Simbang Pinta

RELIGIOUS PAINTINGS IN PRE-COLONIAL PERIOD

IN THE PHILIPPINES
BARRIOS, CLAUDINE
GUEVARRA, MARY LYN KAYE
PAMATMAT, NIKKI COLEEN
ORTEGA, JUAN MANUEL

Introduction

When the Spaniards arrived in the Philippines

in 1521, the colonizers used art as a tool to
propagate the Catholic faith through beautiful
images. With communication as problem, the
friars used images to explain the concepts
behind Catholicism, and to tell the stories of
Christs life and passion. Images of the Holy
Family and the saints were introduced to the
Filipino psyche through carvedsantos, thevia
crucis(Stations of the Cross), engravings on
estampasandestampitas, and through
paintings on church walls.

Carved Santo Sto. Nino Conquistador

Estampa

Estampita of St.
Francis of Asissi

Via Crucis (station of

the cross)

 Though

the ethnic art forms such as

pottery, weaving and metalwork were
retained, the Spanish friars and the
Chinese, the colonys primary trading
partner, were slowly introducing newer
art forms. Icons brought by the friars
were used as models for sculpture.
Filipino artisans were taught the Chinese
brushwork technique in painting.
Engraving was also introduced.

 The

concept of patronage emerged. Artisans

were commissioned and paid to carve, engrave,
and paint. They replaced the arts that were
once done in a communal spirit and community
setting for rituals. The church, particularly the
friars, became the new patron of the arts.

Since

most art produced during the first two

centuries of Spanish occupation were for the
church, the friars enforced strict supervision
over their production. Until the 19thcentury, art
was only for the church and religious use.

Early in the 19thcentury, with the

opening of the Suez canal in 1869
and the development of the
agricultural export economy,
nativeindiosacquired economic
wealth and became what was to be
called theilustrados,meaning
enlightened and educated.These
developments paved the way for
Filipinos ilustrados to send their
children to universities in Europe.
The rise of theilustrado(Filipinos
with money and education) class
was inevitable. The ilustrados
became the new patron of the arts.
These events paved the way for
the secularization of art in the
19thcentury.

Spanish - Filipino Mestizo

Religious Painting
The

Spanish friars introduced Western

painting in the Philippines to artisans who
learned to copy on two-dimensional form
from the religious icons that the friars brought
from Spain,. For the first centuries of Spanish
colonization, painting was limited to religious
icons. Portraits of saints and of the Holy
Family became a familiar sight in churches.
Other subject matters include the passion of
Christ, theVia Crucis, the crucifixion,
portrayal of heaven, purgatory and hell.

Painters from the Visayas island

of Bohol were noted for their
skillful manipulation of the
technique. Their paintings of
saints and religious scenes show
figures in frontal and static
positions. For the Boholano
painters, the more important
persons would be depicted bigger
than the rest of the figures. Christ
normally dwarfs the Roman
soldiers in these paintings.
Unfortunately, they did not sign
their names on their works and
no record of their names exists.

6th station of the cross Unknown Boholano artist

 In

the church in Paete, Laguna are two works

byJosef Luciano Dans(1805- ca. 1870),
probably one of the earliest recorded painters
in Philippine art history.Langit, Lupa at
Impiyernoca. 1850 (Heaven, Earth and Hell),
a three-level painting which shows the Holy
Trinity, Mary the Mother of Christ, saints, the
Seven Blessed Sacraments and a macabre
depiction of Hell. The second painting is
entitledPurgatorio(Purgatory) which shows
the eight forms of punishment the soul passes
through for cleansing before reaching Heaven.

Josef Luciano Dans

Langit, Lupa at Impiyerno
ca. 1850

 Several

Filipino painters had the chance to study and work

abroad. Among them were Juan Novicio Luna andFelix
Resureccion Hidalgowho became the first international
Filipino artists when they won the gold and silver medals in
the 1884 Madrid Exposition.

Lunas

academic paintingSpoliariumwon gold medal. It

showed the dead and dying Roman Gladiators being dragged
into the basement of the Coliseum. It is often interpreted as
an allusion to Imperial Spains oppression of the natives.
Though winning the gold medal, Luna was not awarded the
Medal of Excellence, the top award for the competition,
because he was a Filipino.

Spolarium - Oil on canvas - 166 in 302.2

in

Painting styles

Popular Style Painting

The

Popular Style is often characterized by its

crude and loosely done technique. Often it
features a frontal depiction of the subject, in a
static pose, but with a relaxed attitude.

The iconography of the subjects was depicted

with the main character as the largest in the
picture frame, while the size of other
characters decreased in accordance to their
importance. This was reflective of the
Byzantine style, rather the Baroque of that
era.

Last Supper
Oil on wood from Baclayon,
Bohol. 35 x 44
Unknown Boholano Artist

Garden of Gethsemane
Oil on molave wood from
Baclayon, Bohol. 44 x 35
Unknown Boholano Artist

Crowning of Thorns
Oil on tindalo wood from
Baclayon, Bohol. 35 x 44
Unknown Boholano Artist

Judas kisses Jesus,

oil on wood from Baclayon,
Bohol. 35 x 44
Unknown Boholano Artist

1790 St Joseph
Faustino Quiotan (1770 1825)
Quiotan, a Chinese mestizo, was
one of the first painters to break
away from the Byzantine style of
iconography, to make the
subjects of the saints more
human.

Proper Style Painting

In

the 19th century, materials and able

teachers can from Spain and Mexico,
teaching the locals a finer degree of
painting techniques. This created a
flourishing in painting for both religious
and secular motifs.

In

these new works a greater degree of

realism is achieved with proportion and
subtle gradation of colors were used.

Spolarium
Oil on
canvas
166 in
302.2 in
Juan
Novicio y
Luna

"Nuestra Seora del

Santisimo Rosario"(Our
Lady of the Most Holy
Rosary)
Oil on copper sheet - 48.26
x 35.56 cm
Damin Domingo y Gabor

 Damian

Domingo began his career as

a painter specializing in miniature
portraits and religious imagery. He
also created albums of illustrations of
native costumes. This he did
primarily to sell to collectors. Such
skills made Domingo one of the most
famous and sought-after artists of his
time in the Philippines. Domingo is
regarded highly in the history of
Filipino art and is credited with
establishing academic courses in art
in the Philippines.

La Sagrada Familia
1830
Oil on copper sheet
48.26 (length) x 35.56 (width) cm.
Damian Domingo

Josef Luciano Dans

Langit, Lupa at Impiyerno
ca. 1850

Miniature
Painting
Miniature Paintings are religious
images painted in small
canvases in such fine detail, for
the use in lockets.

Juan Arceo
(1795 1865)
Arceo created large religious works,
integrating images of local people the
subjects. This signified a first in
Hispanic painting, with a move
towards the localization of themes,
similar to the humanist works of the
Renaissance. He was a student of
Damian Domingo.

1836 Dominican Text

Religious Engraving

 Engraving

was introduced in the 1590s by the Spanish colonizers.

In 1593, the Dominicans published theLa Doctrina Christiana en
la Lengua Espaola y Tagala(The Christian Doctrine in the
Spanish and Tagalog Language), first book printed in the country.
On it was a woodcut engraving of St. Dominic byJuan de Veyra,
a Chinese convert.

The

first engraving method, introduced in the Philippines, was that

of the woodblock, by Fr. Antonio Sedeo. Usually the woodblocks
were made of heavy woods such as the molave or narra, due to
their fine grain. Later the copper plate technique was introduced,
and by the 18th century, it had reached its height. However, the
popularity of engraving waned by the 19th century, when painting
developed rapidly, cutting down on the process of art making, as
well as the uniqueness of a painting.

 The

religious orders owned printing presses and

printed mostly prayer books and estampas.
TheEstampas(prints of miraculous images) usually
featured portraits of saints and religious
scenes.Estampasand Estampitas(smaller version of
estampas) were distributed during town fiestas to
the natives.

Estampa

 In

the 18thcentury, copper etching became more

popular. Filipino engravers like Francisco Suarez,
Nicolas de la Cruz Bagay, Laureano Atlas, and Felipe
Sevilla were the first Filipino artists to sign their works.
And with words like Indios Tagalo or Indio Filipino,
affixed their social status on their works.

"Jesus falls with cross," Circa 1760

Nicolas de la Cruz Bagay
Engraving from Manga panalangin, by Belen.

"Jesus in Mary''s arms," Circa 1760

2 1/4" x 3 3/4".
Nicolas de la Cruz Bagay
Engraving from Manga panalangin,
by Belen.

Francisco Suarez
Jesus sweats blood.
1760.

Francisco Suarez
Jesus is lifted on the cross
Circa 1760.

Laureano Atlas
Our Lady of the Rose and Our Lady
of Peace and Good Voyage
1749

The Ilocano Script in the

Doctrina Cristiana
One of the few examples of
the pre-Hispanic Ilocano
script surviving today is that
written by Father Belarmino
in 1621 in the Ilocano
translation of the Doctrina
Cristiana (Christian Doctrine),
shown below and
transliterated into Ilocano
and English.