Contemporary Philippine Arts
from Regions
Quarter 1 – Module 3:
Philippine Contemporary
Artist
1
The Filipina
Artist artist have become visible because of the initial
Women
stepsof three women graphic artists in the 1970s and
1980s. Imelda Cajipe-Endaya, Brenda V. Fajardo, and
Ofelia Gelvezon-Tequi. They have entered the art scene
and changed the landscape from then on. They have
started as printmakers but later evolved their own genres,
except for France-based Gelveson-Tequi, who remained
as printmaker and a painter. Her latest work is a series of
Philippine madonnas.
Brenda Fajardo, a doctor in the Philippine Studies and
Professor Emerita in the University of the Philippines, is
a multi-awarded artist, educator, and cultural worker. 4
Among her national and international awards and grants
are the 2012 Gawad CCP para sa Sining Biswal and the
CCP Centennial Honors for the Arts in 1999. Her
nationalistic themes are taken from Philippine Folklore,
legends, and mythology. She then relates them to
contemporary life. Her works are mostly in pen and ink
acrylic.
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National Artists of the
Philippines
The Order of National Artists has been established by virtue
of the Presidential Proclamation No. 1001’s 1972 and aims to
give appropriate recognition and prestige to Filipinos who
have distinguished themselves and made outstanding
contributions to Philippine arts and letters. It is the highest
award conferred by the President of the Philippines to the
nation’s artists. The categories for the Order of National
Artists are music, dance, theatre, visual arts, literature, film
and broadcast arts and architecture or allied arts.
The awarding of the Order is administered by the Order of
the National Artists Secretariat – NCCA and CCP—and is 8
conferred by the President of the Philippines every three
years. Cultural organizations, educational institutions and
private foundations and councils may submit nominations for
the Order once the Secretariat announces the opening for
nominations. The Secretariat then screens and deliberates
these nominations before submitting a list of recommended
nominees to the President. After this, the President will decide
the final list of awardees and will then issue proclamation,
conferring the rank and title on the awardees.
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Recipient and representatives of the Order of National Artist with
President Benigno “Nonynoy” Aquino during the 2012 conferment ceremony Photo courtesy of the NCCA-PAIO.
To qualify the National Artists must have the following criteria
1.Living artists who are Filipino citizens at the time of nomination as well as those
who died after the establishment of the award in 1972 but were Filipino citizens at
the time of their death.
2.Artist who, through the content and form of their works, have contributed in
building a Filipino sense of nationhood.
3.Artists who have pioneered in a mode of creative expression or
style thus earning distinction and making an impact on
succeeding generations of artists.
3.Artists who have created a substantial and significant body of
work and/or consistently displayed excellence in the practice of
their art form, thus enriching artistic expressions or style; and
3.Artists who enjoy broad acceptance through—
a.Prestigious national and/ or international recognition such as
the Gawad CCP Para sa Sining, CCP Thirteen Artist Award and
NCCA Alab ng Haraya.
b.Critical acclaim and/ or reviews of their works.
c.Respect and esteem from peers.
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The first Order then was National Artist Award was given in
1972 and the lone awardee was realist painter Fernando
Amorsolo. The next year, seven artists were bestowed the
prestigious award; Carlos Botong Francisco for visual arts;
Francisca R. Aquino for dance; Amado V. Hernandez for
literature; Antonio J. Molina for music; Juan F. Nakpil for
architecture; Guillermo E. Tolentino for sculpture; and Jose
Garcia Villa for literature.
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Below is the list of National Artist (1973-2018 an their most known works. The
list divided per category.
VISUAL ARTS
Awardee Date of Popular Works
Award
Cesar F. Legaspi (+) 1990 Morning Dance, Tree Planting, Man and
Woman
Hernando R. Ocampo 1991 Man, and Carabao, Ina ng Ibon
(++)
Arturo R. Luz 1997 Candle Vendors, Bagong Taon, Cities of the Past
Ang Kiukok (+) 2001 Angry Figure, Fighting Figures, Crucifixion
Abdulmari Asia Imao 2006 Sarimanok painting and Sculptures
Benedicto R. Cabrera 2006 Sabel in Blue, Yello Confeti, The Oriental Fan
Federico Aguilar Alcuaz 2009 Tres Marias, Rveries of Lov, Still Life with
(++) Landscape
Francisco V. Coching 2014 Da Adventures of Pedro Penduko, Lapu- Lapu
(++)
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PAINTIN
G Awardee Date of Popular Works
Award
Fernando C. 1972 Planting Rice, Fruit Gatherer, Under
Amorsolo (++) the Mango Tree
Carlos V. Francisco 1973 Planting of the First Cross, Filipino
(++) Struggles through the years (at the
Manila City Hall) First Mass at
Limasawa
Victorio C. Edades (+) 1976 The Builders, The Sketch, the Wrestlers
Vicente S. 1981 Cubist paintings, Bayanihan, Luksong
Manansala (++) Tinik, Stations of the Cross (at the UP
Chapel)
J. Elizalde Navarro 1999 Passengers on to Cathedral Station,
(++) The Frog Dance, The Ilongot War
Dance
Jose T. Joya (++) 2003 Abstract paintings; Hills of Nikko,
GRanadean Arabeque, Dimension of 14
GAWAD SA MANLILIKHA NG BAYAN
(GAMABA)
The Philippines also honors artist who are engaged in
folk or traditional arts and who have reached a high level
of technical skill and artistic excellence. The award is
called the Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan (GAMABA) Or
National Living Treasures Award.
The categories for GAMABA are 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.
This award was institutionalized by 1992 Republic Act
No. 7355, with the NCCA in charge of its implementation.
The process of awarding a Manlilikha 25
ng Bayan is like that of the Order of the National Artists.
However, only NCCA’s ad hoc panel of experts and
reviewers will screen and review the nominations. They will
then, submit the list to the President of the Philippines for
proclamation.
Like the National Artists, an artist must have special
qualities to become a Manlilikha ng Bayan. Below are the
Criteria.
1. The artist should be an inhabitant of an
indigenous/traditional, cultural community anywhere in
the Philippines that has preserved indigenous customs,
beliefs, rituals, and tradition and or has syncretized
whatever external elements that have influenced it.
2. The artist must have engaged in a folk-art tradition that
has been existence and documented for at least fifty
years.
3. The artist must have consistently performed or produced
works of superior and distinctive quality over a
significant period.
4.The artist must possess a mastery of tools and materials
needed by the art and must have an established reputation
in the art as master and maker of works of extraordinary
technical quality.
5.The artist must have passed on and or will pass on to
other members of the community his/her skills in the folk
art for which the community is traditionally known.
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A traditional artist who possesses all the qualities of a
Manlilikha ng Bayan candidate but is now incapable of teaching
further his/her craft, may still recognized given the following.
1.The artist has created a significant body of work and or/has
consistently displayed excellence in the practice of his/her art,
thus achieving important contributions for its development.
2.The artist has been instrumental in the revitalization of his/her
community artistic tradition.
3.The artist has passed on to the other members of the
community the skills in the
folk art for which the community is traditional known.
4.The community of the artist has recognized him/her as master
and teacher of his/her craft.
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The first group of recognized Manlilikha ng Bayan was composed
of Ginaw Bilog of Oriental Mindoro, A Hanunuo Mangyan poet;
Masino Intaray of Brookes Point, Palawan, an epic chanter, and a
master of various traditional instruments, Samaon, Sulaiman of
Mamasapano, Maguindanao, a kutyapi master.
Below is the list of Manlilikha ng Bayan from 1993 to 2012.
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World-class Artists
The Philippine contemporary arts have so developed and matured
that our artists can now stand proudly on the world stage.
El Gamma Penumbra - a shadow play group of young locals from
Tanauan, Batangas. The group won first place in the first television
production of Asia’s Got talent in Singapore in May 2015. They have
conquered the hearts not only of the Filipinos but of Asians as well.
In visual arts, the Filipinos have also made a big scene. Once
again, the Philippines is participating in the Venice Biennale
after fifty-one years of absence. The Venice Biennale is a
prestigious international art exhibition that started in 1895.
One of its aims is to showcase the latest work of art from
different nations.
Patrick Flores - professor of Art Studies and curator of the
Vargas Museum of the University of the Philippines, was
chosen to curate the Philippine Pavilion. He named the exhibit
“Tie a String around the World”. Representing the Philippines
are artists Jose Tence Ruiz, Manny Montellano, Gus Albor,
Lito Carating and Jing Turalba. It is wonderful to know that
Philippine Pavilion has been named in the best list and a “must
see” among the international pavilions. 34
Cecil Licad – among the first contemporary artists to be
acclaimed internationally is a gifted classical pianist. As a child
prodigy, she made her debut at the age of seven as soloist with the
Philippine Harmonic Orchestra. She was also one of the youngest
musicians to receive the prestigious Leventritt Competition Gold
Medal in 1981.
Lea Salonga - one of several hundred Asian aspirants to be
chosen for the role of Kim in the 1989 musical Miss Saigon in
London and later in Broadway for which she received a Tony
Award. The Tony award is Broadways equivalent to
Hollywood’s Academy Award, or Oscars. She also performed as
Fantine and Eponine in another hit musical, Les Miserables; as
singing voice of both Mulan in the Disney movie Mulan; and
Princess Jasmine in another Disney film Alladin. 35
Lisa Macuja-Elizalde - the country’s first prima ballerina is the
first foreign soloist to join Kirov Ballet, a famous Russian ballet
company. She has won several awards both national and foreign-
for her recitals. One of these awards is a spot in 1997 Ten
Outstanding Young Persons of the World in the USA. She was also
given the Order of International Friendship by Russian President
Vladimir Putin in 2001.
Charice Pempengco (a.k.a Jake Zyrus) - became famous
when Ellen Degeneres discovered her on You Tube a few years
ago. After a short stint in the United States, she has returned and
is now a popular recording artist.
Philippine arts today are active and vibrant because of the
Filipino artist’ talent, creativity, skill and their perseverance even
in times of turmoil that drive them to pursue their dreams. 36
