National Artist in the

Philippines

| Five National Artist in the Phlippines


Guillermo Estrella Tolentino
"Father of Philippine Arts"
(July 24, 1890 – July 12, 1976)
Malolos, Bulacan
Sculptor
Professor of the University of the
Philippines
National Artist of the Philippines
for Sculpture in 1973
Famous works:
Bonifacio Monument
The Oblation
Guillermo Estrella Tolentino
Guillermo Estrella Tolentino (July 24, 1890 – July 12,
1976) was a Filipino sculptor and professor of the
University of the Philippines. He was designated as a
National Artist of the Philippines for Sculpture in 1973,
three years before his death.
Tolentino was born on July 24, 1890 in Malolos,
Bulacan. He was the fourth child in his family and had
seven siblings. Before being interested in sculptures, he
learned how to play the guitar, a skill which he inherited
from his father. The young Tolentino showed an early
talent in sculpting, having been able to mold figures of
horses and dogs out of clay.
Tolentino started studying in Malolos Intermediate
School and continued his high school years in the same
city. After studying in Malolos, Tolentino went to Manila
and attended classes in the School of Fine Arts of the
University of the Philippines.
In 1911, Tolentino made an illustration of prominent
Filipinos posing for a studio portrait. Among those
included were national heroes, revolutionaries, and
politicians.[5] The illustration was lithographed and
published in a weekly magazine called Liwayway under the
name "Grupo de Filipinos Ilustres" and became popular
among homes in the 20th century. Tolentino, a student at
the university when he made the illustration, didn't earn any
money from it but didn't seem to mind about it. Tolentino
graduated in 1915 with a degree in Fine Arts.
Detail of Tolentino's statues of Bonifacio and the
Katipuneros Tolentino, upon returning from Europe in
1925, was appointed as a professor at the University of the
Philippines' School of Fine Arts and opened his studio in
Manila on January 24. Along with thirteen artists,
Tolentino joined a contest in 1930 to design the Bonifacio
Monument. Instead of basing the statues on printed
materials, he interviewed people who participated in the
Philippine Revolution. Bonifacio's figure was based on the
bone structure of Espiridiona Bonifacio, the Supremo's
surviving sister. Down to seven entries, the committee had
its winners by July 29. Tolentino's entry won first place and
was given a cash prize of 3,000 pesos.
In the absence of Fernando Amorsolo, Tolentino
was appointed acting director of the School of Fine Arts
and eventually became its director two years later, on August 4, 1953. Besides monuments,
Tolentino made smaller sculptures, which are now located in the National Museum of Fine Arts
and busts of heroes at the Malacañang Palace.

He also designed the medals of the Ramon Magsaysay Award and the seal of the
Republic of the Philippines.

In 1955, Tolentino retired from service in the University of the Philippines and returned to
private practice. He received various awards and distinctions in his later years, most notably his
declaration as National Artist by Ferdinand Marcos on May 15, 1973. Tolentino died at 8:00 in
the evening on July 12, 1976 at his house in Retiro Street, Quezon City. He was interred at the
Libingan ng mga Bayani, which was part of his privileges as a national artist.

These were the awards given to Guillermo Tolentino:

1959 – UNESCO Cultural Award in Sculpture

1963 – Patnubay ng Sining at Kalinangan Award

1967 – Republic Cultural Heritage Award

1970 – Presidential Medal of Merit

1972 – Diwa ng Lahi Award

1973 – National Artist of the Philippines for Visual Arts in Sculpture

Exhibitions at the National Art Gallery

Guillermo Tolentino's works and memorabilia are mainly housed in Gallery XII or Security
Bank Hall of the National Museum of Fine Arts. This was possible with the collaboration of his
family, Security Bank president Frederick Dy, Judy Araneta-Roxas, Ernesto and Araceli Salas,
and Nestor Jordin.

Works relating to Jose Rizal by Tolentino and other Filipino artists of the 20th century are
displayed at Gallery V of the museum.

Role of Work
Tolentino contribute to nation building through his outstanding work in arts particularly
in sculpture in which he received awards by preserving, developing, and enriching the Filipino
culture. He was conferred various awards for his meritorious services rendered in the
advancement of art in the Philippines.

Ramón Pagayon Santos
(February 25, 1941)
Pasig, Rizal
Composer
Musicologist
Ethnomusicologist
Professor of the University of the
Philippines Diliman
National Artist of the Philippines
for Music in 2014
Famous works:
Klintang
Pal’ok
Daragang Magayon
Abot Tanaw
Ramón Pagayon Santos
He is a National Artist of the Philippines for music,
and University Professor Emeritus of the composition and
theory department the College of Music of the University
of the Philippines Diliman. Santos was made a Chevalier de
l'Ordre des Arts et Lettres in 1987.
Ramon was born on February 25, 1941. He received
his Bachelor of Music Composition and Conducting from
University of the Philippines Conservatory of Music in
1965, his Master of Music with distinction from Indiana
University in 1969, and his Doctor of Philosophy from
State University of New York at Buffalo in 1972.
He was also a student in summer courses in New
Music at Darmstadt in 1974 and in Special Seminars in
Ethnomusicology at the University of Illinois in 1989. He
has studied composition with Hilarion Rubio, Lucio San
Pedro, Thomas Beversdorf, Roque Cordero, Ramon Fuller,
and William Koethe. He has taken contemporary music
courses with Istvan Anhalt and George Perle and has
studied Ethnomusicology with Bruno Nettl. He has also
studied Javanese music and dance with Sundari
Wisnusubroto and Nan Kuan with Lao Hong Kio.
Santos has held the position of Commissioner of the
Sub-committee on the Arts of the National Commission for
Culture and the Arts since 1998, University Professor since
1995, Chairman and Secretary General of the Music
Competitions for Young Artists Foundation from 1989 to
1997.
He also currently holds the positions of Secretary of
the League of Filipino Composers, Member of the ISCM
Advisory Panel on the World’s Musical Cultures, Lecturer
for the Asian Instituts for Liturgy and Music, Member of
the Humanities Division of the National Research Council
of the Philippines. His past positions include Artistic
Director of the Cultural Center of the Philippines,
Chairman of the Asian Composers League (1994-1997),
Dean of UP College of Music (1978-1988), and President
of the National Music Council of the Philippines (1984-
1993).
Among awards he has received are:
1997 – Composer-in Residence of Bellagio Study
Center/Rockefellar Foundation
1998 – Artist-in-Residence, Civitella Ranieri

1994 – Acheivement Award in the Humanities from National Research Council of the Philippines

1998-1989 – Fellowships from the Asian Cultural Council and The Ford Foundation

Chevalier de l’Ordre des Artes et Lettres, French Government

Role of Work
Ramon Pagayon Santos is currently the country’s foremost exponent of contemporary Filipino
music. He has contributed greatly to the pursuit for new directions in music, taking as basis non-Western
traditions in the Philippines and Southeast Asia. His ethnomusicological orientation has richly enhanced
his compositional outlook. Embedded in the works of this period are the people-specific concepts central
to the ethnomusicological discipline, the translation of indigenous musical systems into modern musical
discourse, and the matrimonial of Western and non-Western sound.

José María V. Zaragoza
(December 6, 1912 – 1994)
Manila, Metro Manila
Architecture
BS Architecture at the University
of Santo Tomas
National Artist of the Philippines
for Architecture in 2014
Major works:
Santo Domingo Church
Meralco Building
Casino Español de Manila
Metropolitan Cathedral of Cebu
City
José María V. Zaragoza
José María V. Zaragoza’s place in Philippine
architecture history is defined by a significant body of
modern edifices that address spiritual and secular
requirements. Zaragoza’s name is synonymous to modern
ecclesiastical architecture.
 Notwithstanding his affinity to liturgical
structures, he greatly excelled in secular works: 36 office
buildings, 4 hotels, 2, hospitals, 5 low-cost and middle-
income housing projects; and more than 270 residences –
all demonstrating his typological versatility and his mastery
of modernist architectural vocabulary.
Zaragoza graduated from the University of Santo
Tomas in Manila in 1936, passing the licensure
examinations in 1938 to become the 82nd architect of the
Philippines. With growing interest in specializing in
religious architecture, Zaragoza also studied at
International Institute of Liturgical Art (IILA) in Rome in
the late 1950s, where he obtained a diploma in liturgical art
and architecture.
His training in Rome resulted in innovative
approaches, setting new standards for the design of mid-
century Catholic churches in the Philippines. His
prolificacy in designing religious edifices was reflected in
his body of work that was predominated by about 45
churches and religious centers, including the Santo
Domingo Church, Our Lady of Rosary in Tala, Don Bosco
Church, the Convent of the Pink Sisters, the San Beda
Convent, Villa San Miguel, Pius XII Center, the Union
Church, and the controversial restoration of the Quiapo
Church, among others.
Role of Work
Zaragoza is a pillar of modern architecture in the
Philippines strengthened by a half-century career that
produced religious constructions and structures of
modernity in the service of God and humanity. He played a
key role in the reconstruction of postwar Philippines,
helping reshape the landscape of Manila ravaged by the
Second World War through his striking structures that
melded modernism and Philippine motifs and styles.

Carlos Modesto Villaluz
"Botong" Francisco
“Higante ng Angono”
(November 4, 1912 – March 31,
1969)
Angono, Rizal
Muralist
Filipino modernists
National Artist of the Philippines
for Visual Arts in 1973
(Posthumous conferment)
Famous works:
First Mass in the Philippines
Cry of Balintawak
The Progress of Medicine in the
Philippines
Carlos Modesto Villaluz
"Botong" Francisco
Francisco was a most distinguished practitioner of
mural painting for many decades and best known for his
historical pieces. He was one of the first Filipino
modernists along with Galo Ocampo and Victorio C.
Edades who broke away from Fernando Amorsolo's
romanticism of Philippine scenes. According to restorer
Helmuth Josef Zotter, Francisco's art "is a prime example
of linear painting where lines and contours appear like
cutouts. He was responsible for the discovery of the now
famous Angono Petroglyphs in 1965. He was also involved
in Costume Design in Philippine cinema.
Carlos was not just a mural painter but he is also a
scriptwriter – of Genghis Khan, Putol na Kampilan and
Tatlong Labuyo, and designed costumes for different films
such as Romeo at Julieta, Prinsipe Tenoso, Ibong Adarna,
Siete Infantes de Lara and Juan Tamad series.
His great works include portrayals of the Blood
Compact, First Mass at Limasawa, The Martyrdom of
Rizal, Bayanihan, Magpupukot, Fiesta, Bayanihan sa
Bukid, Sandugo, Portrait of Purita, The Invasion of
Limahong, Serenade, and Muslim Betrothal. Some of his
murals have suffered big damage over the years. The
"Pageant of Commerce" emerged from several years of
restoration in 2000.
His murals, The Progress of Medicine in the
Philippines, was restored for the 3rd time in 2007 and is
currently residing in the National Art Gallery of the
Philippines. A high-quality replica of the mural is also
located at its previous location at the lobby of the
Philippine General Hospital. he did not finish his degree
and was forced to work. Later on before the war, he
became a professor at the University Of Santo Tomas
School Of Architecture and Fine Arts.
Botong died at the age of 57 on March 31, 1969,
because of haemorrhage from a lung lesion. Thus, on June
12, 1973, he was conceded as the National Artist. And after
he died,
Role of Work
He was best known for his works which evidently
depicted some of the country impactful historical moments.
His pieces evoke a feel of our culture and tradition with
vibrant colors and hues that capture his audience.

Leonor Orosa-Goquingco
“The Mother of Philippine
Theater Dance”
“Trailblazer”
“Dean of Filipino Performing
Arts Critics”
(July 24, 1917 – July 15, 2005)
Jolo, Sulu
Choreographer
Honorary Chair of the Association
of Ballet Academies of the
Philippines (ABAP)
National Artist of the Philippines
for Dance in 1976
Famous works:
TREND: Return to Native
In a Javanese Garden
Filipinescas: Philippine Life,
Legend and Lore
Leonor Orosa-Goquingco
Leonor Orosa-Goquingco (July 24, 1917 – July 15,
2005) was a Filipino national artist in creative dance.[1]
She played the piano, drew art, designed scenery and
costumes, sculpted, acted, directed, danced and
choreographed. Her pen name was Cristina Luna and she
was known as Trailblazer, Mother of Philippine Theater
Dance and Dean of Filipino Performing Arts Critics. She
died on July 15, 2005 of cardiac arrest following a cerebro-
vascular accident at the age of 8
In 1939, Leonor Orosa-Goquingco was the only dancer
sent on the first cultural mission to Japan, at the age of 19.
She produced Circling the Globe (1939) and Dance
Panorama in the same year. She created The Elements in
1940, the first ballet choreographed by a Filipino to
commissioned music. She also created Sports during the
same year, featuring cheerleaders, a tennis match and a
basketball game. The first Philippine folkloric ballet,
Trend: Return to the Native, was choreographed by
Goquingco in 1941. After the Second World War, she
organized the Philippine Ballet and brought the famous
Filipino novel, Noli Me Tángere, to life. The Noli Dance
Suite consisted of several dances. Maria Clara and the
Leper, Salome and Elias, Sisa, Asalto for Maria Clara and
The Gossips are some of the dances found in the Noli
Dance Suite.
Leonor Orosa-Goquingco also danced during her early
years. She danced at the American Museum of Natural
History, Theresa Kaufmann Auditorium, The International
House and Rockefeller Plaza, just to name a few. She
appeared in War Dance and Planting Rice. Other works she
choreographed were "Circling the Globe", "Dance
Panorama", "Current events", "Vinta!", "Morolandia",
"Festival in Maguindanao", "Eons Ago: The Creation",
"Filipinescas: Philippine Life, Legend, and Lore in Dance",
"Miner's Song", "The Bird and the Planters", "Tribal",
"Ang Antipos" (The Flagellant), "Salubong", "Pabasa"
(Reading of the Pasyon) and "Easter Sunday Fiesta".
She founded the Filipinescas Dance Company in 1958,
and took it on a world tour in 1961, 1962, 1964, 1966, 1968
and 1970.
She was also a writer, and her articles were
published in Dance Magazine (New York City),
Enciclopedia Della Spettacolo (Rome), Grove's Dictionary
of Music and Musicians (London), Arts of Asia (Hong Kong) and the Philippine Cultural
Foundation. She wrote Dances of the Emerald Isles and Filipinescas: Philippine Life, Legend
and Lore in Dance.

Leonor Orosa-Goquingco also wrote a poem on the Japanese occupation, Lifted the Smoke
of Battle. She is famous for her one-act play, Her Son, Jose Rizal which is set during the time
Rizal was imprisoned and awaiting his execution. It reveals the emotions going through Rizal's
mother at that time and the similarities between Rizal's life and that of Jesus Christ.

Goquinco was also a critic who wrote reviews. She critiqued works like Tony Perez'
Oktubre, Ligaya Amilbangsa's Stillness and Tanghalang Pilipino's Aguinaldo: 1898.

Awards:

1969 and 1964 – Patnubay ng Sining at Kalinangan Award

1962 – Rizal Centennial Award

1964 – Republic Cultural Heritage Award

1970 – Presidential Award of Merit

1975 – Tandang Sora Award and the Columbia University Alumni Association Award

National Artist for Dance on March 27, 1976

She was an Honorary Chairman of the Association of Ballet Academies of the Philippines,
the founding member of the Philippine Ballet Theatre (PBT) and was known as a Zontian and a
performing arts critic and columnist of the Manila Bulletin.

Role of Work
Leonor Orosa-Goquing was a 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. She became a remarkable person in field of creative dance by her
choreographed dance in which contributes to the Philippine art dances, as well as her beautiful
major works that impact to the meadow of Filipine culture.