CONTEMP
“Art made and produced by artists living today.” - J.
Paul Getty Museum
It is not restricted to individual experience but it is
reflective of the world we live in.
Events in the world are having an effect on the
Philippines.
Artwork that is created by today’s contemporary artists
and has a world view, and is sensitive to changing times
Contemporary Arts
Existing artworks are appropriated to produce
another artwork.
Usage of prints, images, and icons to produce another
art form.
Combines the past from the present.
Revives interests to existing forms of art
Appropriation
Existing artworks are appropriated to produce
another artwork.
Usage of prints, images, and icons to produce another
art form.
Combines the past from the present.
Revives interests to existing forms of art
Appropriation
It evolved to “emphasize spontaneous elements of
chance”. – Walker Art Center
Interpreting various human activities such as ordinary
activities such as chores, routines and rituals, to socially
relevant themes such as poverty, commercialism and war.
Performance
Arts transforming space.
For example, flash mobs, art installations in malls and
parks.
Site specific art forms – art form that is performed
and positioned in a specific space such as public
places
Space
Usage of unconventional materials, mixing of unlikely
materials to produce an artwork.
Example: coffee for painting; miniature sculptures
using crayons.
Hybridity
Usage of technology in the creation and
dissemination of art works
Video phenomenon from MTV to Youtube.
Recording performances, video posting, sharing, live
streaming
Technology
Elements and Principles of contemporary arts:
Appropriation, Performance, Space, Hybridity, Technology
he suggests that there are
several characteristic tendencies in Philippine Arts.
Prof. De Leon
Filipino artworks often try to show the many sides of
an object, depicting how Filipinos think it looks
rather than how it is actually seen. This is why many
artists often orient objects by showing the biggest and
the most familiar angle of an object for greater
recognition.
Broadest Aspect Technique
Related to the first tendency, many artists use
multiple focal points in their composition in an effort
to try to represent the sentiments of the different
members of society.
Multiple focal points
Multiple Focal Point Artist: His works show multiple scenes and events at one
point in time
Larry Alcala
Being born in a very social environment, Filipinos are
more emphatic, spontaneous, and emotional.
This tendency holds especially true for the
performing arts, where Filipinos excel. In the visual
arts, this is carried over through the colorful artworks.
Highly expressive
Filipinos love colorful and decorative arts and crafts.
This is why costumes and festivals are bathed in a rich,
vibrant spectrum of colors
Polychromatic
Filipino art has an inclination to fill a space with
forms and ornamentation. This is said to be rooted in
the expressiveness of the Filipinos. A good example of
the Filipino's proclivity to decorate can be seen in the
public transport vehicle, the jeepney. Decorations that
range from airbrushed portraits to scenic landscapes fill
up the inside and the exterior of the "dyip."
Maximalism
Creating works with various uses strengthens the
sense of community with people of different
fascination and requirements. This is one of the
reasons for the popularity of mixed media and
installation art among many contemporary Filipino
artists. These installations and media are often
combined with indigenous materials and local objects.
Multifunctional
One of the most recognizable tendencies in Filipino art
is the stylized and measured organization of patterns
and forms. It is almost like the physical manifestation
of the Filipino artists' psyche, individually present and
different but in harmonious movement with the rest of
the forms.
Rhythmic patterns
is a term used to describe a wide array of artistic
disciplines that are appreciated primarily through
sight.
Visual arts
are the artworks we readily associate with art. The
term "fine arts" was first used to describe the art forms
created primarily for their appearance rather than
their practical use
Fine arts
are artworks that are both aesthetically pleasing and
functional.
Decorative arts
are recently conceived art forms that do not conform
to the traditional visual art forms, such as paintings,
sculptures, prints, etc.
Contemporary art forms
Most of the well-known contemporary visual artists
in the Philippines produce works that fall into the
fine arts category. Most of the contemporary art
produced in the Philippines are paintings, sculptures,
and drawings
Fine arts
Diffrernt examples of fine arts:
Painting and Illustrations, Painting Themes
Paintings may be defined as a two-dimensional form
of art that showcases artistic expression created on a
flat surface. Images are made by applying pigment on
a prepared surface using one or a combination of the
following tools: brush, palette knife, spray, finger, etc.
There are a number of media used for painting and
other two- dimensional work. These include oil, acrylic,
watercolor, poster color, pastel, ink, etc. These media
are applied on surfaces such as canvas, paper, wood,
cardboard, etc.
The beginnings of paintings and illustrations, as we
know them, resulted from the Spanish colonization.
Early paintings and other fine arts were primarily
religious in nature. They were used to evangelize and
spread Christianity throughout the archipelago. As time
passed, paintings and illustrations started to take on
more secular subjects and themes.
Contemporary forms of paintings and illustrations in
the Philippines generally stem from our interaction
with the Americans.
Paintings & Illustration
Contemporary paintings found in the Philippines range
from the academic style, the artistic style espoused
by the European art academies of the 1800s that
promoted the depiction of idealized and classical
beauty to that of the stark realism and abstraction of
many modernist and contemporary styles. The themes
used are also varied. The common thematic categories
in visual arts are religious, historical, portraiture, still life,
landscapes, nudes, genres, and nonrepresentational.
Painting themes
Different kinds of painting themes:
Religious themes.
were the primary subject for the artworks during the
Spanish colonial times. In the present, many
religious-themed paintings can be seen in the
murals of many churches and in painting
Religious themes
Religous themes artist:
Joey Velasco, Renato Habulan
Known for Hapag ng Pag-asa, many of his paintings
depict Jesus Christ in the present day.
Joey Velasco
Known for his boceto pen and ink series shows the
similarities of the suffering of the human condition
with that of the passion of Christ through the use of
Christian iconography.
Renato Habulan
t shows Filipino Struggles through History depicts
Manila's historical events.
●
Other historical- themed works include Blood Compact,
First Mass at Limasawa, etc
Historical themes
Historical themes artist:
Carlos "Butong" V. Francisco
An Angono, Rizal native
●
His masterpiece shows Filipino Struggles through
History depicts Manila's historical events. This mural
is displayed in the Manila City Hall.
Carlos "Butong" V. Francisco
are used to commemorate personalities and are seen
in many formal institutions such as government
offices.
●
It started with the rise of the Ilustrados during the
Spanish colonial times. It was and has been a symbol
of one's rise to power and wealth.
●
One of the most ubiquitous portraiture paintings seen
in the Philippines are the official portraitures of
Philippine presidents.
Portraiture paintings
Portraiture artists:
Antipas Delotavo And Rafael del Casal, Daryl de Leon Descallar
Delotavo is an Iloilo-born artist
●
a favorite portraiture artist of the Philippine elite who
was the commissioned artist to create the portrait of
San Pedro Calungsod in 2000.
Antipas Delotavo & Rafael delCasel
The latest as of writing is the official portrait of
President Rodrigo Duterte by a Davao artist.
Daryl de Leon Descallar
is a work of art that portrays inanimate objects.
●
It was traditionally composed of a basket or bowl of
fruits and flowers in vases on a table.
Still Life
Still Life Artists:
Paz Paterno, Vicente manansala
One of the most notable and earliest still life artists
●
She was born in Sta. Cruz, Manila in 1867 and died in
1914.
Paz Paterno
The cubist and Kapampangan artist who created still
life paintings that feature items and ingredients one
would find in a typical Filipino kitchen.
Vicente Manansala
the Filipino-Chinese still life artist
Ang kiukok
It depicts the beauty of the outdoors. It can be that
of the natural environment such as the countryside
and other rural scenery, including seascapes that
focus on the imagery of bodies of water. Some
landscapes highlight the hustle and bustle of the city
streets and scenes through urban landscapes.
Landscapes
Landscape artists:
Fernando Amorsolo, Martino Abellana, Diosdado M. Lorenzo, Manuel Baldemor, Prudencio Lamarroza
Many early Filipino landscape artists made use of the
academic style under his guidance.
Fernando Amorsolo
He became a mentor to generations of Visayan
artists and is referred to as the "Dean of Cebuano
Painters."
Martino Abellana
He veered away from the realistic scenery depictions to
a more modernist take on landscape paintings.
Diosdado M. Lorenzo
Born in Paete, Laguna, he transformed his hometown
into simple geometric forms and imbibed it with a
festive vibe,
Manuel Baldemor
An Ilocano artist was inspired by the Amburayan River
to create his surreal landscapes.
Prudencio Lamorraza
as a subject of painting in the Philippines, was rare
before the twentieth century but has since been an
accepted and popular subject in Philippine
contemporary visual arts.
Nude
Nude artists:
Fernando Amorsolo, Romulo Olazo
Nude can be seen in his Lavandera series of paintings.
Fernando Amorsolo
A Batangas-born abstract artist
Romulo Olazo
are paintings whose themes showcase people doing
everyday activities and chores.
●
In the nineteenth century, miniature genre paintings
were very popular as souvenirs for tourists.
Genres
Genre artists:
Mauro Malang Santos, Mario parial
A manila-born artist known for his collection of
fiesta-inspired paintings.
Mauro Malang Santos
An artist from Nueva Ecija who is praised for his colorful
genre paintings that feature his distinct figurative style.
Mario Parial
He illustrates the different social classes and attires
of the different inhabitants of the country at the
time.
Boxer Codex
Sometimes called abstract art are works of art that
depict subjects or objects that have little or no
representation or resemblance found in real life.
●
These artworks may depict objects that are
manipulated and altered beyond its typical portrayal
and use or can be works that have no recognizable
examples in reality.
Nonrepresentational
Nonrespresentational Artists:
Nona Garcia, Geraldine Javier
A Baguio based artist known for her collection of "x-ray"
like paintings that portray indigenous objects, animal
bones, religious artifacts arranged in a mandala like
pattern.
Nona Garcia
and Makati based artist who is known for her
conceptual oil paintings which often are intermixed
with other media
Geraldine Javier
Sculptures are three-dimensional artworks.
●
Sculptures are made by either adding or subtracting
materials. Subtraction is used in carving, while addition
is seen in sculpting techniques like molding, casting,
and welding.
It is used to create and decorate the items used in
one's daily life such as furniture, utensils, shelter, and
transportation.This art form has existed throughout the
history of the Philippines and is still alive in many
cultural hubs in the country such as Paete, Laguna and
Betis, Pampanga.
●
Examples of pre colonial sculptural artworks include the
panolongs of the Torogan, the Maranao Royal house,
the sunduk or the grave markers the Badjao, and the
many interpretations of the Ifugao rice god, the bulu
Wood carving is found throughout the different
regions and communities of the country.
B.Sculptures
the most notable sculpture pieces during the
Spanish colonization,which are sculptural
representations of Christ and the Christian saints.
Many of these religious iconography can be seen in
Spanish colonial churches in the Philippines.
●
Many of these santos are venerated, and grand
religious events are centered around them. This is
especially true with the Black Nazarene in Quiapo, the
Santo Niño in Cebu, and Our Lady of Peñafrancia in
Naga.
Santos
Classification of contemporary Sculpture:
Classical style, Modern style
It follows the aesthetics of the ancient Greeks and
Romans as taught by the European art academies.
●
During the American colonial period, classical
sculptures portrayed prominent people of society and
politics.
Classical style
It is often abstracted and is not as particular about
the realistic portrayal or representation of figures
compared to the classical style.
Modern style
Sculpture artists:
Guillermo Tolentino, Anastacio Caedo, Froilan Madriñan, Napoleon Abueva
A Bulacan native whose sculptural masterpieces
include the Bonifacio Monument and the Oblation in
UP Diliman.
●
Tolentino was a professor at the said university and
mentored other classical style sculptors such as
Anastacio Caedo (1907-1990) and Froilan Madriñan
(1941-2008).
●
One of Guillermo Tolentino's most well-known students
was Napoleon Abueva (1930-2018)
Guillermo Tolentino
Caedo was a Batangeño whose most recognizable
work is the memorial at the MacArthur landing site
in Leyte.
Anastacio Caedo
He was a Paete artist who was a master in wood
carving.
●
He was a great influence to many aspiring artists of
Paete, mentoring contemporary sculptors like Luisito
Froilan Madriñan
Abueva was born in Tagbilaran, Bohol. He is credited to
be the pioneer of modern sculpture in the
Philippines and is sometimes referred to as the "Father
of Modern Sculpture" in the Philippines.
●
Abueva's sculptures often gave a feel of playfulness,
fluidity, and movement. He has worked with various
materials such as stone, metal, and concrete but prefers
wood, particularly molave and narra.
●
His masterpiece Allegorical Harpoon (molave, 1964) is
considered to be one of his best abstract sculptural
works.
Napoleon Abueva
Classification of sculptures:
Free standing sculptures, Reliefs
Different Types of Contemporary Decorative Arts:
Pottery, Burnay, Studio pottery
is the art and craft of making pots and other wares
using clay or mud.
●
Pottery tradition in the country has survived for
centuries. Early pottery artifacts have shown the skills
and artistry of our pottery makers. They made everyday
items such as food containers and water vessels, and
some were created for formal and ritualistic purposes
as burial jars or as figurative mementos.
Pottery
A high- temperature pottery in Vigan, Ilocos Sur, used
as a container for a variety of things like water, salt, wine, etc. These earthenware are heated in giant kilns
that occupy an area as big as half a city block.
Burnay
It is a handmade, one-of-a-kind ceramic that is sought
after by collectors.
●
Studio pottery comes in many forms such as functional
items like cookware and tableware. But many
present-day ceramic artists venture into more
sculptural pieces
Studio Pottery
Studio pottery artist:
Ugu Bigyan
●
A notable artist of studio pottery Tiaong, Quezon.
●
His studio in Quezon is a popular tourist attraction to
those who visit the province. His works of pottery art
pieces are recognized here and abroad.
Ugu Bigyan
It is the art of manipulating and creating objects by
subtracting and shaping solid materials such as
wood and stone.
●
Filipinos are excellent carvers. This is perhaps due to our
long history with art. Many traditional arts and crafts in
the country are products of carving. On the next page
are examples of such time-honored sculptural crafts
that are still seen and made today
Carving
The Ifugao's rice god is represented through carved
wood and is used as a decorative element throughout
their daily wares.
Bulul
Made by the Muslims of Western Mindanao
●
A carved geometric pattern and stylized images of
plants and animals.
●
Popular decorative motifs are the sarimanok and the
naga. These are used as decorations in their houses,
boats, instruments, containers, weapons, and utensils.
Okir
They carve animal sculptures used as ritual objects or
sometimes as decorations for their houses and trinkets
for their children.
Tagbanus of Palawan
Carving Artist:
Reynato "Rey" Paz Contreras
Weaving is the art of interlacing threads or fibers to
create textile, fabric, or other similar products.
Philippine textiles are often made from indigenous
plants such as piña, abaca, maguey, and cotton.
●
Traditional weaving methods can still be seen in the
different towns in the Ilocos Region. Many of the woven
products such as blankets called binakol and pinilian are brought to Manila and abroad and sold as
handicrafts. In the mountain provinces, the ikat process
is being revived.
Weaving
It is a dyeing process that involves resist-dyeing and
dyeing to achieve a desired pattern, after which the
fibers are then woven.
●
The ikat is the same dyeing process used by the tribal
groups of Mindanao like the T'boli, Bagobo, Mandaya,
etc. Their ikats are designed with stylized animal figures
such as birds, lizards, frogs, and humans. The Bagobos
add beads to the woven fabric to increase its beauty.
Ikat
the woven baskets of the Tagbanua tribe in Palawan
with their iconic conical cover.
Basag
Weaving artist:
Raffy Napay
Although he first started as a painter, he changed his
media of expression to thread and fabric after
suffering from a respiratory problem.
●
His works, at first glance, would look simple, but after a
closer inspection, one would be astonished by the
complexity and depth brought upon by the thread and
fabric mimicking the strokes and texture of the paint.
Raffy Napay
Metalwork is the art of creating and manipulating
metal to create various items such as jewelry,
weapons, etc. Based on archaeological records and
recovered artifacts, the Filipinos were skilled
metalworkers. Many amazing pieces of jewelry and
ornaments discovered from different sites prove the
early Filipinos' talent.
Metalwork
They are found in different regions. These are often
considered one's prized possession and are passed
from one generation to another.
Metal ornaments and jewelry
They are the largest manufacturer of brassware in
the Philippines.
●
One of their most popular products is the gador or
decorated brass urns made using the lost-wax
process.
Maranos from Tugaya, Lanao Del Sur
is the method of combining printed images
with other flat media and pasting them on a canvas
or board.
●
This contemporary art method first came about in the
early 1900s as part of the experimentation of the
cubists Picasso and Braque.
●
Collages create a great variety of textures and colors not
found in traditional painting.
Collage
They made use of cutouts of newspaper that were
pasted onto their paintings.
Picasso and Braque
Collage artists:
Dina Gadia, Jonathan Benitez
born in Anda, Pangasinan, uses collages to highlight
focal interest while creating new results.
Dina Gadia
a Palawan-based painter and collage artist born in
Iligan City, Mindanao. He incorporates collages as a
discourse on consumerist aims of advertising and
environmental awareness.
Jonathan Benitez
is a term used by French artist Jean
Dubuffet in 1952 to describe a series of artworks
made from paper collages, wood scraps, and other
found objects.
●
Although it started with small-scale pieces, recent
development in this contemporary art form has
included larger objects and discards. Assemblages
often blur the distinction between painting and
sculpture.
Assemblage
Assemblage artists:
Lao Lianben, Roberto Feleo
He was born in Manila on April 21, 1948. He used
indigenous found materials for his artworks in the
1960s. He placed twigs and small branches on top of
carved wooden panels as commentary on forest
devastation
Lao Lianben
Works called Sapin-sapin show a combination of
different pieces, both found and made, that portray
traditional, historical, iconic, and popular images.
Roberto Feleo
is a sculptural work that is suspended
from the ceiling or a protruding base.
●
It is typically made with a number of balancing rods
dangling at different lengths carrying one or more
elements.
●
This was pioneered by the American artist Alexander
Calder.
●
The mobile is an example of a kinetic sculpture since
it moves due to its interaction with the wind.
Mobile
Mobile artists:
Eduardo Castrillo, Ramon Orlina
bronze sculptor and designer
Eduardo Castrillo
premier glass sculptor
Ramon Orlina
is a mix of visual arts and performing
arts.
●
Its early incarnations were the Happenings of the
Dada movement in 1916.
●
The medium used in performance art is the artist
himself, and the artwork is the acting and movements
of the artist.
●
Music and sound are often incorporated into the
performance.
●
A performance, to be considered performance art,
should be done in front of a live audience. Artists
would often include various disciplines in their art such
as digital art, videos, fashion, etc. Performance art can
be done spontaneously or rehearsed. It can be done
in a simple manner or as a large-scale event.
Performance art
Performance art artists:
David Medalla, Danny C. Sillada
An international Filipino artist whose performance in
Brother of Isidora gained him recognition from other
artists here and abroad.
●
Medalla was born in Manila and has since based himself
in cities such as London, Paris, and New York. Besides
performance art, he also expresses himself in other
forms of visual arts such as painting, sculpture,
installation, and kinetic art
David Medalla
like Medalla, is a multi-talented artist. Born in Davao
Oriental, Sillada is a painter, poet, musician,
installation artist, and performance artist. He
combines music and art in his performance art.
Danny C. Sillada
is a form of contemporary art that
involves the arrangement of objects in a given space.
●
It is associated with conceptual art and the Dada
movement. Installation art is intentionally designed
to be experienced as a temporary work of art.
●
It incorporates different materials that may include
traditional sculptural materials such as wood, metal,
and different objects and technology-based media
such as light, sound, videos, and digital media, among
many others. It can be designed to be very simple or
very complex.
●
Installation art often takes into consideration the
viewers of the art and allows them to move around
the work and immerse themselves within the art,
making the audience and their reactions part of the
artwork.
Installation art
Installation art artists:
Leeroy New, Aze Ong
He hails from General Santos City and uses the
things around him as inspiration for his different artworks that range from fashion, sculpture, and the
other fields of visual arts.
●
One of his installations was geared toward the
awareness and rehabilitation of the Pasig River. It
was entitled Bakawan Floating Island Project, which
he collaborated on with urban designer Julia Nebrija.
Leeroy News
She is known for her trademark crocheted art pieces.
Her art pieces consist of colorful, organic, and fluid
crochet pieces inspired by her stay with the ethnic
group of Talaandigs from Bukidnon.
●
Many of her pieces are interactive and invite the viewers
to touch, play with, and even wear them.
●
Her installations have been exhibited in many
museums in the country such as the Yuchengco
Museum in Makati City where she exhibited an
8.83-meter high crochet installation entitled Liwanag
sa Kawalan ng Kulay and Liwanag at the Cultural
Center of the Philippines
Aze Ong