THE LIFE OF PHILIPPINE ARTISTS

The Order of National Artists (Order ng Pambansang Alagad ng Sining) is the most
elevated national acknowledgment given to Filipino people who have made significant
contributions to the advancement of Philippine arts, specifically : Music, Dance, Theater, Visual
Arts, Literature, Film, Broadcast Arts, and Architecture and Allied Arts. The order is mutually
controlled by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and the Cultural Center of the
Philippines and given by the President of the Philippines upon suggestion by the two
establishments. National Artists are given a Grand Collar symbolizing their status. Compared to
the US National Medal for the Arts and the Order of Culture of Japan, the recipients manifests
the most noteworthy beliefs of humanities and style and perfect articulation of Filipinos as
exemplified by their exceptional works and commitments. As a tribute, here’s an appreciation for
the most famous national artists of the Philippines and his contributions to the development of
Philippine Art.

FERNANDO AMORSOLO (May 30, 1892 – April 24, 1972)

“Grand Old Man of the Philippine Art.”

Although born in Paco Manila, Amorsolo would often spend his childhood in a small
town of Daet Camarines Norte, where his love for simple rural life would become the foundation
for his artistic output for which he is most well-known.

Tragedy struck early in Amorsolo’s life. One night, when Fernando was still very young,
his father was awakened by shouts coming from outside his window. It was the head of the
revolutionary movement fighting against the Spaniards demanding that Amorsolo’s half brother,
the eldest son Perico, join the group. Against his father’s wishes, Perico relented and went down
to join the rebels. The family never saw him again. After the failure of the 1896 uprising,
neighbors told the family that they saw Perico, bound with a bamboo pole strapped to his back,
being taken to jail. He was later executed by the Spaniards. Shattered with grief by the death of
his son, Amorsolo’s father Pedro never recovered from the ordeal and died of a heart attack a
few years later. Amorsolo’s penchant for depicting an idealized world is viewed by his critics as
the work of someone who has never experienced pain in his life. It is apparent that the artist’s
preference was not due to a lack of exposure to the ills of society but to a conscious effort to
hang on to what is pure and good before the harsh realities of the world shattered his peaceful
life in the countryside.

Despite the family’s financial difficulties, in 1914, he finally earned his degree, with
honors, as a member of the first graduating class of the University of the Philippines School of
Fine Arts. After working three years as a commercial artist and part-time instructor at the
university, he studied at the Escuela de San Fernando in Madrid. For seven months he sketched
at the museums and on the streets of Madrid, experimenting with the use of light and color. That
winter he went to New York and discovered the works of the postwar impressionists and cubists,
who became the major influence on his works. On his return to Manila, he set up his own studio.
During this period, Amorsolo developed the use of light—actually, backlight—which is his
greatest contribution to Philippine painting. Characteristically, an Amorsolo painting contains a
glow against which the figures are outlined, and at one point of the canvas there is generally a
burst of light that highlights the smallest detail.

During the 1920s and 1930s Amorsolo's output of paintings was prodigious. In 1939 his
oil Afternoon Meal of the Workers won first prize at the New York World's Fair. During World
War II, Amorsolo continued to paint. The Philippine collector Don Alfonso Ongpin
commissioned him to execute a portrait in absentia of Gen. Douglas MacArthur, which he did at
great personal risk. He also painted Japanese occupation soldiers and self-portraits. His wartime
paintings were exhibited at the Malacanang presidential palace in 1948. After the war Amorsolo
served as director of the college of fine arts of the University of the Philippines, retiring in 1950.
Married twice, he had 13 children, five of whom became painters.

Amorsolo was noted for his portraits. He made oils of all the Philippine presidents,
including the revolutionary leader Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo, and other noted Philippine figures. He
also painted many wartime scenes, including Bataan, Corner of Hell, and One Casualty.

He was awarded as the Philippines’ first National Artist in 1972 by President Ferdinand
Marcos. The Vargas Musuem found inside the campus of his alma mater, the University of the
Philippines, displays a notable selection of his work.

SUBJECTS:

Amorsolo is best known for his illuminated landscapes, which often portrayed
traditional Filipino customs, culture, fiestas and occupations. His pastoral
works presented "an imagined sense of nationhood in counterpoint to American
colonial rule" and were important to the formation of Filipino national
identity.[He was educated in the classical tradition and aimed "to achieve his
Philippine version of the Greek ideal for the human form." In his paintings
of Filipina Women, Amorsolo rejected Western ideals of beauty in favor of
Filipino ideals and was fond of basing the faces of his subjects on members of
his family.
 LA IGOROTA THE PALAY MAIDEN

WOMAN WITH BANGA

Amorsolo was also an incessant sketch artist, often drawing sketches at his home,
at Luneta Park, and in the countryside. He drew the people he saw around him, from farmers to
city-dwellers coping with the Japanese occupation. Amorsolo's impressionistic tendencies, which
may be seen in his paintings as well, were at their height in his sketches. His figures were not
completely finished but were mere "suggestions" of the image.

ROASTING A LECHON USING DRYING CLOTH, 1993, USING INDIA READING A LETTER, 1993, USING
INDIA INK WITH PENCIL ON INK WITH PENCIL ON HEAVY PAPER INDIA INK WITH PENCIL ON HEAVY
HEAVY PAPER 6 7/16 DIAMETER 6 7/16 DIAMETER PAPER 8 ½ AND 7 3/16 INCHES.
 Amorsolo also painted a series of historical paintings on pre-Colonial and Spanish
Colonization events. Amorsolo's Making of the Philippine Flag, in particular, was widely
reproduced. His The First Baptism in the Philippines required numerous detailed sketches and
colored studies of its elements. These diverse elements were meticulously and carefully set by
the artist before being transferred to the final canvas. For his pre-colonial and 16th-century
depiction of the Philippines, Amorsolo referred to the written accounts of Antonio Pigafetta,
other available reading materials, and visual sources He consulted with the Philippine scholars of
the time, H. Pardo de Tavera and Epifanio de los Santos.
Amorsolo also painted oil portraits of Presidents like General Emilio Aguinaldo, and
other prominent individuals such as Don Alfredo Jacób and Doña Pura Garchitorena Toral
of Camarines Sur. He also painted the wedding picture of Don Mariano Garchitorena and Doña
Caridad Pamintuan of Pampanga.
He also did a portrait of American Senator Warren Grant Magnuson (1905–1989), of
the Democratic Party from Washington, whom the Warren G. Magnuson Health Sciences
Building at the University of Washington, and the Warren G. Magnuson Clinical Center at
the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland are named after.

ne Portrait of julieta abad rufino

After the onset of World War II, Amorsolo's typical pastoral scenes were replaced by the
depictions of a war-torn nation. During the Japanese occupation of the Philippines during World
War II, Amorsolo spent his days at his home near the Japanese garrison, where he sketched war
scenes from the house's windows or rooftop.

During the war, he documented the destruction of many landmarks in Manila and the
pain, tragedy and death experienced by Filipino people, with his subjects including "women
mourning their dead husbands, files of people with pushcarts and makeshift bags leaving a dark
burning city tinged with red from fire and blood." Amorsolo frequently portrayed the lives and
 suffering of Filipina women during World War II. Other World War II-era paintings by
Amorsolo include a portrait in absentia of General Douglas MacArthur as well as self-portraits
and paintings of Japanese occupation soldiers. In 1948, Amorsolo's wartime paintings were
exhibited at the Malacañang Presidential Palace.

DEFENSADEHONOR

BATAAN

In the period after the war, the artist resumed his rudely
interrupted career. The next two decades saw the blossoming
of Amorsolo’s art. He went back to painting the bright sun-
drenched countryside scenes for which he was most well-known. He reached the peak of his popularity in
the late 1940’s and 1950’s garnering numerous awards and citations along the way. Amorsolo was
widely recognized as the most influential artist of his time. His supporters consider his portrayals of the
countryside as "the true reflections of the Filipino Soul. The artist was roundly criticized for his machine-
like efficiency. Furthermore, a blossoming modern art movement, who considered Amorsolo the de facto
leader of the classical realist school, saw him as a natural target. He never raised his voice nor took up
the cudgel in his own defense yet he had no shortage of defenders who took up the fight. Among his
staunchest supporters was Guillermo Tolentino, the finest sculptor the country ever produced and
Amorsolo’s best friend. When asked why he did not speak up in his own defense, the artist responded
with a shrug and said that he had already matured as an artist. He had nothing left to prove and was
comfortable painting what he wished in the form of expression that he chose. His customers stood by his
side and demand for his paintings remained high. Amorsolo’s prodigious output was helped in no small
way by the speed with which the artist was able to finish his work. His strokes were so sure and true that
he was able to finish a painting in a significantly shorter period of time. It is believed that the oil
paintings that he produced number into the thousands.

The National Living Treasures Award, alternatively known as the Gawad sa

Manlilikha ng Bayan (GAMABA; Award for the Creators of the Country) is conferred to a
person or group of artists recognized by the Government of the Philippines for their contributions
to the country's intangible cultural heritage. A recipient of the award, known as a National Living
Treasures or Manlilikha ng Bayan is defined as "A Filipino citizen or group of Filipino citizens
engaged in any traditional art uniquely Filipino, whose distinctive skills have reached such a
high level of technical and artistic excellence and have been passed on to and widely practiced
by the present generations in their community with the same degree of technical and artistic
competence. The National Living Treasures Award (Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan) was
institutionalized in 1992 through Republic Act No. 7355. The National Commission for Culture
and the Arts, which is the highest policy-making and coordinating body of the Philippines for
culture and the arts, was tasked with the implementation.[2] This is in line with UNESCO's
criteria of Living National Treasures.

ALONZO SACLAG
(August 14, 1942-Present)
A member of the Kalinga people and a native of Lubuagan, Kalinga province, Saclag
taught himself of his people's traditions in the performing arts. He learned how to play traditional
Kalinga musical instruments and Kalinga ritual dance movements without formal or informal
instruction.
As an effort to revive the dying tradition of playing the gangsa, a type of Kalinga gong.
Saclag lobbied for two years to the provincial government to grant funds to convert the
abandoned Capitol Building into a museum. With support from the provincial government and
other financiers, a branch of the National Museum was established in Labuagan.
Saclag also campaigned for the promotion of Kalinga culture in schools in his community
by engaging in talks with the institutions' administrators. He is instrumental in establishing the
practice of children of wearing traditional Kalinga clothing for important school events as well as
the teaching of Kalinga folk songs in schools. He also lobbied for the broadcast of traditional
Kalinga music along with contemporary music in their local radio station. He also formed the
Kalinga Budong Dance Troupe with the intent of promoting Kalinga dance to a wider audience.
In 2000, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCAA) declared Saclag as
Gawad Manlilikha ng Bayan Awardee (National LiVING Treasure). After receiving the ward, he
continued his advocacy to promote culture. He brought hectares of land in Lubuagan and
transformed it into a village called Awichon. It is a village where one can experience Kalinga’s
rich culture. There are native houses at the village, collection of native instruments such as gong
and bamboo flute. Visitors can also try Kalinga attire and an overnight stay at the village.
Cultural performances are also presented when there are visitors. Saclag will continue to nurture
and bequeath what he has from their elders to future generations.
 the AWICHON
VILLAGE

BAYANIHAN PHILIPPINE NATIONAL FOLKDANCE COMPANY

May 27, 1958 at Expo '58

The Bayanihan Philippine National Folk Dance Company is the oldest dance company in
the Philippines. A multi-awarded company, both nationally and internationally, Guillermo
Gomez Rivera has called it the "depository of almost all Filipino dances, dress and songs."
In 1956, the Bayanihan Folk Dance Group was established by Dr. Helena Z. Benitez in
the Philippine Women's University. It was formally established in 1957 as the Bayanihan
Philippine Dance Company. In the same year, the company worked alongside the Bayanihan
Folk Arts Center in researching and preserving indigenous Philippine art forms in music, dance,
costumes, and folklore, and restructuring and enhancing these art forms to suit the demands of
contemporary theatre. Their research led to their international debut at the Brussels Universal
Exposition in May 27, 1958 and was adjudged best of 13 national dance groups. The Bayanihan
Dance Company was then featured as one of the "Highlights of the Brussels Fair" on The Ed
Sullivan Show that beamed to about 40 million television viewers in the United States. The
following year, the dance company also appeared on the Dinah Shore Show and reached an
audience of 38 million. They were invited by Sol Hurok, the "king of impresarios," for the Sol
Hurok International Festival at New York's Winter Garden Theatre. For eight months, the
Bayanihan Dance Company toured with 187 performers in the United States, Mexico, France,
Belgium, England, Italy, and Israel before an estimated audiences of 232, 300. Their presence in
the United States was further enhanced in their coast-to-coast tour of the country under the
management of Columbia Artists Management (CAMI) in 1961-1962. They performed at the
New York Metropolitan Opera House, and the Seattle World's Fair. Their European tour in the
early 1960s was under the production and management of Claude Giraud. During that time, the
dance company was featured at USA Hanover Industrial Fair in Germany and received first prize
in Theatre des Nations Award in Paris. Aside from live dance theatre performances and TV
appearances, the Bayanihan Dance Company also released filmed documentaries that received
famed recognition. Robert Snyder created a color documentary film in New York, which won
first prize at the Argentina Film Festival.