CONARTS

Philippine National Artists

%%National Artist%% - embodies the nation contributing to the development of nationhood through critically acclaimed significant body of work.

It is with this “enlightenment” that gives the artists responsibility for their craft.

%%1972%%- Philippines named its first national artist, %%Fernando Amorsolo%%

%%The national artist award%% - is a great honor given to the Filipino whose life and works have contributed to the advancement of the country’s arts and letters.

%%National artist%%

  • distinguished individual who has made an outstanding contribution to Philippine arts.
  • will become part of the prestigious roster of the Order of National Artists.
  • %%National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA)%% and %%Cultural Center of the Philippines%% (CCP) administer the nomination and selection of the artist, who are conferred by the %%President.%%

Recognized excellence in:

  • Music
  • Dance
  • Theater
  • Visual Arts
  • Literature
  • Film
  • Broadcast Arts
  • Architecture or Allied Arts

%%Presidential Proclamation No. 1001 (1972)%%

- established %%“the Award and Decoration of National Artist”%%

- enabled the government to give %%appropriate recognition and prestige to Filipinos%% who have distinguished themselves and made outstanding contributions to Philippine arts and letters

What does it take to be a National Artist?

%%The National Artist award%% - is the %%country’s highest honor given to an artist%% who, according to the NCCA, “embodies the nation’s highest ideals in the humanities and aesthetic expression through the distinct achievements of individual citizens.”

  1. Living artists who are natural-born Filipino citizens at the time of nomination; as well as those who died after the establishments of the award in 1972 but were Filipino citizens as the time of their death.; Filipinos who have lost and reacquired dual citizenship status for at least minimum period of five years, shall be eligible for nomination

  2. Artists who through the content and form of their works have contributed in building a Filipino sense of nationhood.

  3. Artists who have pioneered a mode of creative expression or style, thus earning distinction and making an impact on succeeding generations of artists

  4. Artists who have created a substantial and significant body of works and/or consistently displayed excellence in the practice of their art form thus enriching artistic expression or style

  5. Artists who enjoy broad acceptance through the following:

    5.1 Prestigious national and/or international recognition, such as the Gawad CCP para sa Sining, CCP Thirteen Artists Award, and NCCA Alab ng Haraya 5.2 Critical acclaim and/or reviews of their works

    5.3 Respect and esteem from peers

%%National Artist Insignia%%

The Insignia of the National Artists

  • is composed of a %%Grand Collar%% featuring circular links portraying the arts, and an %%eight-pointed conventionalized sunburst%% suspended from a %%sampaguita wreath in green and white enamel.%%

%%Central Badge%%

  • is a medallion divided into three equal portions; %%Red, white, and blue - Philippine Flag%%
  • three stylized letters %%KKK “katotohanan, kabutihan, kagandahan”%% (CCP’s motto) - coined by Mrs. Imelda Romualdez Marcos, CCP’s founder

%%The Composition of the Grand Collar%%

silver-gilt bronze. In place of a rosette, there is an enameled pin in the form of the insignia of the order

National Artist of the Philippines for Literature

Philippine literature

- is a rich group of literary works that has developed along with the country’s history.

- Long before the arrival of Western influences, early Filipinos already have stories to tell to younger generations.

- The Philippines has a rich collection of fables,legends, and myths from different regions.

- The babaylan, the early healers, used chants to please thesupernatural beings or spirits to bestow good healthand fortune in the home and the fields.

Literary journalism

  • is a form of creative nonfiction that reports real events using the style and techniques used in literary texts.

__Amado V. Hernandez__

National Artist for Literature, 1973

  • writer and labor leader from Hagonoy, Bulacan.

  • known for his criticism of social injustices in the Philippines as later imprisoned for his involvement in the communist movement; he was the the central figure in a landmark legal case that took 13 years to settle

  • Tagalog writer for the newspaper Watawat

  • wrote a column in Tagalog publication *Pagkakaisa*

  • He was married to another national artist, Filipino actress, Atang De la Rama (Music)

  • {{Works:{{

    • {{novels = Mga Ibong Mandaragit, 1969 & Mga Ibong Mandaragit, 1972 - His socio-political novels were based on @@experiences as a guerilla, as a labor leader and as a political detainee.@@{{
    • {{plays = Muntinglupa, 1957; Hagdan sa Bahaghari, 1958{{
    • {{essays = Si Atang at ang Dulaan; Si Jose Corazon de Jesus at and ating Panulaan{{

__Jose Garcia Villa__

National Artist for Literature, 1973

  • was a poet, literary critic, short story writer, and painter from Singalong, Manila.
  • known to have introduced the “reversed consonance rhyme scheme” in poetry
  • as well as the extensive use of punctuation marks, which made him known as the Comma Poet
  • Used the pet name Doveglion ( Dove, Eagle, Lion) based on the character he derived from himself
  • first tried painting, but then turned into creative writing after reading Winesburg, Oho by Sherwood Anderson

{{Works:{{

  • {{Doveglion: Collected poems{{
  • {{Poems 55{{
  • {{Poems in Praise of Love: The Best Love Poems of Jose Garcia Villa{{

__Nick Joaquin__

National Artist for Literature, 1976

  • a writer, historian, and journalist from Paco, Manila.

  • best known for his short stories and novels in the English Language

  • pen name: Quijana de Manila

  • most important Filipino writers in English, and most important overall after Jose Rizal and Claro M. Recto

  • Joaquin became interested in writing from reading at his gather’s library and from being red stories and poems by his mother

  • {{Works{{

    • {{- The Woman Who had Two Navels{{
    • {{A Portrait of the Artists: An Elegy in Three Scenes{{
    • {{Manila{{
    • {{My Manila: A History for the Young{{

__Carlos R. Romulo__

National Artist for Literature, 1982

  • was an envoy, statesman,soldier, correspondent, writer

  • Founder of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines

  • Reporter by the young age of 16; publisher at 32

  • He was the only Asian to be awarded a Pulitzer Prize in Journalism for a series of articles forecasting the outbreak of World War II.

  • Romulo served eight Philippine Presidents, from Manuel L. Quezon to Ferdinand Marcos, as Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines and as the country’s representative to the United states and to the United Nations

  • {{Works:{{

    • {{The United (a novel){{
    • {{I walked with Heroes ( an autobiography){{
    • {{I sawth Fall of the Philippines{{
    • {{Mother America and I see the Philippines Rise (war-time memoirs){{
    • {{%%Forty Years: A Third World Soldier and the UN and The Philippine Presidents%%- his record of his encounters with the country’s leaders.{{

@@The National Artisits of the Philippines for Architecture@@

Philippines Architecture

- is unique in that it @@reflects its cultural heritage and the demand to adapt to its environment.@@

- the bahay kubo, which is a small one-room hut built using light woven materials,

- @@The architecture of the Philippines reflects its history and tradition.@@

@@Juan F. Nakpil@@

National Artist for Architecture, 1973

  • was an architect, teacher, and a community leader from Quiapo, Manila.

  • In 1973, he was tapped as the @@Dean of Filipino Architects@@

  • worked in @@Andres Luna de San Pedro’s architectural firm (1928)@@, and @@Don Gnozalo Puyat and Sons@@

  • @@opened his own architectural firm in 1930@@

  • designed the “ International Eucharistic Congress altar”

  • improved the “Quiapo Church in 1930 by erecting a dome and a second belfry

  • ]]Works:]]

    • ]]San Carlos Seminary]]
    • ]]Geronimo de Los Reyes Building]]
    • ]]Iglesia ni Cristo Riverside Locale]]
    • ]]Magsaysay Building]]
    • ]]Rizal Theater]]
    • ]]Philippine Village Hotel]]
    • ]]Rizal Shrine in Calamba Laguna]]
    • ]]designed the “ International Eucharistic Congress altar”]]
    • ]]improved the “Quiapo Church in 1930 by erecting a dome and a second belfry]]

@@Pablo S. Antonio@@

National Artist for Architecture, 1976

  • was an architect from Binondo, Manila.

  • @@A pioneer of modern Philippines architecture@@

  • he was recognized in some quarters @@as the foremost Filipino modernist architect of his time@@

  • ]]Works:]]

    • ]]construction of the Ideal Theater along Avenida Rizal in Manila in 1933 - caught the eye of founder of FEU, Nicanor Reyes Sr.]]
    • ]]Lyric Theater]]
    • ]]Galaxy Theater]]
    • ]]Capitan Luis Gonzaga Building]]
    • ]]White Cross Orphanage and more]]

@@Leandro V. Locsin@@

National Artist for Architecture, 1990

  • He reshaped the @@urban landscape with a distinctive architecture reflective of Philippine Art and Culture.@@

  • believes that the true Philippine Architecture is @@“the product of two great streams of culture, the oriental, and the occidental … to produce a new object of profound harmony.”@@

  • From 1955 to 1974, he was able to produced @@75 residences and 88 buildings, including 11 churches and chapels, 23 public buildings, 48 commercial building, 6 major hotels and an airport terminal building@@

  • ]]Works:]]

    • ]]Istana Burul Iman ( The palace of the Sultan of Brunei)]]
    • ]]CCP Complex ( five buildings designed by him)]]
    • ]]Cultural Center of the Philippines]]
    • ]]Folk Arts Theater]]
    • ]]Philippines International Convention Center]]
    • ]]Philcite]]
    • ]]Westin Hotel]]

%%National Artist for Film%%

In January 1897, the Philippines experienced its movies with these four films:

  • Un home au chapeau (Man with a Hat),
  • Une scene de danse Japonaise (Scene from a Japanes Dance),
  • Les Boxers (The Boxers),
  • La place de l’opera (The Place of L’Opera).

- which were done in %%Salon de Pertierra on Escolta Street%%

- shown using a %%Gaumont Chrono-photograph projector (60mm).%%

- This momentous event was envisioned by a Spaniard only remembered by the name %%Pertierra.%%

%%First movie%% - happened in %%1898 by Antonio Ramos%% used Lumiere Cinematograph imported in Paris.

%%Lamberto V. Avellana%%

National Artist for Film and Theater, 1976

  • was a prominent film and stage director from Botoc, Mountain Province.

  • Avellena was named by %%President Ferdinand Marcos%% as the %%very first National Artist of the Philippines for Film%% in the year %%1976.%%

  • }}Works:}}

    • }}Anak Dalita (1956) ==- Best Film at the 1956 Asia-Pacific Film festival==(realistic portrayal of poverty- stricken Filipinos coping with the aftermath of WWII}}
    • }}Badjao (1957) - ==love story among sea-dwelling Badjaos==, an indigenous Filipino people hailing from Mindanao}}

%%Gerardo “Gerry” De Leon%%

National Artist for Film, 1982

  • holds the sole distinction as the %%most awarded film director%% in the country for the prestigious %%Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences (FAMAS) Awards,%% the country’s equivalent to the Oscars.

  • finished medicine but did not practice it to answer calling in cinem

  • }}Works}}

    • }}Ama’t Anak - ==directorial debut==}}
    • }}Ang Maestra - starring Rosa del Rosario and Rogelio de la Rosa ; ==gave him recognition==}}
    • }}Sawa sa Lumang Simboryo}}
    • }}Noli Me Tangere}}
    • }}Sisa}}
    • }}Dyesebel}}
    • }}The Gold Bikini}}
    • }}Banaue}}
    • }}The Brides of Blood Island}}

%%Lino Brocka%%

National Artist for Film, 1997

  • The contribution of Lino Brocka to Philippine cinema is unparalleled, %%66 films that “breathed life and hope for the marginalized sectors of society”,%%
  • Lino Brocka has harvested countlessawards and recogniitions here and abroad for his films
  • his films are %%“a bounty stunning images, memorable conversations that speak volumes on love, betrayal and redemption, pestilence and plenty allpointing towards the recovery and%%

%%redicscovery of our nation”%%

  • }}Works:}}
    • }}==Maynila sa mga Kuko ng Liwanang==- sad film considered as ==one of the classics of Filipino cinema==}}
    • }}Wanted: Perfect Mother}}
    • }}Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang}}
    • }}Insiang}}
    • }}Ora Pro Nobis ( Fight for Usa)}}
    • }}Gumapangka sa Lusak}}

%%Fernando Poe, Jr%%

National Artist for Film, 2006

  • Ronald Allan Kelley Poe better known as Fernando Poe, Jr. (also known as “Da King”) has been given the title %%the king of Philippine movies.%%

  • most admired Filipino film actors of all time.

  • Famous for his role Flavio in the mythical %%Ang Panday series%%

  • he is also a film producer and politician as well. ran an unsuccessful bid for the presidential election in 2004

  • his political rival, former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, %%declared him a National Artist for Film in 2006.%%

  • }}Starred in:}}

    • }}Apollo Robles}}
    • }}Batang Maynila}}
    • }}Mga Alabok sa Lupa (Dusts in Land)}}
    • }}Ako ang Katarungan}}
    • }}Tatak ng Alipin}}
    • }}Totoy Bato}}
    • }}Asedillo}}
    • }}Partida}}

^^National Artist of the Philippines for Visual Arts^^

visual arts in the Philippines

- can be characterized as a mixture of western and native cultural influences.

- were mostly religious

^^Fernando Amorsolo^^

National Artist for Visual Arts - Painting, 1972

  • one of the ^^most important artists in the history of painting in the Philippines.^^

  • was a ^^portraitist and painter of rural Philippine landscapes^^ from Paco, Manila,

  • is popularly known for his ^^craftsmanship and mastery in the use of light.^^

  • is best known for his ^^illuminated landscapes,^^ which often portrayed traditional Filipino customs,
    culturefiestas and occupations.

  • Amorsolo used ^^natural light^^ in his paintings and developed the backlighting technique ^^Chiaroscuro,^^ which became his artistic trademark and his greatest contribution to Philippine Painting.

  • <<^^Works;^^<<

    • <<^^Rice Planting^^<<
    • <<^^Defence of a Filipina Woman’s Honor^^<<
    • <<^^Planting Rics^^<<
    • <<^^Sunday Morning Going to Town^^<<

^^Botong Francisco^^

National Artist for Visual Arts - Painting, 1973

  • wasa ^^muralist^^ from Angono, Rizal.

  • Francisco was a ^^most distinguished practioner of mural painting^^ for many decades and best ^^known for his historical pieces.^^

  • Part of ^^“Triumvirate^^” - ^^Victorio C. Edades and Galo Ocampo^^ ( Triumvirate who broke away from Fernando Amorsolo’s romanticism of Philippine scenes.)

  • His works described as ^^prime example of linear painting^^ where ^^lines and contours appear like cutouts.^^

  • Botong’s unerring eye for composition, the lush tropical sense of color, and an abiding faith in the f^^olk values typified by the townspeople of Angono became the hallmark of his art.^^

  • <<Works;<<

    • <<Blood Compact<<
    • <<First Mass at Limasawa<<
    • <<The Matyrdom of Rizal<<
    • <<Bayanihan<<
    • <<Magpupukot<<
    • <<Fiesta<<
    • <<Bayanihan sa Bukid<<
    • <<Sandugo<<
    • <<Portrait of Purita<<
    • <<The Invasion of Limahong<<
    • <<Serenade<<
    • <<Muslim Bethrothal<<

^^Victorio C. Edades^^

National Artist for Visual Arts - Painting, 1976

  • is a painter from Dagupan, Pangasinan.

  • ^^leader of thre revolutionary Thirteen Moderns^^ (who engaged their classical compatriots in a ^^heated debate over the nature and function of art.)^^

  • Edades sparked a debate ^^between modern and academic (classical) art^^. → Not conforming to the ^^academic perception of art, he made art available to the common man.^^

  • ^^he became a bridge between the past and the present.^^

  • Edades’ colors were ^^dark and gloomy.^^

  • <<^^Works;^^<<

    • <<^^The Sketch^^<<
    • <<^^Pointsettia Girl^^<<
    • <<^^The Wrestlers^^<<
    • <<^^Portrait of the Professor^^<<
    • <<^^Japanese Girl^^<<

^^Vicente Manansala^^

National Artist for Visual Arts - Painting, 1981

  • was a ^^cubist painter^^ and ^^illustrator^^ from Macabebe, Pampanga.

  • His paintings are described as ^^“visions of reality teetering on the edge of abstraction.”^^

  • <<Works;<<

    • <<Madonna of the Slums ( mother and child from the country)<<
    • <<Jeepney ( combined the elements of provincial folk culture with the busy streets of the city.)<<
    • <<Birdman ( combined the elements of provincial folk culture with the busy streets of the city.)<<

Cesar Legaspi

National Artist for Visual Arts - Painting, 1990

  • ^^pioneer of the Neorealist movement in the country.^^

→ ^^Neorealism^^ is a modern art movement that makes an artist take a subject and explore its unknown qualities.

  • His art ^^paved the way to the birth of modern art^^ in the Philippines.

  • he was operating his ^^magazine illustrator^^ and as ^^artistic director in advertising agencies,^^ he was able to create masterpieces that made ^^“use of the geometric fragmentation technique,^^ weaving social comment and juxtaposing the mythical and modern into his overlapping, interacting forms with disturbing power and intensity.”

  • <<^^Works;^^<<

    • <<^^Tree Planting^^<<
    • <<^^Man and Woman^^<<
    • <<^^Reclining Nude^^<<
    • <<^^Gadgets^^<<

Hernando Ocampo

National Artist for Visual Arts - Painting, 1991

  • ^^self-taught^^

  • Ocampo’s works, as cited, are often praised to have ^^“provided understanding and awareness of the harsh social realities in the country.”^^

  • invented a new mode of perception that ^^demonstrated the atmosphere and the wildlife of the Philippines.^^

  • used ^^bold colors^^ in his artworks

  • <<^^Works;^^<<

    • <<^^Nude with Candle and Flower^^<<
    • <<^^Ina ng Balon^^<<
    • <<^^Kasaysayan ng Lahi^^<<
    • <<^^Man and Carabao^^<<
    • <<^^Revelation8^^<<
    • <<^^Ancestors and Fiesta^^<<

^^Guillermo Tolentino^^

National Artist for Visual Arts - Sculpture, 1973

  • was a sculptor in Malolos, Bulacan.

  • ^^“Father of Philippine Arts”^^ and known as ^^master in classical sculpture^^

  • national recognition for his work on the Bonifacio Monument which the design was chosen in a competition held by sculptors and architects. His winning design featured an obelisk with a bird of freedom perched atop of it.

  • <<^^Works;^^<<

    • <<^^University of the Philippines Monument^^<<
    • <<^^main symbol of Up oblation ( commissioned by University president Rafael Palma)^^<<
    • <<^^Bonifacio Monument^^<<
    • <<^^designed the medals for the Ramon Magsaysay Awards^^<<
    • <<^^seal of the Republic of the Philippines^^<<
    • <<^^figures of Jose Rizal (in UP)^^<<
    • <<^^President Quezon (in quezon Memorial)^^<<
    • <<^^President Magsaysay (in GSIS building)^^<<

^^Napoleon Abueva^^

National Artist for Visual Arts - Sculpture, 1976

  • is a sculptor from Tagbilaran, Bohol.

  • ^^“Father of Modern Philippine Sculpture”^^

  • tasked by Guillermo Tolentino to ^^replicate UP oblation sculpture^^ for the campus of U.P Los Banos

  • <<^^Works;^^<<

    • <<^^Kaganapan^^<<
    • <<^^Kiss of Judas^^<<
    • <<^^Thirty pieces of Silver^^<<
    • <<^^The Transfiguration^^<<
    • <<^^UP Gate way^^<<
    • <<^^Sandugo or Blood Compact in Bohol ( City is a landmark at the site of the first international treaty of friendship between Spaniards and Filipinos )^^<<

National Artists for Dance

diversity of Philippine dances, as “manifested in different dynamics and forms, grew out the various contexts and experiences of the people.”

__Francisca Reyes- Aquino__

National Artist for Dance, 1973

  • is a folk dancer from Bocaue, Bulacan.
  • She is noted for her research on Philippine folk dance.
  • A recipient of the RepublicAward of Merit and the Ramon Magsaysay Award.
  • “Mother of Philippine Folk Dancing”
  • Pursuing her graduate studies, she started her work in 1921 travelling to remote barrios in Central and Northern Luzon.
  • President Ramon Magsaysay conferred her the Republic Award of Merit 1954 for her “outstanding contribution toward the advancement of Filipino culture.”

__Leonor Orosa- Goquingco__

National Artist for Dance, 1976

  • was a Filipino national artist in creative dance from Jolo, Sulu.

  • pen name = Cristina Luna

  • known as Trailblazer ; Mother of the Philippine Theater Dance; Dean of Filipino Performing arts Critics

  • was the only dancer sent on the first cultural mission to japan, at the age of 19.

  • She was an Honorary Chairman of the Association of Ballet Academies of the Philippines,

  • the founding member of the Philippine Ballet Theater (PBT)

  • known as Zontianand a performing arts critic and columnist of the Manila Bulletin.

  • {{Works;{{

    • {{created The Elements in 1940, the first ballet choreographed by a Filipino to commissioned music{{
    • {{Trend:Return to the Native, was choreographed by Goquingco ( the first Philippine folkloric ballet{{

%%National Artists of the Philippines of Music%%

Early Philippine music was %%instrumental and vocal in form.%%

Antionio J. Molina

National Artist for Music, 1973

  • was a composer, conductor and music administratorfrom Quiapo, Manila.

  • known as the %%Claude Debussy%% of the Philippine due to his %%use of impressionism in music.%%

  • son of %%Lulu Molina%%, a government official, who founded the %%Molina Orchestra%%

  • %%Founded the CEU String Quartet%%

  • credited over %%500 compositions%%

  • }}%%Works;%%}}

    • }}%%made his first composition titled%%^^“Matinal”^^}}

    }}%%unpublishedvolume called%%^^Miniatruras, Vol. 1.^^}}

    • }}%%Hatinggabi%%}}
    • }}%%Kung sa Iyong Gunita%%}}
    • }}%%Awit ni Maria Clara%%}}
    • }}%%Larawan Nitong Pilipinas%%}}

Jovita Fuentes

National Artist for Music, 1976

  • was an %%opera singer%% from Capiz.

  • Cio-Cio san in Giacomo Puccini’s Madame Butterfly at Italy’s Teatro Municipale di Piacenza

  • she was given the unprecedented award of %%“Embahadora de Filipinas a su Madre Patria”%% by Spain.

  • }}%%Roles;%%}}

    • }}%%Cio-cio san%%}}
    • }}%%Puccini’s Turandot,%%}}
    • }}%%Mimi in Puccini’s La Boheme,%%}}
    • }}%%Iris in Pietro Mascagni’s Iris,%%}}
    • }}%%title role Salome%%}}

%%Honorata “Atang” de la Rama%%

National Artist for Theater and Music, 1987

  • Atang de la Rama battled for the supremacy of the %%Kundiman%%

  • popularized the song %%“Mutya ng Pasig%%” by Deogracias Rosario and Nicanor Abelardo.

  • former %%President Corazon C. Aquino%% declared her as a %%National Artist for Theater and Music.%%

  • %%“Queen of Kundiman”,%% as she began her career in music and performance at the early age of seven.

  • For ATang, %%the zarzuela and kundiman “express best the Filipino soul.”%%

  • }}%%Starred;%%}}

    • }}%%Marina%%}}
    • }}%%Mascota%%}}
    • }}%%Sueno de Un Vals%%}}
    • }}%%penned the zarzuelas%%^^Anak ni Eba, Aking Ina , and Puri at Buhay^^}}