Group 5 1

Group 4

Professor Ma. Macrose G. Pascual

GEC 6

18 March 2019

Arts, Life & Culture

Arts have been making us live our life with value and appreciation. It has tremendously

affected our way of living, our culture. Arts have set a standard that is relative among different

kinds of people. As we go for a tour inside the country’s premiere university, we have inherited a

part of us that will define how we view certain things.

MAJOR ARTWORKS

It was a day of Appreciation when our group went on a tour at University of the Philippines –

Diliman. We have seen many artworks all around the campus, and by artworks, it means

paintings, architectures and sculptures.

Filipinas in Bondage by Guillermo Tolentino. It was dark brown bonze figure of a naked woman

sitting on a stone and string was tied up to her whole body and her hands were on her back seems

like she was imprisoned. The facial expression of the woman on the sculpture speaks what the

artist want to say. It symbolized continuous physical and mental imprisonment of our country

during American colonial period.

Sundials. The Sundial is one of the earliest devices used for measuring time by the position of

the sun or its sunlight and also based on the earth’s movement. There is one sundial located

along G. Apacible Street. It features concrete sculpture with painting of numbers that depict

time. There is also one sundial located along Roces St. which is the Centennial Sundial, a gift of

Tau Alpha to UP College of Engineering.

Rajah Sulayman by Anastacio Caedo. This sculpture was finished in 1987. The style used by

Caedo is classical realist. Anastacio Caedo used the classical realist style because of the

influence of his teacher, Guillermo Tolentino. Dignity and authority was highlighted. Caedo also

create the powerful and detailed facial expression as well as in Rajah’s clothing. Caedo achieved
 Group 5 2

the detailed parts of Rajah’s sculpture using the cire perdue or lost wax technique. The statue of

Rajah Sulayman is located infront of Vargas Museum.

Ina ng Lahi by Antonio Dumlao. The clouds in the painting is a very interesting caveat, it can be

found on several Asian landscape paintings like Japan and China. It represents the Philippines'

history of colonialization and its connection to the world. The Virgin Mary represented the

colonialization of the Spaniards and the introduction of Catholicism to the Filipino People. The

Rooster and the Carabao represented the pre-Hispanic era and the current culture of the Filipino

People, hardworking and values the agricultural sector. Also, the Baybayin represented the pre-

Hispanic Filipinos as well. This painting represented the Cultural Diversity that entered our

country in the past, this is why the Philippines is beautiful: a country that was forged by many

other countries, but the downside is, we're not really liberated from the colonists. We're still

under influence by Catholicism, we're still using and eating food, clothing and other things that

were brought to us by the Chinese, the Japanese, and even the Spaniards. They reflect on what

the world see us Filipinos today, we may have a dark past but our Culture, and the Camaraderie

of other cultures, made us Filipinos, Filipinos.

Artefact X by Cian Dayrit. As the eye can perceive, the sculpture resembles two chicken feet.

The sculpture was highly detailed and instantaneously gives the audience an eerie ambiance.

Though the feet resembles stability and progression to some, it seems quite interesting because

we question ourselves as we see the sculpture: who does the feet stand for? As we've perceived,

the sculpture gives us the element of mystery. We can say that this artifact of the yesterday is

clearly a sign that the mysteries of the past can intensify the minds of the future, as the future

sees the past.

Untitled Sculpture by Abdulmari Imao. The abstact sculpture initiates wonder as it was seen by

the eye, we can see a cresent with a star, a figure shaped like a 9, and a boat riding the waves.

The sculpture, which is definitely weird for the common folk, can be interpreted as a tribute to

our islamic brothers and sisters in the south of the Philippines. We can see this sculpture as a

form of tribute, a token of gratitude and an offering of honor to the people that we see as enemies

of the Catholics but we consider as brothers and sisters of our mother Country.
 Group 5 3

Filipinas in Bondage by Guillermo Three Women Sewing the Filipino Flag UPLift by Ferdinand Cacnio features a
Tolentino depicts a woman chained by Napoleon Abueva features an in the brass-made floating woman that
and unfree. This work shows round sculpture in honor to three signifies acceptance of knowledge and
oppression and lack of freedom. women who sewed the flag. values of UP as an institution.

Centennial Sundial is a gift of Tau Alpha Siyam na Diwata ng Sining by Artefact X by Cian Dayrit is a concrete
to College of Engineering for UP’s 100 Abueva features 9 figurines sculpture that shows two feet of chicken. This
years. doing different kinds of arts. is located outside Vargas Museum.

This is the painted Sundial located along Untitled Sculpture by Abdulmari T’nalak Weaved Cloth by Sammy Buhle.
G. Apacible Street. This sundial is made Imao, a metallic sculpture that is This is part of the Visualizing Sounds part
by UP engineers from 1978. made to honor Islam. of the Vargas Museum.

Ina ng Lahi by Antonio
Dumlao is a religious
painting that signifies the
post-colonized status of
Philippines after
Japanese occupation.
The Family by Renato
Rocha is a concrete relief
sculpture that symbolizes
Family. This is located in
the Sculpture Garden
behind Vargas Museum.
Rajah Sulayman is a
concrete cast with metal
and wood support work
by Anastacio Caedo. This
shows the authoritarian
figure of Rajah.
Adam and Eve. This white
sculpture features a
couple in their naked form
standing. This is the ideal
appearance of human
being as created by God.