ACADEMIC HANDOUTS

CONTEMPORARY PHILIPPINE ARTS FROM THE REGIONS

Quarter 1, Week 5-6

PART II: NATIONAL ARTISTS AND THEIR CONTRIBUTION TO PHILIPPINE ARTS AND CULTURE

MOST ESSENTIAL LEARNING COMPETENCIES:

- Explains Filipino artists’ roles and identify their contribution to contemporary arts

OBJECTIVES:
- Identify the works of National artists and recognize their contributions to Philippine art and culture.

ORDER OF NATIONAL ARTISTS

• Among the different honors and acknowledgment instruments, the National Artists Award (NAA) presents the most elevated
type of acknowledgment to Filipino craftsmen for their noteworthy commitments to expressions of the human experience and
letters.
• It is the highest national acknowledgment given to Filipino people who have made noteworthy commitments to the
improvement of Philippine expressions; in particular, Music, Dance, Theater, Visual Arts, Literature, Film, Broadcast Arts,
and Architecture and Allied Arts.
• The request is mutually directed by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts(NCCA) and the Cultural Center of the
Philippines (CCP) and given by the President of the Philippines upon suggestion by the two organizations.

National Artists of the Philippines in the Field of Architecture

1. Juan Nakpil
A native of Quiapo, Nakpil was the first to be made National Artist in 1973 thus he was called by many as the “dean of Philippine
architecture”. His famous works in neoclassic style are the Rizal Shrine, Manila Jockey Club, UP Theater and Carillon Tower, UP
Quezon Hall and Library.
2. Pablo S. Antonio
The 2nd Filipino architect to be declared a National Artist in 1976, this Manileño is best known for the UNESCO-awarded Art Deco
campus of FEU Manila (see photo), the Manila Polo Club, and the no longer existing Ideal and Life Theater buildings.
3. Leandro V. Locsin
An architect from Silay, Negros Occidental, he was known for the use of domes, spirals, and concentric spaces. His famous works
here and abroad include Brunei’s Sultan’s Palace, CCP, PICC, Folk Arts Theater, Makati Stock Exchange, NAIA Terminal 1, and the
Philippine Plaza Hotel.
4. Ildefonso P. Santos = This father of Philippine landscape architecture from Malabon took charge of the landscaping of the
following parks: Rizal Park, Paco Park (see photo), the former Nayong Pilipino and the Cultural Center of the Philippines.
5. Jose Maria Zaragoza = fused old-world Spanish colonial style with modern international as seen in his masterpieces the Santo
Domingo Church and the Meralco Building (see photo).

National Artists of the Philippines in the Field of Literature

What Is a Filipino National Artist in Literature?
 The form and content of their writings created a sense of nationhood or instilled nationalism
 Pioneered a unique style of creative expression in the literary arts that inspired younger generations of writers
 Displayed consistent excellence in the quality of their works
 Gained recognition and awards from prestigious national or international literary institutions
1. Amado V. Hernandez (1973)
He was born in Hagonoy, Bulacan but grew up in Tondo, Manila. His poems and novels written purely in the Filipino mother tongue
tackle the issues of the poor and the working class.
2. Jose Garcia Villa (1973)
Also a Manileño, from Malate’s Singalong St., he was known here and abroad as the “master of the comma poem”, a unique style he
created.
3. Nick Joaquin (1976)
This versatile Filipino from San Juan was a journalist, poet, novelist, historian, playwright, scriptwriter, and biographer. But it was his
mystery- and suspense-filled novels that became his trademark style like the featured book on the left.

4. Carlos P. Romulo (1982)

This diminutive (only 4’ 11” in height) son of Camiling, Tarlac was a WW2 soldier, UN diplomat, and foreign affairs secretary to
eight presidents. He wrote 18 books mostly memoirs about him, Douglas McArthur, Pres. Quezon, and especially the Russian Andre

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Vishinky who he silenced with this quote in a UN Assembly: “It is the duty of the little Davids of this world to fling the pebbles of
truth in the eyes of the blustering Goliaths and force them to behave!”
5. NVM Gonzales (1997)
A native of Romblon island, he was a poet, an essayist, a novelist, and a teacher who depicted with his pen the Filipino spirit in rural
and urban settings. Besides the book featured on the left, his other works also focus on nature like The Bamboo Dancers, The Winds
of April, Seven Hills Away, and Work in the Mountains.

6. Edith Tiempo (1999)

The only female awardee who hails from Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya is a poet, novelist, literary critic, and teacher. Her masterpieces
are famous for her use of vivid metaphors and vibrant descriptions that are fluid and not burdened with trite details.
7. F. Sionil Jose (2001)
A native of Rosales, Pangasinan, he often gleans local legends and epics from his hometown as well as from the Ilocos region to
include in his short stories and novels. His works are also consistent in depicting the themes of class struggle, colonialism, social
justice, and national sovereignty.

National Artists of the Philippines in the Field of Theater and Film

1. Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero
He is the pride of Ermita, Manila and the Ateneo community who published and produced 41 plays as a playwright, a teacher, an
actor, and a director. His plays were known for their humor, love, moral dilemmas and the use of local idioms and colloquialisms ―
Wanted: A Chaperon, Half an Hour in a Convent, Three Rats, and Basketball Fight! were just some of them.
2. Lamberto V. Avellana
A native of Bontoc, Mountain Province, he was a post-war stage and film director. His 1939 film Sakay was the first Filipino hero
movie. In 1956, his movie Anak Dalita was adjudged Best Film in the Asia Pacific Film Festival. A year after in 1957, his motion
picture Badjao became a timeless classic for its depiction of the culture of the Badjao ethnic tribe.
3. Daisy Avellana
She is the country’s top post-war stage actress and theater director. She was the pride of Roxas City, Capiz and, together with her
husband Lamberto Avellana, they were known as the Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier of the Philippines. Her portrayal of Candida
in Nick Joaquin’s Portrait of a Filipino Artist is considered one of the best in Filipino stage acting.
4. Honorata Atang de la Rama
The pride of Tondo, Manila and the Philippines’ “queen of zarzuela and vaudeville”, her Dalagang Bukid is the epitome of all
Filipino zarzuelas. As a singer, she popularized native folk songs and kundimans.
5. Rolando S. Tinio
He was a poet, essayist, critic, actor, dramatist, and teacher who hailed from Tondo, Manila. Considered to be the “father of Taglish
poetry”, he also translated into Tagalog the drama plays of Shakespeare, Sophocles, Chekhov, and Ibsen.
6. Severino Montano
This playwright, actor, and director from Laoag, Ilocos Norte made 50 plays in his lifetime such as The Love of Leonor Rivera,
Gabriela Silang, and The Merry Wives of Manila . In 1953, he founded the Arena Theater, officially the Philippines’ first formal
venue for theatrical performances.
7. Salvador F. Bernal
A native of Dagupan, Pangasinan, he is unparalleled as the Philippines’ “father of theatrical stage and set design”. In his more than
300 productions, he was known for his use of local and indigenous materials like the abaca, bamboo, rattan, etc.

National Artists of the Philippines in the Field of Music

1. Lucio San Pedro

The pride of Angono, Rizal , he was known for his musical compositions for band music, concertos, cantatas, choral music, chamber
music, and even film scoring. With his countryside origin, his music integrated folk heritage such as in Lahing Kayumanggi, Lulay, Sa
Ugoy ng Duyan, and Sa Mahal Kong Bayan.
2. Levi Celerio
A prolific composer and lyricist from Tondo, Manila, he was credited for around 4,000 songs in his lifetime. Some of his popular
songs include Pasko na Naman, Ang Pasko ay Sumapit, Misa de Gallo, Saan Ka Man Naroroon, Kahit Konting Pagtingin, Waray
Waray, Pitong Gatang, and Kapag Puso’y Sinugatan.
3. Lucrecia R. Kasilag
Eminent pre- and post-war composer and pianist from San Fernando, La Union, she created around 200 pieces of music in folk, opera,
and orchestra forms. And to show her love of country, she was also known for integrating the use of indigenous instruments to her
orchestral productions.
5. Andrea O. Veneracion
A Manila-born Filipina singer, composer, and conductor from the 1960s up to the new millennium, she was known here and abroad as
the founder of the award-winning choral group the Philippine Madrigal Singers.
6. Jose M. Maceda

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Although he was from the City of Manila, as a composer and ethnomusicologist, he devoted years touring the regions of the country
researching and developing Filipino ethnic music. Exemplary works include Pagsamba (worship music utilizing 100 instruments) and
Suling-Suling (10 flutes, 10 bamboo buzzers, 10 flat gongs).
National Artists of the Philippines in the Field of Dance

1. Francisca Reyes Aquino

This UP alumna from Bocaue, Bulacan was a folk dancer and PE teacher, who, with her regional travels, decided to compile and
research on the ethnic and colonial dances of the Philippine regions.
2. Ramon A. Obusan
A dancer, a choreographer, a stage designer, and an artistic director through his Ramon Obusan Folkloric Dance Group, he promoted
the unique and graceful dances of the Philippines via performances here and around the world. He can be seen here in the photo
dancing.
3. Alice Reyes
Best-known as being the founder of Ballet Philippines (1969), the official resident dance group of the Cultural Center of the
Philippines, she used her being a dancer, a teacher, a director, and an administrator to propel ballet training and performances in the
country. In the photo, she is shown dancing the role of Sita in the ballet show Rama Hari.
4. Leonor Orosa Goquingco
A native of Jolo, Sulu, she was known for her versatility. As stage actress, classical ballerina, and director, she founded the Philippine
Ballet Theater in 1987. On the writing front, her articles about dance were published abroad like in Dance Magazine (New York),
Enciclopedia della Spettacolo (Rome), and Arts of Asia (Hong Kong).
5. Lucrecia Reyes Urtula
She was an Iloilo City dancer, teacher, and researcher. As executive director of the Bayanihan Dance Group, she brought to the local
and foreign spotlight the following ethnic dances ― Singkil, Vinta, Tagabili, Pagdiwata and Salidsid.

National Artists of the Philippines in the Field of Visual Arts

Visual Art Fields: Painting & Sculpture

 Painting emphasizes form achieved through color ― intensity, saturation, brightness, contrast, and the use of combinations in
conveying the subject.
 Sculpture focuses on form achieved through texture and dimension. They are never flat in dimension and could be smooth,
rough, soft, hard, shiny, pointed, etc. depending on the texture of materials used.

1. Fernando Amorsolo
 Born in 1892, his artworks serve as relics of the country’s history (eras covering the Spanish, American, and Japanese rules,
up to the 1970s). His masterpieces showcase rural landscapes which applied light techniques (chiaroscuro) and
impressionistic brush strokes. One of this is the now world-famous Planting Rice series depicter here.
2. Guillermo E. Tolentino
 Known as the father of Philippine classical sculpture, he immortalized in bronze and stone the country’s greatest symbols and
heroes ― the Bonifacio Monument, UP Diliman’s Oblation, the Quezon Memorial, the bronze medal of the Ramon
Magsaysay award, and the seal of the Republic of the Philippines.
3. Carlos “Botong” V. Francisco
 Post World War 2 painter from Angono, Rizal who was known for the vivid and vibrant colors of his expressionistic murals
about the country’s historical events.
4. Napoleon Abueva
 Known as the father of Philippine modern sculpture, he hails from Bohol and became famous for his artistic statues Blood
Compact, Nine Muses, Kiss of Judas, and the Transfiguration. The image shows UP Diliman’s Nine Muses.
5. Ben Cabrera
 He is a mixed-media artist. A native of Malabon, but an adopted son of Baguio and the Cordillera region, he is famous for the
whimsical and folksy quality of his works.