WHAT MAKES FILIPINO ART FILIPINO

BY:
JAN AUBREY V. MERINO
BA HISTORY 1-1

ENGL 1023
ATTY. GEORGINA PENIARANDA
MARCH 20, 2014

Title: What Makes Filipino Art Filipino

Thesis Statement: The depiction of scenes of the everyday life and the
surroundings was the closest in spirit to the Filipino soul and native soil.
Thesis Outline:
I.
II.

III.

IV.

Introduction: Definition of Art, Problem in National Identity,

Thesis Statement
Historical Context:
a. Pre-Colonial Period
b. Colonial Period
c. Post-Colonial Period
Selected Biographies:
a. Fernando Amorsolo
b. Carlos Francisco
c. Hernando Ocampo
Conclusion: Determining the Filipino-ness in art.

What Makes Filipino Art Filipino

For centuries, art has been a constant in the ever-changing societywhether a beautiful painting or a touching melody, there has always been a

place in the hearts and minds of humanity for a work of art. But, as our
society and culture continues to evolve, art begins to change; the word art
can no longer be defined as a picture or a musical arrangement. The
primary question now is what is art?
According to one of the literary legend, Leo Tolstoy (1897): Art is
not, as the metaphysicians say, the manifestation of some mysterious idea
of beauty or God; it is not, as the aesthetical physiologists say, a game in
which man lets off his excess of stored-up energy; it is not the expression
of mans emotions by external signs; it is not the production of pleasing
objects; and, above all, it is not pleasure; but it is a means of union among
men, joining them together in the same feelings, and indispensable for the
life and progress toward well-being of individuals and of humanity. When
he published the book What is Art? it gave the world one of the finest
definition of art in history. Underneath the controversial reflections of
Tolstoy, however, lies a rich meditation to the eternal question of what art
is.
The late 19th century in Philippine history marks the most dramatic
phase in the long process of constructing national consciousness. The
perception is a result of political and social events of the period and is
reinforced by the expressive cultures of an emerging society. The arts

provided effective channels for the expression of the Filipino psyche, taste
and behaviour. They serve as a concrete indicator on the transformation and
evolution of values, as well as tools to effect change for the construction of
a national identity and a distinct culture. Currently, the national identity of
the Filipinos, or the Filipino-ness, embodies a concept of convergence of
the intersection of the diverse cultural elements and traditions of the
colonizers.
The quality that proclaims the Filipino-ness, the identity that
differentiates us from all others. The depiction of scenes of the everyday
life and the surroundings was closest in spirit to the Filipino soul and native
soil.
The prehistoric Filipinos always had a touch of red in any of their
works. From the burial jars to the rituals, red has always been present in
any prehistoric Filipino works. Red was always used because of its
abundance in the natural environment and it does not require to be
processed. Another important work of art by the prehistoric Filipinos is the
cave drawings that are found all over the Philippines. The cave drawings
are made in the walls of the caves using pointed tools in order carve the
drawings in the caves. Prehistoric Philippine art is an expression of the
Filipinos love of beauty. Though some prehistoric art is more of a

symbolism, not decorative, it still has a sense of beauty whenever someone

would look at it.
The Spanish arrived on March 16, 1521; art was used as a tool to
propagate the Catholic Faith. With a problem with communication, the
friars used art as a way to explain concepts behind Catholicism and in order
to recount the life and suffering of Christ.
Art produced during the first 200 years of Spanish colonization was
for the church, strict supervision was enforced over the production by the
friars. Until the 19th century, art was used only for religious purposes. The
opening of the Suez Canal in the early 19th century and the development of
agricultural export economy; indios acquired economic power and became
illustrados. The development gave way for the Filipino illustrados to send
their children to Europe. The illustrados became the new patron of the arts.
These events gave way to the secularization of art in the 19th century.
After more than 3 centuries under the Spanish rule, the Americans
came. They conquered the Filipinos through education and governance.
With the establishment of public schools, there was an increased demand
for illustrations and cartoons that would be used in books and publications.
The growth of new corporations, advertising and commercial art were in

demand, and were added in the curriculum of the arts schools. The arrival
of the Americans caused a major change in art patronage. The new patrons
of Filipino art favoured landscapes, still life, and themes that show the land
and its people.
The advent of World War II in Asia and the bombing of Pearl Harbor,
art forms started to change. For the four years of Japanese occupation, art
was used by the Japanese as a means of propaganda. They produced
posters, leaflets, flyers, comics, and illustrations that were dropped from
airplanes.
After the devastating World War II came the period of rebuilding.
Different art forms emerged and became popular, like printmaking. The
sixties and the seventies became a period of experimentation and
exploration of new media, techniques, styles, forms of expression, and
concepts in art.
Perhaps one of the most popular painters in the Philippines is
Fernando Amorsolo. Born in Calle Herran in Paco, Manila, on May 20,
1892, Fernando Amorsolo began drawing and sketching as a young boy.
His family lived in Daet, Camarines Norte until the death of his father. At
that time his mother moved the family to the home of her cousin, artist

Fabian dela Rosa in Manila. Amorsolo was 13 years old at the time and in
order to help provide for his family, he sold his drawings and began to
study art under dela Rosa. Fernando Amorsolo has been categorized as a
classicist. His works are mainly based on the Philippine countryside, its
hardworking peasants, and sensual country lasses. These rural paintings of
Amorsolo for a long time were considered to be one of the most expressive
ways to view the Philippine countryside. A lot of art critics would say that
the works of Amorsolo is somewhat romanticized, because the period when
Amorsolo was born was a period of social disarray. He lived in the period
of war and foreign powers coming into the Philippines one after the other.
The paintings of the Angono born painter, Carlos Francisco, the
Filipino-ness of his paintings is seen on the way he paints history and
mythology in a heroic-epic style. Franciscos general subject is the town of
Angono, history, and sometimes pre-history. Francisco belonged to the
first generation modernists who, with Edades and Galo B. Ocampo,
constituted the pioneering triumvirate which attempted to change the
direction of Philippine art from the tenacious influence of the Amorsolo
school in new and fresh idioms of visual expression.
Hernando Ocampo was born in Santa Cruz, Manila on April 28,
1911. He is the son of Emilio Ocampo and Delfina Ruiz. He married Irene

Illovato in 1932, but she died in 1945. His second wife is Cresencia
Valenzuela. Together with Carlos Francisco, Galo B. Ocampo, and other
modem artists, he was a member of the Thirteen Moderns founded in 1938.
With Vicente Manansala and Cesar Legaspi he formed the triumvirate of
neo-realists. He was also a leading member of the Saturday group of artists
which met regularly at the Taza de Oro. Ocampo was regarded as by some
art critics as the most Filipino painter ever. Because of the abstract
language used in his paintings, it is very difficult to understand the reasons
art critics say these. The originality of his art style is the reason why critics
says these. The art style that is only found in the Philippines.
The Filipino-ness in a painting goes beyond the typical Filipino
painting barrio and fiesta themed paintings. According to Ocampo, a
work would be considered Filipino if you give your heart and soul into
making that piece. For the Filipinos all over the world, whenever they see a
painting that is made by a Filipino or shows some part of the Philippines, it
would bring them a sense of comfort and pride. The determining factor of
the Filipino-ness in a painting the depiction of scenes of the everyday life,
whether in abstract form or romanticized, and the surroundings was the in
spirit to the Filipino soul and soil.

Works Citied
Benesa, Leo. What is Philippine About Philippine Art. Philippine
Daily Express. 12 January 1979: p. 17-18.
Caete, Reuben Ramos. Art and its Context: Essays, Reviews and
Interviews on Philippine Art. Manila: University of Santo Tomas Press,
2012.

Hernandez, Eloisa May P. The Spanish Colonial Tradition in

Philippine Visual Arts. http://www. ncca.gov.ph/about-culture-andarts/articles-on-c-n-a/article.php?igm=1&i=171.
Hernandez, Eloisa May P. The American and Contemporary
Traditions in Philippine Visual Art. http://www. ncca.gov.ph/about-cultureand-arts/articles-on-c-n-a/article.php?igm=1&i=169.
Peralta, Jesus T. Tinge of Red: Prehistory of Art in the Philippines.
Pasig City: Anvil Publishing Company, 2012.
Popovo, Maria. Leo Tolstoy on Emotional Infectiousness and What
Separates Good Art from Bad.
http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2013/09/09/leo.tolstoy-what-is-artinfectiousness/. 2013 September 9
Santos, Ramon P. Constructing a National Identity through Music.
http://www.ncca.gov.ph/about-culture-and-arts/articles-on-c-na/article.php?subcat=13&i=60.
Villalon, Augusto. Pride of Place: Expressing Filipino-ness in
Todays Lifestyle. Philippine Daily Inquirer. 5 May 2008.