Notes on Contemporary Arts | Module 2

What is Contemporary Philippine Art?

  • Art in the Philippines reflects the country’s identity, history, and traditions. It mirrors the Filipino people and the nation as a whole.
  • Diverse art forms across regions, when integrated, depict what kind of country and people the Philippines has; art evolves from ethnic traditions to contemporary forms. (Source: Sandagan and Sayseng, 2016)
  • Contemporary Philippine Art is art produced by Filipino artists from the different regions in the Philippines in the 21^{ ext{st}} century. Works reflect cultural diversity, technological advancement, and utilize a wide range of mediums.
  • The emphasis is on regional variation, innovation, and the role of art in social, political, and cultural contexts.

The Seven Major Art Forms in Contemporary Philippine Art

  • Visual Arts
  • Literature
  • Music
  • Theater
  • Dance
  • Architecture
  • Film

Historical Context and Key Concepts

  • Modernization of Philippine art began during the American period with education and exposure abroad influencing local artists.
  • Early modernists included Victorio Edades and the so-called Thirteen Moderns who helped shift from rural to urban subjects and from traditional to modernist styles.
  • Institutions emerged to support modern and contemporary art movements (e.g., Art Association of the Philippines, Philippine Art Gallery).
  • Government and regional initiatives (e.g., NCCA, CVA, CCP, regional art groups) promote education, exhibits, and workshops to preserve and promote visual arts.

Visual Arts

  • The Philippine contemporary visual arts scene shows a transition from rural to urban themes, influenced by modernism and various international movements.
  • Key artists and movements:
    • Victorio Edades: introduced modern visual art; exhibited works shocking audiences with darker palettes focusing on labor and lower socio-economic classes.
    • The Thirteen Moderns: a group of artists who followed Edades’ modernist path (examples: Vicente Manansala, Cecar Legaspu, Anita Magsaysay-Ho, Hernando Ocampo, Carlos Francisco).
    • Vicente Manansala: Cubism; known for fragmented figures on larger planes; part of the Paris Cubism influence; created within a context of postwar modernism (Created: 1976).
    • Other notable cubists: Roméo Tabuena, Cecar Legaspi; abstractionists: H. R. Ocampo, Constantino Bernardo, Federico Aguilar Alcuaz, Arturo Luz, Jose Joya.
    • Sculpture: Napoleon Abueva popularized modern sculpture; used various materials (woods, metals, stones); later artists used plastics, jade, brass; Ang Kiukok (expressionistic cubist style); BenCab (Benedicto Cabrera) known for realism and experimentation; Ramon Orlina explored glass.
    • Surrealism and magic realism: Galo Ocampo, Juvenal Sanso.
    • Proletarian art and social realism: postwar art addressing social issues and economic problems; use of multiple media including posters and comics to convey national messages.
    • Indigenous materials and environmental themes gain prominence in sculpture and installation (artists: Junyee, Roberto Villanueva, Roberto Fleo).
  • The National Government through the NCCA’s Committee on Visual Arts (CVA) launched education programs and regional/national congresses; Gallery-related initiatives invite regional artists to exhibit in Manila and vice versa. Regional art groups (e.g., Baguio Art Guild; Bacolod's Black Artist in Asia) promote workshops, festivals, and exhibitions to engage youth.
  • Key takeaways:
    • Visual arts in the modern/contemporary era are dynamic, experimental, and reflect political, social, and economic contexts.
    • Mediums expanded to include glass, plastics, jade, metals, and traditional materials.

Notable Works and Terms

  • The Fruit Gatherer (1950) by Fernando Amorsolo (Visual Arts reference).
  • Bigas by Nestor Leynes: an example of magic realism with minute texture and color details.
  • The development of form and content includes representational, cubist, abstractionist, surrealist, and realist strands.

Literature

  • Contemporary Philippine literature during the modern/contemporary period shows a mix of English and vernacular (Tagalog) works; the Bagay movement uses colloquial language and concrete imagery reflecting common experiences.
  • Poets and writers:
    • Jose F. Lacaba, Rolando Tinio, Bienvenido Lumbera, Antonio Samson, Edmundo Martinez: pioneers of Bagay (colloquial, image-based poetry).
    • Amado V. Hernandez: introduced Ang Bayang Malaya; themes of oppression, human rights, social protest.
    • Jose Lacaba, Rolando Tinio, Bienvenido Lumbera: national consciousness in poetry; Tinio’s Valediction sa Hillcrest as a Bagay example (Taglish).
    • After WWII: English-language poets influenced by Western poets; themes include love, identity, oppression, and private worlds.
    • Marcos era: rise of nationalist poetry focusing on poverty, inequality, polarization, and social issues; social protest poetry proliferates.
  • Short stories:
    • Post-WWII focus on self-expression and self-consciousness; English-language writers include N. V. M. Gonzales, Nick Joaquin, Alejandro Roces, Francisco Arcellana, Gregorio Brillantes, Bienvenido Santos, Edith Tiempo.
    • Contemporary period features vernacular language and social-conscious fiction; 1970s emphasize working-class life and protest fiction during the Marcos era.
  • Novels and essays:
    • Sociopolitical themes persisted in postwar novels; English-language writers emphasize identity and national consciousness.
    • Literary criticism and informal essays developed post-WWII; women writers contributed to informal essay forms.
  • Overall significance:
    • Philippine literature in the contemporary period reflects a blend of traditional and modern forms, nationalist themes, social realism, and the influence of Western literary traditions.

Music

  • Philippine music evolves from classical Western influence (American period) to avant-garde in the 1960s, then blends classical, traditional, and ethnic styles with modern popular forms.
  • Key movements and styles:
    • Early classical influence lasting into the 1950s.
    • 1960s avant-garde music; ensemble with radio/film exposure broadening audiences.
    • Pinoy pop (Original Pilipino Music, OPM) emerges, including Manila Sound; English-language roots, but Filipino spirit preserved.
    • Pinoy pop expands to jazz, rock, rap, traditional/indigenous influences; alternative music emerges with protest themes ( Freddie Aguilar’s 'Anak', Herbert Bartolome's 'Tayo’y Mga Pinoy', Florante De Leon's 'Ako’y Pilipino').
    • Local scenes: bodabil introduced by Americans; later, folk balladeers influence alternative styles.
  • Notable artists and forms:
    • Freddie Aguilar: iconic figure in OPM; mainstream success with protest and nationalist themes.
    • Parokya ni Edgar: contemporary band reflecting diverse genres.
  • Regional and institutional support:
    • CCP (Cultural Center of the Philippines) and regional art councils support preservation and innovation in Filipino music.
    • Local composers continue to craft vernacular songs; Las Piñas Bamboo Organ Festival cited as an example of regional musical heritage.
  • Bodabil (vaudeville): popularized stage shows with songs, dances, and skits; Japanese period added short melodrama.
  • The ongoing evolution:
    • Evolution includes modern dance, rock, pop, indigenous music, jazz, rap, and cross-genre collaborations.

Theater and Dance

  • Theater:
    • American influence initially dominates theater through Western plays and Shakespeare; Filipinos later expand to reflect Philippine realities.
    • Traditional forms such as sarswela, komedya, and sinakulo are revived and reinterpreted.
    • Notable contributors: National Artists Lamberto Avellana, Severino Montano, Wilfredo Ma. Guerrero.
    • The World Is an Apple (Alberto Florentino) as an example of modern representational theater; representational and social realism in drama (e.g., Paraisong Parisukat by Orlando Nadres; Bayan-Bayanan by Bienvenido Noriega Jr).
  • Dance:
    • Early American bodabil dancing includes buck-and-swing, tap, clog, skirt dancing.
    • European classical ballet enters Philippines; Remedios de Oteyza and Leonor Orosa train Filipino dancers; ballet becomes popular; modern dance evolves with Western and Asian influences; Reyes-Aquino’s folk-dance research influences education integration.
    • Folk dances and indigenous dances are preserved and promoted; Sinulog, Ati-Atihan, Sayaw sa Obando, Kadayawan, and other regional festivals showcase traditional dances.
    • Contemporary dance scene includes groups like Integrated Performing Arts Guild (IPAG, Mindanao State University, Iligan City), Dagyaw Theater and Dance Company, Teatro Amakan (Iloilo City); Philippine High School for the Arts nurtures performing arts talents.

Architecture and Visual Culture

  • Architecture:
    • During the American colonial and contemporary periods, Philippine architecture adopts modern Western styles while considering local contexts.
    • Early 20th century: Juan Arellano, Carlos Barreto, Antonio Toledo introduce neoclassical styles; Metropolitan Theater designed by Arellano; decorative motifs use native plants and vivid colors.
    • Tsalet (stilt houses with wooden fronts and concrete porches) developed; steel used for earthquake protection.
    • Post-WWII: shifts toward Americanized housing; two-story houses; urban housing, multi-story tenements, and government housing projects; slums and shanties proliferate.
    • From Marcos era onward: expressways, convention centers, hospitals, hotels, malls, high-rise buildings, and amusement centers reflect technological advancement (elevators, escalators, air conditioning, computers).
    • Regional adaptations: residential houses, churches, markets, and business spaces imitate urban architectural styles in the regions; eco-cultural tourism emerges (Palawan, Davao, Bohol, Batangas);
    • Heritage preservation: heritage towns like Vigan, Intramuros, Dapitan receive attention.
  • Film:
    • Early Philippines cinema began in 1897 with foreign entrepreneurs; 1912 saw a film about Jose Rizal by Edward Gross and Harry Brown; Jose Nepomuceno is regarded as the Father of Philippine Movies with Dalagang Bukid as a landmark.
    • Language choice: Tagalog became dominant due to audience accessibility; American influence shapes production and style; theater forms influenced early film.
    • Major film studios (the Big Four) in the 1950s: LVN, Sampaguita, Lebran, and Premiere; FAMAS and Maria Clara Awards establish film awards.
    • Postwar era: film themes include war heroism (Garrison 13, Dugo ng Bayan); new cinema (Lino Brocka, Celso Ad, Ishmael Bernal) emphasizes nationhood and social issues.
    • Independent/alternative cinema: Kidlat Tahimik; lightweight technologies and screenings in schools and festivals.
    • 1960s–present: a wide range of genres including action, melodramas, comedies, and superhero themes; CCP coordinates film education and outreach.

Educational Context and Initiatives

  • Content standards and performance standards emphasize understanding, classification, and appreciation of regional contemporary art forms.
  • Activities in the kit foster recognition of different art forms, regional practices, and initiatives to preserve and promote contemporary arts.
  • Government and non-government organizations support regional development of the arts through:
    • National Government: NCCA (National Commission for Culture and the Arts) and CVA (Committee on Visual Arts) programs for education and exhibitions.
    • CCP: Coordinating Center for Film and other centers for performing arts.
    • Regional groups: Baguio Art Guild; Bacolod’s Black Artist in Asia; art festivals, workshops, and exhibitions to engage younger generations.

Activities and Review Prompts (From the Self-Learning Kit)

  • Activity I: Engaging with the Arts — Identify art forms in the Philippines based on provided pictures.
  • Activity II: Gaining Insights —
    1) Describe characteristics of different contemporary art forms.
    2) Enumerate regional initiatives in preserving and promoting contemporary arts.
  • Appreciation Exercises:
    • Identification: items such as modern visual art introduction by Edades, proletarian art, the Art Association of the Philippines, the start of the film industry, Jose Nepomuceno, Tsalet housing, bodabil, a form of painting style (e.g., Bigas by Nestor Leynes), NCCA CVA committee, Bagay poetry, Valediction sa Hillcrest, and Philippine popular music terms.
    • Enumeration: three dances introduced by Americans; three Filipino architects who contributed to Philippine architecture; the Big Four film studios of the 1950s.
  • Activity IV: Essay — Choose 3 art forms from the discussion and write a brief essay on their significant development and characteristics.

Summary and Takeaways

  • Visual arts, Music, Architecture and Allied Arts, Theater, Film, Literature, and Dances constitute the seven art forms in contemporary Philippine art.
  • Each form has significant developments in the contemporary period, influenced by creativity, social, economic, political contexts, and emerging technologies.
  • Regional initiatives play a crucial role in developing and promoting contemporary arts through art groups, festivals, workshops, and exhibitions.
  • The KIT emphasizes understanding regional practices, historical shifts, and ongoing evolution of Philippine art across all forms.

References

  • Sandagan, Luviminda D. and Sayseng, Ayesha H., Contemporary Philippine Art from the Regions, JFS Publishing Services, Manila.