Prominent Philippine Artists

Fernando Amorsolo (1892-1972)

Labelled the country’s first National Artist in 1972 by then President Marcos, Fernando
Amorsolo is often known as the ‘Grand Old Man of Philippine Art’. The Spanish-trained
realist developed a backlighting technique, where his colorful depictions of local people
reflect the radiance of the Philippine sun. The figures and illuminated landscapes
magically glow on the canvas. Despite his deteriorating health and failing eyesight, he
remained prolific until the end, producing up to 10 paintings a month until his death at
the age of 80. Amorsolo’s creativity defines the nation’s culture and heritage to this day.

José Joya (1931-1995)

A Filipino pioneer of Abstract expressionism, multi-media painter José Joya uses bold
and vibrant colours with a variety of painting techniques, layering, loose impasto strokes
and controlled drips. His harmonious colours are influenced by Philippine landscapes
and tropical wildlife. His mastery lies in gestural paintings, where the paint is applied
spontaneously on canvas, sometimes directly out of the tube or through the use of
broad strokes with brushes. His most notable painting from 1958, called Granadean
Arabesque, is a large scale yellow hued mural that features clusters of sand and
impasto. It can be viewed at the Ateneo Art Gallery in Manila.

Pacita Abad (1946-2004)

Born on the northern island of Batanes, the internationally revered artist first obtained a
degree in Political Science at the University of the Philippines. Her staunch activism
against the Marcos regime in the 1970s, led her to move to San Francisco to initially
study law – but she found her true calling with art. Her paintings consist of vibrant colors
and a constant change of patterns and materials. Earlier work dealt with socio-political
depictions of people, indigenous masks, tropical flowers, and underwater scenes. Pacita
created a unique technique called ‘trapunto’, where she stitches and stuffs her vibrant
canvases with a wide range of materials such as cloth, metal, beads, buttons, shells,
glass and ceramics, to give her work a three-dimensional look. Her many travels across
the globe with her husband have served as an inspiration for the techniques and
materials used in her art. She is noted to have worked on more than 5,000 pieces of art
– her masterwork being Alkaff Bridge, Singapore, a 55-meter bridge covered in over
2,000 colourful circles. It was completed a few months before she passed away from
lung cancer in 2004.

Ang Kiukok (1935-2005)

Born to Chinese immigrants, Ang Kiukok is the pioneer of Philippine modern figurative
expressionism. Rewarded as the country’s National Artist in 2001, he was one of the
most successful commercial figures on the local art scene from the 1960s until his death
from cancer in 2005. Like Amorsolo, his paintings are popular at auctions and have
received exceptionally high bids at Sotheby’s and Christie’s. He is known for his distinct
cubist and surrealist portrayals of the crucifixion of Christ and mother and child.
However, he is acclaimed for his series of Fishermen at Sea, which connects both
energy, faith and the struggle of fishermen under a vibrant crimson sun labouring
together to bring in the haul for the day. His notable works are represented in the
Cultural Center of the Philippines, the National Historical Museum of Taipei and the
National Museum in Singapore.

Benedicto Cabrera (1942-present)

Fondly known as ‘BenCab’ in the Philippines, Cabrera is the best-selling commercial
painter of his generation and a prominent head of the local contemporary art scene. He
studied under José Joya at the University of the Philippines and received his degree in
Fine Arts in 1963. His fruitful career has spanned five decades, where his paintings,
etchings, sketches, and prints have been exhibited across Asia, Europe, and the US.
He currently resides in the chilly northern hill station of Baguio, where he established his
own four-level BenCab Museum on Asin Road that features an eclectic selection of

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indigenous artifacts, personal works, and an overwhelming collection of paintings from
contemporary Filipino artists.
Kidlat Tahimik (1942-present)
A close friend of BenCab and Baguio native is critically acclaimed director Kidlat
Tahimik. Known as the father of Philippine independent film, the government recently
conferred upon him the Order of National Artist for Film in October 2018. Born Eric de
Guia, Kidlat Tahimik means ‘silent lightning’ in Tagalog. Before entering cinema, Kidlat
studied at the prestigious University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, earning a
Masters in Business Administration. His work is associated with Third Cinema, a film
movement that denounces neo-colonialism and the capitalist system. His films have
been prominent at film festivals across America, Europe, and Asia.
He is highly respected among directors Werner Herzog and Francis Ford
Copolla, who were both instrumental in helping him present his most famous semi-
autobiographical work Perfumed Nightmare in 1977. The film combines documentary
and essay techniques that provide a somewhat humorous but sharp critique of the
social divide between the rich and poor in the Philippines.

Eduardo Masferré (1909-1995)

Further north of Baguio, in the mountainous province of Sagada, Eduardo
Masferré was born to a Filipino mother and Spanish soldier. He is regarded as the
Father of Philippine photography. He documented with great detail the everyday lives of
indigenous people of the Cordilleras. The self-taught photographer processed his own
film in a makeshift darkroom and managed to even produce prints without electricity. His
photographs capture the culture of the people in his community and serve as a
documentation of their customary practices and rituals. Masferré’s photographs have
found their way into exhibitions around the world. The Smithsonian Institution carries at
least 120 prints of his works for the National Museum of Natural History in Washington
D.C.He is remembered for his book on the People of the Philippine Cordillera
Photographs 1934-1956, which was published in 1988. A country inn and café in
Sagada is named after him and is worth the visit to see copies of his prints and
purchase souvenirs created in Masferré’s honor.
If landscape photography is your thing, feast your eyes (and lenses) on our new,
bookable Trips – stuffed with dramatic scenery, authentic food and indigenous
experiences. We’d recommend Guatemala, for Volcanoes and colonial cities, or
Morocco, for dreamy desert-scapes.

Napoleon Abueva (1930-2018)

Noted as the Father of Modern Filipino sculpture, Abueva attended the University of the
Philippines with Joya and was mentored by noted sculptor Guillermo Tolentino, at the
College of Fine Arts. Born in Bohol, he is also the youngest National Artist awardee
appointed by then President Marcos, at the age of 46. His expertise was seen in a wide
array of materials such as hard wood, abode, steel, cement, marble, and bronze.
Abueva is adept in traditional representation and modern abstract forms of sculpture. A
trip around the University of the Philippines will show you a number of his works, such
as the University Gateway and Nine Muses near the old faculty centre. He was also
responsible for the relief marble sculptures seen in the war memorial cross in Mt.
Samat, Bataan.
It is the second highest cross in the world and the tallest in Asia. Under the commission
of the Philippine government, Abueva collaborated with designer Lorenzo del Castillo to
create a shrine that commemorates the thousands of Filipino and American soldiers
who lost their lives during the Japanese-led Bataan Death March in 1942. Make sure to
walk up the flight of stairs inside the cross to reach the top, and experience the fabulous
views of Bataan.

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BRIEF HISTORY OF JAPANESE ART
The Japanese art includes a wide range of styles and means of expression,
including ceramics, sculpture, painting and calligraphy on silk and paper, the ukiyo-e
woodblock prints, origami and, more recently, manga along with a myriad of other types
of artwork. It has a long history as much as the culture of the country of the Rising Sun,
which starts from the beginning of human settlements, in about 10,000 BC, to the
present.
Historically, Japan has been subject to sudden invasions of new and alien ideas
(it's appropriate to say, as for its geographical and cultural characteristics the country
has almost always been a "world unto itself") followed by long periods of contacts
minimized with the outside world. Over time the Japanese have developed the ability to
absorb, imitate, and finally assimilate those elements of foreign culture that
complemented their aesthetic preferences.
The first examples of complex art in Japan was produced in the centuries VII and
VIII in connection with Buddhism. In the ninth century, when the Japanese began to free
itself from the cultural influence of China and develop indigenous forms of expression,
the secular arts became increasingly important. Until the end of the fifteenth century,
both religious and secular art had flourished. After the Onin War (1467 - 1477), Japan
entered a period of political disintegration, social and economic, which lasted for over a
century. In the state organization that emerged under the leadership of the Tokugawa
shogunate, organized religion began to play a much less important role in people's lives,
and the arts that survived were primarily of a secular expression.
The painting, practiced by amateur and professional, is the preferred artistic
expression in Japan. Even today, as in ancient times, the Japanese wrote with a brush
rather than a pen, and their familiarity with the use of the brush techniques has made
them particularly sensitive to the aesthetic values of painting. With the rise of popular
culture in the Edo period, the style of ukiyo-e woodblock prints became an important art
form and its techniques were refined to produce colorful prints of practically every topic,
from daily news to the issues of school books. The Japanese have always thought that
the sculpture was a means much less empathetic of artistic expression: the use of
sculpture in Japan has almost always been the prerogative of religion and its use has
waned along with the diminishing importance of traditional Buddhism.
The ceramics, among the best in the world, represent the first known artifacts of
Japanese culture. In architecture, the Japanese have always expressed clearly their
ancestral preference for natural materials and for the harmonic interaction between the
interior and exterior space.

The Influence of Japanese Art to Philippine Art

JAPANESE ERA (1941 – 1945)
Since the Japanese advocated for the culture of East Asia, preference was given
to the indigenous art and traditions of the Philippines. This emphasized their
propaganda in Asia. Under the Japanese occupation of Manila, the Modern Art Project
would slow down in pace. Early moderns and conservatives alike continued to produce
art and even participated in KALIBAPI ( Kapisanan sa Paglilingkod ng Bagong
Pilipinas)sponsored art competitions.
Filipino Poetry during this Japanese Period.
The common theme of most poems during the Japanese occupation was
nationalism, country, love, and life in the barrios, faith, religion and the arts.
Three types of poems emerged during this period.
1. HAIKU - a poem of free verse that Japanese liked. It is made up of seventeen
(17) syllables divided into three (3) lines. The first line has (5) syllables, the second – (7)
syllables and the third – (5) syllables. It is allegorical in meaning, short and covers a
wide scope in meaning.
2. TANAGA - like the haiku, it is short, but has measure and rhyme. Each line
has 17syllables and is also allegorical in meaning. TANAGA ni Ildefonso Santos.
(LIWAYWAY,Oktubre 10, 1943)

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 3. KARANIWANG ANYO (Usual Form) –the usual and common form of poetry.
Genre paintings were the most widely produced, particularly those that presented a
neutral relationship between Filipinos and the Japanese through works that showed the
normality of daily living.

The Purpose of Chinese Art

An important difference between China and many other ancient cultures is that a
large proportion of Chinese artists were not professionals but gentlemen amateurs (and
a few ladies) who were also scholars. Students of Confucius and its sober principles,
they were often men of literature who published poetry. Art was, for them and their
audience, a means to capture and present the philosophical approach to life which they
valued. For this reason, the art they produced is often minimal and without artifice,
perhaps sometimes even a little austere to western eyes. Art, throughout most of
China's history, was meant to express the artist's good character and not merely be an
exposition of his practical artistic skills. Such Confucian principles as propriety or li were
looked for by many of those who produced and consumed art.
In a certain way, art became somewhat standardized with conventions to be
adhered to. Artists were expected to study the great masters, copying their works as
part of their training. One of the most famous and long-lasting sources of advice on
judging art is the six-point list of the 6th century CE art critic and historian Xie. He,
originally published in his now lost Old Record of the Classifications of Painters. When
considering the merits of a painting the viewer should assess the following (with point 1
the most important and essential):
1. Spirit Resonance, which means vitality.
2. Bone Method, which means using the brush.
3. Correspondence to the object, which means depicting the forms.
4. Suitability to type, which has to do with laying on of colour.
5. Division and planning, that is, placing and arranging.
6. Transmission by copying, that is, the copying of models. (Tregear, 94)
Calligraphy
The art of calligraphy - and for the ancient Chinese it certainly was an art - aimed
to demonstrate superior control and skill using brush and ink. Calligraphy established
itself as one of the major Chinese art forms during the Han dynasty (206 BCE - 220
CE), and for two millennia after, all educated men were expected to be proficient at it.
Some women, or at least certain figures at court, did become known as accomplished
calligraphers, most notably Lady Wei (272-349 CE), said to have taught the great
master Wang Xizhi (303-361 CE).
Far more than mere writing, the art used varying thicknesses of brushstroke, their
subtle angles, and their fluid connection to each other - all precisely arranged in
imaginary spaces on the page - to create an aesthetically pleasing whole. A
connoisseurship quickly developed, and calligraphy became one of the six classic and
ancient arts alongside ritual, music, archery, charioteering, and numbers.
The techniques and conventions of writing would influence painting where critics
looked for the artist's forceful use of brushstrokes, their spontaneity, and their variation
to produce the illusion of depth. Another
influence of calligraphy skills on painting was the importance given to
composition and the use of blank space. Finally, calligraphy remained so important that
it even appeared on paintings to describe and explain what the viewer was seeing,
indicate the title (although by no means all paintings were given a title by the original
artist) or record the place it was created and the person it was intended for. Eventually,
such notes and even poems became an integral part of the overall composition and an
inseparable part of the painting itself. There was a fashion, too, for adding more
inscriptions by subsequent owners and collectors, even adding extra portions of silk or
paper to the original piece to accommodate them. From the 7th century CE owners
frequently added their own seal in red ink, for example. Chinese paintings it seems were
meant to be perpetually handled and embellished with fine calligraphy.
Painting

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 Chinese painters painted on various materials in many formats. The most
popular formats were on walls (from c. 1100 BCE), coffins and boxes (from c. 800
BCE), screens (from c. 100 CE), silk scrolls which were designed to be looked at in the
hand or hung on walls (from c. 100 CE for horizontal and from c. 600 CE for vertical),
fixed fans (from c. 1100 CE), book covers (from c. 1100 CE) and folding fans (from c.
1450 CE).
The two most popular themes of Chinese painting were portraits and landscapes.
Portraits in Chinese art began in the Warring States Period (5th-3rd century BCE) and
were traditionally rendered with great restraint, usually because the subject was a great
scholar, monk or court official and so should, by definition, have a good moral character
which should be portrayed with respect by the artist. For this reason, faces are often
seemingly impassive with only the merest hint of emotion or character subtly expressed.
Often the character of the subject is much more clearly expressed in their attitude and
relationship to other people in the picture; this is especially true of portraits of emperors
and Buddhist figures.
There were, however, instances of more realistic portraits and these can be seen
particularly in the wall paintings of tombs. A branch of portraiture was to paint historical
figures in certain instructive scenes from their life which showed the benefits of moral
behaviour. Naturally, there were also paintings of people which had less lofty aims, and
these include the popular scenes of Chinese family life which are usually set in a
garden.

Influence of Chinese Art to Philippine Art

Did you know that the Filipino word lithaw (plough) and the word puthaw (axe) came
from the Chinese words luey-thaw ( 犁 頭 ) and po-thaw ( 斧 頭 ) because it was the
Chinese who taught the Filipinos the new techniques of farming, fruit growing and
vegetable gardening? The early Chinese traders brought to the Philippines a wide range
of technological know-how and cultural elements that became part of the Filipino way of
life.
Below are some of the most important Chinese influences in Philippine culture.
 The art of domesticating carabaos and training them for deep and tidy ploughing
was handed onto Filipinos by Chinese settlers in the early days. Furthermore, the
use of the cast-iron plough which greatly increased food production was also
introduced by the Chinese.
 The process of extracting sugar from sugar cane was introduced by the Chinese
and the early stone presses came from China; the process of refining sugar by
claying was also taught by the Chinese.
 Masonry or building in stone and the use of lime as a binder of stone buildings
was introduced by Chinese artisans shortly after the Spanish conquest. Many of
our famous churches, like San Agustin Church, were largely built by Chinese
hands and many of the famous religious images and sculptures were carved by
Chinese artisans.
 Metal tools (fish hooks, needles, and other artifacts made of metals) were first
brought to the Philippines by the Chinese.
 The art of sophisticated pottery-making, textile weaving and dyeing, carpentry,
smith crafting, soap and candle making were taught by the Chinese.
 Many of the utensils and materials we use for our daily needs have Chinese
names because they came from the Chinese — like bakya, susi, siyanse,
baktaw, bimpo, bilao, bithay, hikaw, tanso, sotsuwa, kusot and many others.
 Food processing techniques that brought us the miki, misua, bihon, tausi, tokwa
and taho and culinary arts that brought us hopya, tikoy, humba, goto, batsoy,
siopao and siomai were acquired from the Chinese.
 Many varieties of vegetables like petsay, kintsay, kuchay, upo, toge, bataw, sitaw
adopt Chinese nomenclature because they were introduced to the Philippines
from China.Other Chinese food products erstwhile unknown in the Philippines but

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 later became popular are dried sea cucumbers, dried shrimps (hebi), swallow’s
nest, dried lily buds (kimchamchuy), arrowhead bulbs, ginger and many others.
 The art of printing is among the most significant contributions of the Chinese to
the Philippines; the first three books ever printed in the Philippines were done by
a Chinese named Keng Yong of Binondo, in 1593.