ART MOVEMENTS

IN THE PHILIPPINES
 art movements
are the collective titles that are
given to artworks which share the
same artistic ideals, style, technical
approach or timeframe
 realism
an imitation of
reality; art closely
resembles the
subject

1978
Nestor Leynes
Oil on wood
Untitled 61 x 46 cm
 social realism
a depiction of
society’s issues; used
as a weapon to
fight the social
power structure

2009
Pablo Baen Santos
Oil on canvas
PORK Eating Cong 63.5 x 50.8 cm
 surrealism
unlocks the power
of imagination;
highly influenced by
Sigmund Freud’s
psychoanalysis

2014
Andres Barrioquinto
Oil on canvas
Modern Love 213 x 213 cm
 modern
experimental,
unconventional;
rejects traditional
styles and values

Victorio Edades, The Interaction

Galo Ocampo, 1935
Botong Francisco Oil on canvas
 impressionism
aims to capture the
momentary, sensory
effect of a scene – the
impressions make from a
distance – through loose
brush strokes and
intense colors

1929
Fernando Amorsolo
Oil on board
El Ciego 73.5 x 58.5 cm
 cubism
abandons
perspective and
realistic modeling of
figures; open forms,
blending background
and foreground

1973
Vicente Manansala
Oil on canvas
Kahig 84 x 100 cm
 fauvism
color could project a
mood and establish a
structure within the
work of art without
having to be true to
the natural world

J. Elizalde Navarro 1972

Horseman of the Acrylic on paper
Apocalypse 51 x 66 cm
 abstract
uses shapes and
forms which have
no source in visual
reality

Federico Aguilar 1964

Alcuaz Oil on canvas
Barcelona 91 x 117 cm
expressionism
gestures are meant
to convey the
emotional state of
the artist

1964
Jose T. Joya
Oil on canvas
Hills of Nikko 172.7 x 198 cm
ORDER OF NATIONAL ARTISTS
Visual Arts
Fernando Amorsolo Carlos “Botong” Francisco Guillermo E. Tolentino Napoleon V. Abueva

Hernando R. Ocampo Cesar Legaspi Vicente Manansala Victorio C. Edades

 Arturo Luz J Elizalde Navarro Ang Kiukok Jose T. Joya

Larry Alcala Francisco Coching Federico Aguilar Alcuaz Abdulmari Asia Imao Benedicto Cabrera
Fernando Amorsolo
May 30, 1892 – April 24, 1972
“Grand Old Man of Philippine Art”
Realism, Impressionism
NA in 1972

• UP School of Fine Arts, graduated with

medals
• Paints mostly Filipino portraits &
landscapes Famous Works:
Planting Rice, Maidens by a Stream,
• Rejected Western ideals of beauty in Defence of a Filipina Woman’s
Honour, Girl with a Banga
favor of Filipino ideals
 “[The women I paint should have] a rounded face, not
of the oval type often presented to us in newspapers
and magazine illustrations. The eyes should be
exceptionally lively, not the dreamy, sleepy type that
characterizes the Mongolian. The nose should be of the
blunt form but firm and strongly marked. ... So the ideal
Filipina beauty should not necessarily be white
complexioned, nor of the dark brown color of the typical
Malayan, but of the clear skin or fresh colored type
which we often witness when we meet a blushing girl.”
Maidens by a Stream Planting Rice Near Mayon
(1961) (1929)
Oil on canvas Oil on canvas
86.5 x 60.5 cm. 66 x 97 cm.
Untitled (1942) Girl with a Banga (1928)
Oil on canvas Oil on canvas
36 x 46cm. 40.5 x 32.5cm.
 Carlos “Botong”
Francisco
November 4, 1912 – March 31, 1969
Modern, Social Realism, Historical
NA in 1973

• Rizal High School alumnus

• Single-handedly revived the dying art of
murals in the country
• The most distinguished muralist, known
for historical pieces
Famous Works:
The Progress of Medicine in the
Philippines, The Martyrdom of Rizal,
First Mass in the Philippines,
Camote Diggers
The Progress of Medicine in the
Philippines (1953)
Oil
2.92 x 2.76 m
First Mass in the Philippines
Oil on canvas
Camote Diggers (1969)
Oil on canvas
Guillermo Tolentino
July 24, 1890 – July 12, 1976
“Father of Philippine Arts”
Realism
NA in 1973

• UP School of Fine Arts

• Known for sculptures and busts of prominent Famous Works:
Filipino figures and events UP Oblation, Bonifacio Monument,
Diwata, Seal of the Republic
of the Philippines
Bonifacio Monument (1929-1933)
Located in Bulacan
45 ft.
 University of the Philippines Oblation (original)
Located in the UPD Main Library

In barricades embattled, fighting in delirium,

Others give you their lives without doubts, without

gloom.

The site nought matters: cypress, laurel or lily:

Gibbet or open field: combat or cruel martyrdom

Are equal if demanded by country and home.

“The completely nude figure of a young man with
outstretched arms and open hands, with tilted
head, closed eyes and parted lips murmuring a
prayer, with breast forward in the act of offering
himself, is my interpretation of that sublime stanza.
It symbolizes all the unknown heroes who fell
during the night. The statue stands on a rustic
base, a stylized rugged shape of the Philippine
archipelago, lined with big and small hard rocks,
each of which represents an island.”
 Diwata
Located in the National Museum
Napoleon Abueva
January 26, 1930 – February 16, 2018
“Father of Modern Philippine Sculpture”
Modern
NA in 1976

• UP School of Fine Arts

• The youngest to be named as National Famous Works:
Artist at age 46 Kiss of Judas, The Transfiguration,
Sunburst, Nine Muses, UP Chapel of
the Holy Sacrifice crucifix
“What counts more in life is the end result…
Artists are judged by the end result. Theory is
important but concepts must be executed
very well for any theory to be realized. The
artist must possess the inner drive, passion,
and ‘loneliness’ of a long-distance runner to
go very far.”
 Kiss of Judas
Nine Muses of the Arts
Granite
UP Diliman
Metropolitan Museum of Manila
 Crucifix
Parish of the Holy Sacrifice,
UP Diliman
 The Transfiguration
Eternal Gardens Cemetery,
Cabanatuan City
 Sunburst
The Peninsula Manila
UP Los Baños Oblation
Located in Laguna
 Victorio Edades
December 23, 1895 – March 7, 1985
“Father of Modern Philippine Painting”
Modern, Social Realism
NA in 1976

• University of Washington BS Architecture and

Master of Fine Arts in Painting
• Introduced Modern Art to the country to
deviate from traditional, Amorsolo-esque Famous Works:
The Sketch, Mora Girl,
works Self-Portrait, The Builders,
The Builders (1928)
Oil on wood
121 x 322 cm.
The Sketch (1928)
Oil on canvas
96 x 117 cm.
 Mora Girl
(1950)
Oil on canvas
97.5 x 75.5 cm.

Self-Portrait
(1928)
Oil on canvas
97.5 x 75.5 cm.
Vicente Manansala
January 22, 1910 – August 22, 1981
Modern, Cubism
NA in 1981

• UP School of Fine Arts, Beaux-Arts Canada

and France (scholarship grant)
• Known for cubist paintings and prints that Famous Works:
depict contemporary Filipino life Madonna of the Slums,
Crucifixion, Market Scene,
• Transparent cubism The Musicians
Madonna of the
Slums (1950)
Oil on canvas

Crucifixion (1980)
Oil on canvas
155 x 109 cm.
Market Scene (1975) The Musicians (1973)
Oil on canvas Oil on canvas
 Cesar Legaspi
April 2, 1917 – April 7, 1994
“The Pioneer Neo-Realist”
Modern, Cubism
NA in 1990

• Famous for Neo-Realism works, later known

as Cubism
• Had difficulties in seeing red and green
• Depicted anguish and dehumanization of Famous Works:
Bayanihan, Gadgets,
beggars and laborers Three Nudes, Tree Planting
 Bayanihan (1974)
Oil on acrylic primed chanson paper
mounted on wood
103 x 206 cm
Gadgets I (1949)
Oil on canvas

Three Nudes (1979)

Oil on wood
122 x 76 cm.
Tree Planting (1949)
Oil on canvas
60.8 x 91.1 cm.
Hernando Ocampo
April 28, 1911 – December 28, 1978
Modern, Abstract, Fauvism
NA in 1991

Credited for inventing a new mode of

abstraction using movement and colors Famous Works:
Mother and Child, Ulo at Buto
ng Isda, Three Dancers,
Fertile Valley
Mother and Child (n.d.) Ulo at Buntot ng Isda
Oil on canvas (1951)
71.12 x 61 cm Oil on Masonite board
Dancers (1974) Fertile Valley (1972)
Oil on canvas Oil on canvas
122.5 x 163 cm 122 x 91 cm.
Fernando Amorsolo Carlos “Botong” Francisco Guillermo E. Tolentino Napoleon V. Abueva

Hernando R. Ocampo Cesar Legaspi Vicente Manansala Victorio C. Edades

Fernando Amorsolo Carlos “Botong” Francisco Guillermo E. Tolentino Napoleon V. Abueva

Hernando R. Ocampo Cesar Legaspi Vicente Manansala Victorio C. Edades

 Arturo Luz J Elizalde Navarro Ang Kiukok Jose T. Joya

Federico Aguilar
Larry Alcala Francisco Coching Abdulmari Asia Imao Benedicto Cabrera
Alcuaz
 Arturo Luz
November 20, 1926
Modern, Abstract
NA in 1997

• Playful geometric figures and forms of

abstraction
• Founding director of the Metropolitan Famous Works:
Performing Quintet, Bagong
Museum of Manila Taon, Three Men on a Wheel,
Musician
Carnival Forms (1993) Troubadour Red
Acrylic on handmade No. 1 (2004)
paper Acrylic on canvas
41 x 51 cm 122 x 91 cm.
Performers (1990)
Silver
34 x 22 x 28 cm.

Untitled (n.d.)
wood
82 cm.
J. Elizalde Navarro
May 22, 1924 – June 10, 1999
Modern, Expressionism
NA in 1999

• Inspired by different Philippine ethnic culture

and Balinese culture
• Used bright colors along with expressionistic Famous Works:
A Maguindanao Folk Dance,
brush strokes Kecak Dance, The Ilongot War
Dance, Incoherencies of Language
 A Maguindanao Incoherencies of
Folk Dance (1994) Language (1993)
Oil on canvas Oil on canvas
119 x 91 cm 110.5 x 138.43 cm.
Kecak Dance
(1997)
Oil on canvas
150 x 122 cm.

The Ilongot War

Dance (1994)
Oil on canvas
136 x 97.8 cm.
 Ang Kiukok
March 1, 1931 – May 9, 2005
Modern, Cubism
NA in 1999

• One of the pioneers of Modern Art

• Studied under Vicente Manansala
• Combined Cubism, Expressionism, and Famous Works:
Man on Fire, Fishermen,
Surrealism into his own unique aesthetic Thinking Man, Crucifixion,
Scream
Fishermen (1981)
Oil on canvas
102 x 202 cm
Crucifixion (1983)
Oil on canvas
76 x 51 cm.

Thinking Man
(1977)
Oil on canvas
115 x 89 cm.
Man on Fire (1983)
Oil on canvas
76 x 51 cm.

Scream (1984)
Oil on canvas
115 x 89 cm.
 Jose Joya
June 3, 1931 – May 11, 1995
Abstract Expressionism
NA in 2003

• Spearheaded the birth, growth and

flowering of abstract expressionism
• The use of colors are inspired by the hues of Famous Works:
Philippine landscapes Morning Flight, Paper Moon,
Bird Songs, Naiad,
Morning Flight (1982) Bird Song (1984)
Collage Acrylic collage
53 x 33 cm 38 x 56 cm.
Coast of Cavite (1992)
Naiad (1964)
Acrylic on canvas
Oil on panel
120 x 90 cm
Benedicto Cabrera
April 10, 1942
Expressionism
NA in 2006

• Works are mostly women and drapery done

with expressionistic brush strokes Famous Works:
• Most works are entitled “Sabel” Sabel, Japanese Sabel,
My Sad Republic,
Dance Interpretation
Sabel (2003)
Acrylic on
canvas
102 x 76 cm.

My Sad
Republic
(2011)
Ink and
acrylic on
handmade
paper
73 x 52.7 cm.
Dance Interpretation (2007)
Acrylic on canvas
 Japanese
Sabel (1981)
Print
48.5 x 38.5 cm.

Sabel (2002)
Acrylic on
canvas
73 x 52.7 cm.
 “He observed and sketched from his window in
Bambang when he saw a bag lady/
madwoman/scavenger named Sabel. To him
she is a symbol of dislocation, despair & isolation
– the personification of human dignity
threatened by circumstances. Undergoing
numerous transformations over the coming
years, she becomes a landmark for every
stylistic painting transition.”
Abdulmari Asia Imao
January 14, 1936 – December 16, 2014
Modern, Fauvism
NA in 2006

• A patron of Philippine Muslim art and culture

• First Filipino Muslim to receive the award
• Combined his Tausug traditions and Islamic Famous Works:
motifs with Modern Art Sarimanok, Muslims
in the Philippines
 Federico Aguilar
Alcuaz
June 6, 1932 – February 2, 2011
Abstract Cubism
NA in 2009

• Pioneer of Abstract Cubism

• Recognized internationally (Scholarship
grants from the Spanish gov’t; Diploma of
Honor and Order of French Genius from
France)
Famous Works:
Cubist Forms; Lemons, Pears, Still Life,
and Landscape; Blue, Black, and
White; Red, Green, Black, Brown
Cubist Forms (1985) Lemons, Pears, Still Life, and
Oil on canvas Landscape (1973)
Blue, Black, and Red, Green, Black,
White (1982) Brown (1979)
Oil on canvas Oil on canvas
Francisco Coching
January 29, 1919 – September 1, 1998
“King of Komiks”
“Dean of Filipino Illustrators”
Modern (Comics)
NA in 2014

• One of the “Pillars of the Philippine Komiks

Industry”
• Synthesized images and stories about Famous Works:
Philippine folk and pop culture Pedro Penduko, Bing Bigotilyo,
Hagibis, El Indio, Silahis
 Larry Alcala
August 18, 1926 – June 24, 2002
“Dean of Filipino Cartoonists”
Modern (Comics and Cartoons)
NA in 2018

• Pioneered animated cartoon commercials

• Made over 500 cartoon characters, twenty
comic strips, six movies, two murals, and Famous Works:
15,000 published pages in his 56 years of Mang Ambo, Slice of Life (series of
komiks), Kalabog en Bosyo,
professional cartooning career Asiong Aksaya
Fernando Amorsolo Carlos “Botong” Francisco Guillermo E. Tolentino Napoleon V. Abueva

Hernando R. Ocampo Cesar Legaspi Vicente Manansala Victorio C. Edades

 Arturo Luz J Elizalde Navarro Ang Kiukok Jose T. Joya

Larry Alcala Francisco Coching Federico Aguilar Alcuaz Abdulmari Asia Imao Benedicto Cabrera