Juan Luna y Novicio (October 23, 1857 December 7, 1899) was an Ilocano Filipino painter, sculptor and a political

l activist of the Philippine Revolution during the late 19th century. He became one of the first recognized Philippine artists. His winning the gold medal in the 1884 Madrid Exposition of Fine Arts, along with the silver win of fellow Filipino painter Flix Resurreccin Hidalgo, prompted a celebration which was a major highlight in the memoirs of members of the Propaganda Movement, with the fellow Ilustrados toasting to the two painters' good health and citing their win as evidence that Filipinos and Spaniards were equals. In 1883 Luna started the painting demanded of him by the Ayuntamiento. In May 1884, he shipped the large canvas of the Spolarium to Madrid for the year's Exposicin Nacional de Bellas Artes. He was the first recipient of the three gold medals awarded in the exhibition and Luna gained recognition among the connoisseurs and art critics present. On June 25, 1884, Filipino and Spanish nobles organized an event celebrating Luna's win in the exhibition. That evening, Rizal prepared a speech for his friend, addressing the two significant things of his art work, which included the glorification of genius and the grandeur of his artistic skills. Flix Resurreccin Hidalgo y Padilla (21 February 1855 - 13 March 1913) was a Filipino artist. He is acknowledged as one of the great Filipino painters of the late 19th century, and is significant in Philippine history for having been an acquaintance and inspiration for members of the Philippine reform movement which included Jos Rizal, Marcelo del Pilar, Mariano Ponce and Graciano Lpez Jaena, although he neither involved himself directly in that movement, nor later associate himself with the First Philippine Republic under Emilio Aguinaldo. His winning the silver medal in the 1884 Madrid Exposition of Fine Arts, along with the gold win of fellow Filipino painter Juan Luna, prompted a celebration which was a major highlight in the memoirs of members of the Philippine reform movement, with Rizal toasting to the two painters' good health and citing their win as evidence that Filipinos and Spaniards were equals. Lorenzo Guerrero (1835-1904) A great painter and art teacher whose primitive brush strokes found solidity and vigor in the canvases of Luna and de la Rosa, Lorenzo Guerrero was born in Ermita, Manila, on November 4, 1835, to Len Jorge Guerrero and Clara Leogardo. He studied Latin at San Jos College; and painting, briefly, under different Spanish masters, like Cortina and Valdez; and, perhaps for a long period, under Agustn Sez. At the age of 16 he started giving lessons in drawing. Jos Rizal described him as a master who had virtually taught himself. In 1858, together with Lorenzo Rocha y Ycaza, he was appointed ayudante de naturales in the Academia de Dibujo y Pintura. Likewise, he gave drawing lessons at Santa Isabel and La

Concordia colleges, and worked as a private tutor of the sons and daughters of Manilas prominent families. Two of his students, Juan Luna and Fabin de la Rosa, won international acclaim. As a connoisseur of music and literature, he had his house in Ermita turned to a veritable salon where Manilas intellectuals met and exchanged views. As a gifted painter, whose delicacy of execution and handling of light and shadow was incomparable, he centered his work on two subjects religious themes and scenes depicting native life and customs. His religious paintings that were housed and greatly treasured in the churches were Nuestra Seora de Gua, Santa Filomena, Saint John the Baptist, and Santa Vernica de Julianus. Similarly appreciated were the reproductions of local scenes, like the Chinese Vendor of Tsin-Tsao, Rivers Bend, and Scene at a Brook, which were exhibited at the St. Louis Exposition in 1904. Lorenzo married Clemencia Ramrez in 1868 by whom he had two children. He died rather suddenly of acute asthma in Ermita on April 8, 1904. Felipe A. Roxas (b. Paco, Manila 1840 d. Paris 13 Apr 1899. Painter). He is the son of Antonio Roxas and Lucina Arroyo. He married Raymunda Chuidian. He was the brother of architect Felix Roxas. An alumnus of the academia de Dibujo y pintura, he taught such subjects as linear drawing, drafting, and design at the Colegio de San Juan de Letran. In 1884 up to the time he migrated to Paris, he taught at the University of Santo Tomas (UST). Among his students was Jose Ma Asuncion whom he advised to refine his studies in Europe. Only a few paintings by the artist, have survived, namely, Casa indigena en Baliuag (Native House In Baliuag), Puente de Paete (Paete Bridge), Iglesia de Antipolo (Antipolo Church), 1889, and Despues de la merca (After Market Hours), all in the Pagrel Collection. In 1889 he left for Paris with his wife and children; his descendants still live there. Roxas is regarded as a painter of buildings because of the three extant paintings and reproductions of numerous paintings now lost. This may have been the influence of his stepbrother, the architect Felix Roxas, who built the gothic Santo DonLingo Church, destroyed during WWII Felix, might have asked Felipe to draft the plans, facades, and interiors of the buildings he constructed. Thus Felipe's paintings of architecture are firmly drawn, solidly defined, and enriched with a lot of architectural ornamental details. Casa indigena en Baliuag shows a lower middle-class house of the period with a steep roof of nipa, bamboo stairs outside the main structure, and window shutters also of bamboo. In the background is a rich upper-class house with stone walls, capiz windows, and tiled roof. These works were exhibited at the Exposicion Regional de Filipinas in 1895.

Fernando Amorsolo-brothers.(1892-1972) was a portraitist and painter of rural landscapes. He is best known for his craftsmanship and mastery in the use of light. Fernando Amorsolo was born May 30, 1892, in the Paco district of Manila. At 13 he was apprenticed to the noted Philippine artist Fabian de la Rosa, his mother's first cousin. In 1909 Amorsolo enrolled at the Liceo de Manila and then attended the fine-arts school at the University of the Philippines, graduating in 1914. After working three years as a commercial artist and part-time instructor at the university, he studied at the Escuela de San Fernando in Madrid. For seven months he sketched at the museums and on the streets of Madrid, experimenting with the use of light and color. That winter he went to New York and discovered the works of the postwar impressionists and cubists, who became the major influence on his works. On his return to Manila, he set up his own studio. During this period, Amorsolo developed the use of light--actually, backlight--which is his greatest contribution to Philippine painting. Characteristically, an Amorsolo painting contains a glow against which the figures are outlined, and at one point of the canvas there is generally a burst of light that highlights the smallest detail. During the 1920s and 1930s Amorsolo's output of paintings was prodigious. In 1939 his oil Afternoon Meal of the Workers won first prize at the New York World's Fair. During World War II Amorsolo continued to paint. The Philippine collector Don Alfonso Ongpin commissioned him to execute a portrait in absentia of Gen. Douglas MacArthur, which he did at great personal risk. He also painted Japanese occupation soldiers and self-portraits. His wartime paintings were exhibited at the Malacanang presidential palace in 1948. After the war Amorsolo served as director of the college of fine arts of the University of the Philippines, retiring in 1950. Married twice, he had 13 children, five of whom became painters. Amorsolo was noted for his portraits. He made oils of all the Philippine presidents, including the revolutionary leader Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo, and other noted Philippine figures. He also painted many wartime scenes, including Bataan, Corner of Hell, and One Casualty. Amorsolo, who died in 1972, is said to have painted more than 10,000 pieces. He continued to paint even in his late 70s, despite arthritis in his hands. Even his late works feature the classic Amorsolo tropical sunlight. He said he hated "sad and gloomy"paintings, and he executed only one painting in which rain appears. Fabian Cueto De La Rosa was born in Manila on the 5th of May, 1869. He was the second child of Marcos de la Rosa and Gregoria Cueto. Among his relatives were Simon Flores y De La Rosa ( an uncle) and his nephews later included Fernando and Pablo Amorsolo. De La Rosa later served as a mentor to Fernando Amorsolor, encouraging him to pursue painting. He received his first art lessons were given by an aunt, Mariana De La Rosa, at the age of 10. He later enrolled at the Escuela de Bellas Artes y Dibujo under Agustin Saez, but dropped out after three years. In 1893 he enrolled in the Escuela Superior de Pintura, directed by Don Lorenzo Rocha. Later, he also took painting lessons from Lorenzo Guerrero and Miguel Zaragoza. He

was married, on January 13th 1900, to Gorgonia Tolentino. The couple never bore children, but their orphaned nephews Pablo and Amorsolo were very close to them, and stayed with them in 1903. In 1908 the Germinal Cigar Factory sent him to Europe as a scholar. The schools he attended included the Academie Julien in Paris. Upon his return to Manila, along with other artists who had studied with him in Europe, he became one of the first faculty members of the University of the Philippines (UP) School of Fine Arts. He introduced and taught decorative painting at the University. He also painted portraits to support himself. During the period of 1927 through 1937, he served as the school's director. In 1928, taking leave from his directorship, he sailed to Europe for the second time accompanied by his wife. He painted in Paris for four months and then traveled to Munich, Geneva, Rome, and Madrid. In 1928 he presented a much acclaimed exhibition of his paintings at the Ateneo de Madrid. Fabian De La Rosa is reputed to have produced about 1,000 works in his lifetime. Aurelio S. Alvero divides his works into three periods. In the first period, De la Rosa's emphasis is academic, detailing figures while paying little attention to atmosphere. Notable works from this period include "Transplanting Rice," which won De La Rosa the gold medal at the International Exposition held in St. Louis, Missouri in 1904, and also "The Death of General Lawton," which won a bronze medal in the same exposition. The second period, which includes works De La Rosa executed in Europe, shows a transition from academic figures to atmospheric effects. Examples from this period include "El Kindiman," 1930, and "Markina Road," circa 1939.In his third period, De la Rosa emphasizes the play of colors in favor over mass and space. Typical of this period is the painting "Fishermen's Huts on Balut Island," Tondo, considered by Aurelio Alvero to be De La Rosa's finest landscape painting. Other notable paintings by De la Rosa include "Landscape with Dark Trees, 1927," "La pintura," 1926, "La Bordadora," (The Embroiderer) circa 1926. He also executed a "View of Santa Ana" dated December, 1937. His wife Gorgonio died of cancer in 1937, and the artist was left living alone, suffering from kidney disease. He died on December 15, 1938 at the Kraut Apartments in Quiapo, Manila. De la Rosa received posthumously the Patnubay ng Sining at Kalinagan award from the City of Manila in 1968.

MODERN FILIPINO PAINTERS Victorio Edades was born on December 1895 to Hilario and Cecilia Edades. He was the youngest of ten children (six of whom died of smallpox). He grew up in Barrio Bolosan in Dagupan, Pangasinan. His artistic ability surfaced during his early years. By seventh grade, his teachers were so impressed with him that he was dubbed apprentice teacher in his art class. He was also an achiever from the very beginning, having won awards in school debates and writing competitions. After high school, Edades and his friends traveled to the United State. Before enrolling in Seattle, Edades incidentally made a detour to Alaska and experienced working in a couple of factories. Nonetheless, he moved on to Seattle 23,

and enrolled at the University of Washington where he took up architecture and later earned a Master of Fine Arts in Painting. The significant event that stirred Edades, and made him as what he is known now, was his encounter with the traveling exhibition from the New York Armory Hall. This art show presented modern European artists such as Cezanne, Matisse, Picasso and the Surrealists. His growing appreciation to what he saw veered him away from the conservative Impressionistic and Realistic schools and thus he began to paint in the modern manner. The two former schools of thought were inclined more towards idyllic subject matter, and require a mastery of refined detailing. What attracted Edades to the modernist movement was its principle to go beyond the idealistic exteriors propagated by Impressionism and Realism. Modernist thought encourages experimentation in artistic expression and allows the artist to present reality as he sees it in his own way. During his sojourn to America, he also participated in art competitions one of which was the Annual Exhibition of North American Artists. His entry The Sketch (1927) won second prize. When he returned to the Philippines in 1928, he saw that the state of art was practically dead. Paintings he saw dealt with similar themes and were done in a limited technique which mostly followed Amorsolos. He recognized that there was no creativity whatsoever, and that the artists of that time were merely copying each other. So in December, Edades bravely mounted a oneman show at the Philippine Columbia Club in Ermita to introduce to the masses what his modern art was all about. He showed thirty paintings, including those which won acclaim in America. It was a distinguished exhibit, for the Filipino art circle was suddenly shaken by what this young man from Pangasinan had learned from his studies abroad. Viewers and critics were apparently shocked and not one painting was sold. Edades helped organized the University of Sto. Tomas Department of Architecture in 1930 and was its acting head. In 1935, he was appointed as Director of the UST College of Architecture and Fine Arts, which he organized under the wing of Architecture. He was guided by the existing American curricula when he made the Fine Arts curriculum for UST. Alongside standard subjects like drawing, painting and composition, he also included Western and Oriental art history, foreign languages and optional science subjects such as zoology and botany. Because of Edades, UST became the forerunner of Modern Art, while the University of the Philippines remained the precursor of conservative art. In 1964, Edades was given the Araw ng Maynila Award in Painting. In 1976, he was conferred the National Artist Award in Painting. On February 12, 1977, UST conferred on Edades the degree of Doctor of Fine Arts, Honoris Causa. Edades retired to Davao City with his family. There he taught for a time at the Philippine Womens College and resumed his career as an artist.He died on March 7, 1985 and was named National Artist in 1976.

Galo B Ocampo (b. Santa Rita, Pampanga 16 Oct 1913 d. Virginia, USA 12 Sept 1983. Painter). Ocampo staged the revolt against academic conservatism in the 1930s together with Victorio Edades and Carlos (Botong) Francisco. The triumvirate launched a crusade to stimulate artistic development along modernist lines. In 1934 they created murals-early works in interaction-for the lobbies of the Capitol and State Theaters, which expressed their new artistic credo and the rising nationalist consciousness at the height of the Commonwealth era. Ocampo soon developed his own artistic personality. A key painting of the period was his Brown Madonna, 1938 which indigenized the image of the Virgin Mary. Moro Dancer, and Igorot Dance, were celebrations of indigenous culture in lively colors and designs. These paintings are characterized by a modernist sense of design, linear rhythms, and fresh colors. In the 1950s Ocampo's art was haunted with images of the war he had just lived through. The flagellant theme, fully brought out in Ecce Homo (Behold the Man), arises from harrowing experiences of the war. Christ, crowned with thorns and hooded with the flagellant's veil, stands with arms bound together, while in the skies, warplanes zoom, trailing smoke or releasing a fleet of parachutists. In Shades of Things to Come, 1955, a flagellant lies prostrate, his arms forming a cross on the ground, while shadows of airplanes are reflected on the sand. These paintings in brown tones convey the feeling of the modern wasteland, littered with the debris of war. The artist was sent to Rome in 1956 by the Archbishop of Manila to train for the work of designing stained glass for the Manila Cathedral. For the cathedral he did the seals of different Archbishops of Manila as well as those of Manila, and various images and attributes of-the Virgin Mary in the country. He also did the designs for the stained-glass windows of Santo Domingo Church in Quezon City, and the sarimanok for the Philamlife building. It was only in 1973, at the age of 59 and after his years in government service, that Ocampo held his first one-person show at Galerie Bleue. For this exhibit he produced a new series entitled Anthropographic Designs, in which he paid tribute to the Tabon man. His field work with Robert Fox in Palawan inspired him with images of the early Pilipino: Adam and Eve growing from the ancient stalagmites and reflecting the ever-changing hues of the mysterious caves.
Carlos V. Francisco (November 4, 1912 March 31, 1969), popularly known as Botong, was a muralist from Angono, Rizal. Francisco was a most distinguished practitioner of mural painting for many decades and best known for his historical pieces. He was one of the first Filipino modernists along with Galo Ocampo and Victorio C. Edades who broke away from Fernando Amorsolo's romanticism of Philippine scenes. According to restorer Helmuth Josef Zotter, Francisco's art "is a prime example of linear painting where lines and contours appear like cutouts." His great works include Blood Compact, First Mass at Limasawa, The Martyrdom of Rizal, Bayanihan, Magpupukot, Fiesta, Bayanihan sa Bukid, Sandugo, Portrait of Purita, The Invasion of Limahong, Serenade, and Muslim Betrothal. Some of his murals have suffered damage over the years. The "Pageant of Commerce" emerged from several years of restoration in 2000. His murals in the lobby of the Philippine General Hospital were restored for the 3rd time in 2007. He was also responsible for the discovery of the now famous Angono Petroglyphs in 1965. He was also

involved in Costume Design in Philippine cinema. He died in poverty from tuberculosis but he was given the highest recognition, the title National Artist of the Philippines - Visual Arts posthumously in 1973.