio-cio san in Giacomo Puccini’s
Madame Butterfly
• Liu Yu in Puccini’s Turandot
• Mimi in Puccini’s La Boheméme
• Iris in Pietro Mascagni’s Iris
• The title role of Salome
• Princess Yang Guifei in Li Tai Pe
• considered to be the “Father of Modern
Philippine Painting”; his style is
described as raw and rough using bold
impasto strokes, his figures are distorted
and flawed which made the Filipinos
reflect on their definition of art; his
modernist style served as the perfect
counterbalance to Fernando Amorsolo’s
idealized and academic paintings.
• an educator and became a dean for the
College of Architecture at the University
of Santo Tomas in 1930; introduced a
liberal arts program that offered subjects
that would enable students to have a
Bachelors’ degree in Fine Arts (1st of the
kind in the University).
•Major Works:
• The Builders (1928)
ushered art movement
• The Sketch (1928)
• Market Scene (1920)
• The Wrestlers (1927)
• Interaction (1935) with
Carlos V. Francisco and
Galo B. Ocampo
• acclaimed early works combined concepts from the rural and urban settings, creating a
reflective pause when one views his works; he later experimented with other art styles
and is considered a pioneer of cubism in the Philippines. He developed his own style of
cubism wherein objects are carefully composed on top of another and carefully
rendered using light and delicate colors making the objects appear translucent and
transparent.
• served as a guiding influence to other artists who made names for themselves such as
Angelito Antonio, Manuel Baldemor, Norma Belleza, and Mauro Malang.
• Major Works:
• Madonna of the Slums
• Jeepneys
• Kalabaw
• Stations of the Cross
(mural)
• Bangkusay Seascape
• Pila Pila sa Bigas (Left and
Right)
• Planting of the First Cross