Q2: Lesson 3: Philippine National Painters

Fernando Amorsolo

Recognized as the Philippines' first National Artist.

April 28 1972

Recognized as the Philippines' first National Artist on this date four days after his death.

Grand Old Man of Philippine Art

Title given to Fernando Amorsolo.

First National Artist; Celebration of Filipino Identity; Master of Light, Realism, and Romanticism

Enumerate three (3) reasons why Amorsolo deserves the title "Grand Old Man of Philippine Art":

FCM

Chiaroscuro

The Italian word that means "backlighting."

Realism

Accurate detail.

Romanticism

Light, beauty, idealism.

Backlighting

A signature technique of Amorsolo wherein subjects appear to glow against the canvas.

University of the Philippines School of Fine Arts and Real Academia De Bellas Artes de San Fernando

Amorsolo studied in two (2) universities:

Fabian de la Rosa

The uncle of Amorsolo who mentored him and is also a renowed Filipino painter.

Francisca Reyes-Aquino

The Mother of Folk Dance and researcher of Philippine Folk Dances and Games. She received the Republic Award of Merit in 1954.

Carlos Botong Francisco

A pioneer of modernism and discovered the Angono Petroglyphs. He portrays scenes of heroism, struggle, and daily life.

Modernism

A movement that breaks away from traditional and classical art forms.

Victorio C. Edades

The Father of Modern Philippine Painting. He has a modernist style and uses raw and rough bold impasto strokes. He introduced the liberal arts program.

Impasto strokes

A painting technique where the artist applies thick layers of paint on the canvas or surface so that brush or palette knife marks are clearly visible. Helps convey movement, energy, and texture in a painting.

Paste

In English, the Italian word "Impasto" means _____.

Vicente Manansala

A pioneer of cubism. His works are combined concepts from rural and urban settings.

Cubism

The overlapping of geometric shapes.

Cesar Legaspi

A leading Filipino neorealist who focused on modern art. He portrays hardships in the working class and revealed emotions, strength, and dignity in his art.

Neorealism

An art movement that shows real-life situations and struggles of ordinary people but in a modern, stylized, and symbolic way.

Depicts reality with emotion

Shows real human conditions but with artistic interpretation.

Focus on the common people

Highlights poverty, labor, and social issues in postwar Philippines.

Geometric and cubist style

Figures are often fragmented into shapes but still expressive and alive.

Social Awareness

Neorealism aimed to make viewers reflect on society and human dignity.

Hernando Ocampo

Focuses on abstract. Themes of his works told of destruction and harshness of life after WW2.

J. Elizalde Navarro

A visual artist whose paintings are often made of abstract figures. Known for his incision painting.

Jose Joya

Created an authentic Filipino abstract and recognized as National Artist for Painting in 2003.

Incision painting

Art method where the artist scratches, carves, or cuts lines into the surface of the painting through layers of paint to reveal textures, patterns, or underlying colors.

Benedicto Cabrera

Popular for his series of works that feature a solitary figure of a scavenger whom he named Sabel.

Sabel

Represents the common Filipino. The iconic subject of BenCab who symbolizes the struggles, resilience, and dignity of the Filipino people, especially the poor and marginalized.

Scavenger

A person who collects discarded materials to survive.

Sabel series

Inspired by a real woman Cabrera saw in Manila, wrapped in plastic and cloth, BenCab portrayed her not as pitiful but as a symbol of beauty, grace, strength, hope, humanity, and the Filipino spirit amidst hardship.

Abstract and expressive style

BenCab used flowing lines and drapery to show movement and emotion.

Social meaning

It reflects BenCab's compassion for the marginalized and his belief in finding beauty in everyday life.