NAPOLEON V.

ABUEVA

National Artist for Sculpture (1976)

At 46 then, Napoleon V. Abueva, a native of Bohol, was the youngest National Artist
awardee. Considered as the Father of Modern Philippine Sculpture, Abueva has helped
shape the local sculpture scene to what it is now. Being adept in either academic
representational style or modern abstract, he has utilized almost all kinds of materials
from hard wood (molave, acacia, langka wood, ipil, kamagong, palm wood and bamboo)
to adobe, metal, stainless steel, cement, marble, bronze, iron, alabaster, coral and
brass. Among the early innovations Abueva introduced in 1951 was what he referred to
as “buoyant sculpture” — sculpture meant to be appreciated from the surface of a placid
pool. In the 80’s, Abueva put up a one-man show at the Philippine Center, New York.
His works have been installed in different museums here and abroad, such as The
Sculpture at the United Nations headquarters in New York City.
 CARLOS FRANCISCO

National Artist for Painting (1973)

(November 4, 1912 – March 31, 1969)

Carlos “Botong” Francisco, the poet of Angono, single-handedly revived the forgotten
art of mural and remained its most distinguished practitioner for nearly three decades. In
panels such as those that grace the City Hall of Manila, Francisco turned fragments of
the historic past into vivid records of the legendary courage of the ancestors of his race.
He was invariably linked with the “modernist” artists, forming with Victorio C. Edades
and Galo Ocampo what was then known in the local art circles as “The Triumvirate”.
Botong’s unerring eye for composition, the lush tropical sense of color and an abiding
faith in the folk values typified by the townspeople of Angono became the hallmark of
his art.
 LUCRECIA REYES-URTULA
National Artist for Dance (1988)
(June 29, 1929 – August 4, 1999)

Lucrecia Reyes-Urtula, choreographer, dance educator and researcher, spent almost

four decades in the discovery and study of Philippine folk and ethnic dances. She
applied her findings to project a new example of an ethnic dance culture that goes
beyond simple preservation and into creative growth. Over a period of thirty years, she
had choreographed suites of mountain dances, Spanish-influenced dances, Muslim
pageants and festivals, regional variations and dances of the countryside for the
Bayanihan Philippine Dance Company of which she was the dance director. These
dances have all earned critical acclaim and rave reviews from audiences in their world
tours in Americas, Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa.
 ALICE REYES
National Artist for Dance (2014)

The name Alice Reyes has become a significant part of Philippine dance parlance. As
a dancer, choreographer, teacher and director, she has made a lasting impact on the
development and promotion of contemporary dance in the Philippines. Her dance
legacy is evident in the dance companies, teachers, choreographers and the exciting
Filipino modern dance repertoire of our country today.

Reyes’ dance training started at an early age with classical ballet under the tutelage of
Rosalia Merino Santos. She subsequently trained in folk dance under the Bayanihan
Philippine National Dance Company and pursued modern dance and jazz education
and training in the United States. Since then, during a professional dance career that
spanned over two decades, her innovative artistic vision, firm leadership and passion for
dance have made a lasting mark on Philippine dance.
 LEONOR OROSA GOQUINGCO

National Artist for Dance

(July 24, 1917 – July 15, 2005)

Dubbed the “Trailblazer”, “Mother of Philippine Theater Dance” and “Dean of Filipino
Performing Arts Critics”, Leonor Orosa Goquingco, pioneer Filipino choreographer in
balletic folkloric and Asian styles, produced for over 50 years highly original, first-of-a-
kind choreographies, mostly to her own storylines. These include “TREND: Return to
Native,” “In a Javanese Garden,” “Sports,” “VINTA!,” “In a Concentration Camp,”
“The Magic Garden,” “The Clowns,” “Firebird,” “Noli Dance Suite,” “The Flagellant,”
“The Creation…” Seen as her most ambitious work is the dance epic “Filipinescas:
Philippine Life, Legend and Lore.” With it, Orosa brought native folk dance, mirroring
Philippine culture from pagan to modern times, to its highest stage of development.
 FELIPE PADILLA DE LEON

National Artist for Music (1997)

(May 1, 1912 – December 5, 1992)

Felipe Padilla de Leon, composer, conductor, and scholar, Filipinized western music
forms, a feat aspired for by Filipino composers who preceded him.The prodigious body
of De Leon’s musical compositions, notably the sonatas, marches, and concertos have
become the full expression of the sentiments and aspirations of the Filipino in times of
strife and of peace, making him the epitome of a people’s musician. He is the recipient
of various awards and distinctions: Republic Cultural Heritage Award, Doctor of
Humanities from UP, Rizal Pro-Patria Award, Presidential Award of Merit, Patnubay ng
Kalinangan Award, among others.

De Leon’s orchestral music include Mariang Makiling Overture (1939), Roca

Encantada, symphonic legend (1950), Maynila
Overture (1976), Orchesterstuk(1981); choral music like Payapang Daigdig, Ako’y
Pilipino, Lupang Tinubuan, Ama Namin; and songs Bulaklak, Alitaptap, and Mutya
ng Lahi.
 Nestor Vicente Madali Gonzalez,
National Artist for Literature (1997)
(September 8, 1915 – November 28, 1999)

Nestor Vicente Madali Gonzalez, better known as N.V.M. Gonzalez, fictionist,

essayist, poet, and teacher, articulated the Filipino spirit in rural, urban landscapes.
Among the many recognitions, he won the First Commonwealth Literary Contest in
1940, received the Republic Cultural Heritage Award in 1960 and the Gawad CCP Para
sa Sining in 1990. The awards attest to his triumph in appropriating the English
language to express, reflect and shape Philippine culture and Philippine sensibility. He
became U.P.’s International-Writer-In-Residence and a member of the Board of
Advisers of the U.P. Creative Writing Center. In 1987, U.P. conferred on him the Doctor
of Humane Letters, honoris causa, its highest academic recognition.

Major works of N.V.M Gonzalez include the following: The Winds of April, Seven Hills
Away, Children of the Ash-Covered Loam and Other Stories, The Bamboo
Dancers, Look Stranger, on this Island Now, Mindoro and Beyond: Twenty -One
Stories, The Bread of Salt and Other Stories, Work on the Mountain, The Novel of
Justice: Selected Essays 1968-1994, A Grammar of Dreams and Other Stories.
 Ildefonso Paez Santos, Jr.

National Artist for Architecture, 2006

(September 5, 1929 – January 29, 2014)

Ildefonso Paez Santos, Jr., distinguished himself by pioneering the practice of

landscape architecture–an allied field of architecture–in the Philippines and then
producing four decades of exemplary and engaging work that has included hundreds of
parks, plazas, gardens, and a wide range of outdoor settings that have enhanced
contemporary Filipino life.

Santos, Jr., who grew up in Malabon, made his first mark with the Makati Commercial
Center where he introduced a new concept of outdoor shopping with landscaped walks,
fountains and sculptures as accents. Santos, Jr.’s contribution to modern Filipino
landscape architecture was the seminal public landscape in Paco Park.

Santos, Jr.’s most recent projects were the Tagaytay Highland Resort, the Mt.
Malarayat Golf and Country Clubin Lipa, Batangas, and the Orchard Golf and
Country Club in Imus, Cavite.
 CESAR LEGASPI

National Artist for Visual Arts (1990)

(April 2, 1917 – April 7, 1994)

A pioneer “Neo-Realist” of the country, Cesar Legaspi is remembered for his singular
achievement of refining cubism in the Philippine context. Legaspi belonged to the so-
called “Thirteen Moderns” and later, the “Neo-realists”. His distinctive style and daring
themes contributed significantly to the advent and eventual acceptance of modern art in
the Philippines. Legaspi 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.
 JOVITA FUENTES

National Artist for Music (1976)

(February 15, 1895 – August 7, 1978)

Long before Lea Salonga’s break into Broadway, there was already Jovita Fuentes‘
portrayal of Cio-cio san in Giacomo Puccini’s Madame Butterfly at Italy’s Teatro
Municipale di Piacenza. Her performance was hailed as the “most sublime interpretation
of the part”. This is all the more significant because it happened at a time when the
Philippines and its people were scarcely heard of in Europe. Prior to that, she was
teaching at the University of the Philippines Conservatory of Music (1917) before
leaving for Milan in 1924 for further voice studies. After eight months of arduous
training, she made her stage debut at the Piacenza. She later embarked on a string of
music performances in Europe essaying the roles of Liu
Yu in Puccini’s Turandot, Mimi in Puccini’s La Boheme, Iris in Pietro
Mascagni’s Iris, the title role of Salome (which composer Richard Strauss personally
offered to her including the special role of Princess Yang Gui Fe in Li Tai Pe). In
recognition of these achievements, she was given the unprecedented award of
“Embahadora de Filipinas a su Madre Patria” by Spain.
 ANTONIO MOLINA
National Artist for Music (1973)
(December 26, 1894 – January 29, 1980)

Antonio J. Molina, versatile musician, composer, music educator was the last of the
musical triumvirate, two of whom were Nicanor Abelardo and Francisco Santiago, who
elevated music beyond the realm of folk music. At an early age, he took to playing the
violoncello and played it so well it did not take long before he was playing as orchestra
soloist for the Manila Grand Opera House. Molina is credited with introducing such
innovations as the whole tone scale, pentatonic scale, exuberance of dominant ninths
and eleventh cords, and linear counterpoints. As a member of the faculty of the UP
Conservatory, he had taught many of the country’s leading musical personalities and
educators like Lucresia Kasilag and Felipe de Leon.

Molina’s most familiar composition is Hatinggabi, a serenade for solo violin and piano
accompaniment. Other works are (orchestral music) Misa Antoniana Grand Festival
Mass, Ang Batingaw, Kundiman- Kundangan; (chamber music) Hating Gabi, String
Quartet, Kung sa Iyong Gunita, Pandangguhan; (vocal music) Amihan, Awit ni
Maria Clara, Larawan Nitong Pilipinas, among others.
 Francisco Feliciano

National Artist for Music (2014)

Francisco Feliciano’s corpus of creative work attests to the exceptional talent of the
Filipino as an artist. His lifetime conscientiousness in bringing out the “Asianness” in his
music, whether as a composer, conductor, or educator, contributed to bringing the
awareness of people all over the world to view the Asian culture as a rich source of
inspiration and a celebration of our ethnicity, particularly the Philippines. He brought out
the unique sounds of our indigenous music in compositions that have high technical
demands equal to the compositions of masters in the western world. By his numerous
creative outputs, he has elevated the Filipino artistry into one that is highly esteemed by
the people all over the world.
 Bienvenido Lumbera

National Artist of Literature (2006)

Bienvenido Lumbera, is a poet, librettist, and scholar.

*As a poet, he introduced to Tagalog literature what is now known as Bagay poetry, a
landmark aesthetic tendency that has helped to change the vernacular poetic tradition.
He is the author of the following works: Likhang Dila, Likhang Diwa (poems in Filipino
and English), 1993; Balaybay, Mga Tulang Lunot at Manibalang, 2002; Sa Sariling
Bayan, Apat na Dulang May Musika, 2004; “Agunyas sa Hacienda
Luisita,” Pakikiramay, 2004.

As a librettist for the Tales of the Manuvu and Rama Hari, he pioneered the creative
fusion of fine arts and popular imagination. As a scholar, his major books include the
following: Tagalog Poetry, 1570-1898: Tradition and Influences in its Development;
Philippine Literature: A History and Anthology, Revaluation: Essays on Philippine
Literature, Writing the Nation/Pag-akda ng Bansa.
 EDDIE ROMERO

National Artist for Cinema (2003)

(July 7, 1924 – May 28, 2013)

Eddie Romero, is a screenwriter, film director and producer, is the quintessential

Filipino filmmaker whose life is devoted to the art and commerce of cinema spanning
three generations of filmmakers. His film “Ganito Kami Noon…Paano Kayo
Ngayon?,” set at the turn of the century during the revolution against the Spaniards
and, later, the American colonizers, follows a naïve peasant through his leap of faith to
become a member of an imagined community. “Aguila” situates a family’s story against
the backdrop of the country’s history. “Kamakalawa” explores the folkloric of prehistoric
Philippines. “Banta ng Kahapon,” his ‘small’ political film, is set against the turmoil of
the late 1960s, tracing the connection of the underworld to the corrupt halls of politics.
His 13-part series of “Noli Me Tangere” brings the national hero’s polemic novel to a
new generation of viewers.