THE PHILIPPINE CONTEMPORARY ARTS

The scope of contemporary arts is broad, as there are over 100 art styles and movements under its category. The artist
experiments with medium and form to make a statement. Collaborative and interactive practices are gaining popularity. Although some
artworks are intended to be sold, there are those that are sold online. These are some of the changes that have taken place after World
War II, the time contemporary art was born.
To illustrate the characteristics of the new art trend, we describe here the digital art entitled Malliarium, a collaborative work
based on Juan Luna’s Spoliarium.
Malliarium was a collaborative digital work by Steve Santos, Ross Capili, Jose Tence Ruiz, Archie Degamo, George Cabig,
Heber Bartolome, Nelson Viterbo, and Art Suarez. Using Juan Luna’sfigurative and compositional elements, the artists used Mac G4
and Pentium 3 computers. The artistic interpretation was in the context of the mall culture of our time. It was exhibited in the CCP Little
Theatre lobby in September 2000, then used as the main mural on exhibit at the multi-purpose hall of the National Museum of the
Philippines. The hall was used for symposia, film viewing, concerts and other art events, “The relationship between 19 th – century
national treasure and a collaborative work using digital technology of the 21 st century is interesting and provocative… it also makes us
aware that art in the National Gallery emerges from the past and looks toward the future in the presence of a current audience.”

CONTENT STANDARDS
The learner demonstrates appreciation of contemporary art forms, found in the various regions by understanding the elements and
principles.

PERFORMANCE STANDARD
The learner presents a form of integrated contemporary art based on the region of his / her choice. e.g. choreography, musical
instrument, literary and music composition, visual design, and/or theatrical performance

MOST ESSENTIAL LEARNING COMPETENCIES

The Learner…
 describes various contemporary art forms and their practices from the various regions

LESSON 1. THE CHARACTERISTICS OF CONTEMPORARY ARTS

Arts has gone a long way. Art today is so different from the traditional art where artists perfected their art by practicing”
mimesis“or copying the model exactly as it is. The new style of art that emerged after World War II is called contemporary art.
Contemporary artists did not feel obliged to apply perspective, color combination, naturalism and other guidelines that were carefully
observed in traditional art. They deliberately broke the rules of traditional art. This lesson describes the characteristics of contemporary
art.

Since the 1950s, artists have experimented on a variety of techniques and different ways of expressing their emotions, perceptions,
convictions, ideas, ideology and other things that could be expressed through art. If you check the Art Timeline, you will realize that from
1950s through 2000s, there are more than 100 art styles and movements. Some of the more famous ones are abstract expressionism,
kinetic art, op art, performance art, environmental art, feminist art, post-minimalism, video art, graffiti art, postmodern art, body art, and
digital art.

Artists like Jackson Pollock, Marcel Ducham, Vassily Kandinsky, Andy Warhol, Henry Moore, and Henri Matisse were identified with
contemporary art because their styles and ways of art-making are very different from the traditional ways.

In the Philippines, Victorio Edades was the first to break the rules of art. He did not show natural forms nor perspective and
used bold strokes and bright colors. The early contemporary artist, like Carlos ‘Botong’ Francisco and Galo Ocampo, were influenced
by Western art artists. Abstraction, expressionism, and surrealism were evident in their paintings. Other artists experimented with forms.
In Romeo Tabiena’s painting, the heavy black carabao is shown standing on thin legs that disappear in a flat background. Hernando
Ocampo used geometric forms in strong red colors overlapping with shades of yellow to brown. Vicente Manansala painted in abstract
cubism his human forms engaged in genre such as those in his market scene. Cesar Legaspi used his art as a commentary to the state
of hard labor in the Philippines. He employed transparent cubism with a lot of flowing lines that give movement to his human forms.
Today, hundreds of contemporary artists are found in the 17 regions of the Philippines. Their arts can be grouped according to
visual and performance art and crafts.

Characteristics of Contemporary Art

Contemporary art is not confined to the museums. They are also found in galleries, art schools, side streets, and public spaces like the
train or bus stations, shopping centers or parks. An example is the performance art of Cagayan de Oro artist Nicolas Aca.

The practice of selling paintings has also changed in contemporary art. For example, many installation artworks are intended for display
only in a particular setting and for a given span of time. Then they are de-constructed and cannot be repeated nor sold. Many artworks
are posted online. This means that anyone who has access to the Internet can view the artwork and actually purchase it. This makes it
possible for somebody in Germany to purchase an artwork of an artist who is in the Philippines.

Many contemporary artists are self-taught and did not have formal education. Access to different kinds of materials that were originally
used only for construction, for example, has expanded the choice of artist. For example, Cebu artist Mona Alcudia uses paper to
produce solid forms. The problem of weight has also been solved by technology, which has given artist enough flexibility and liberty to
combine art materials with found objects.

In architecture, different shape and forms have emerged as a result of the use of different materials. An example is in Quezon
Province’s Pueblon por la Playa’s office in igloo shaped architecture. The shape is unusual, especially in tropical Philippines but since
the structure are not too big, good air conditioning can improve the room temperature.

It is also not surprising to find contemporary artists who employ the help of fabricators, carpenters, electricians or welders in
“constructing” their artworks. This is practiced by conceptual artists who use principles of physics and the technology of construction to
form their artworks. Some gather “found objects” and put these together in a certain way that expresses their statement regarding an
issue or disturbing reality that they are reacting to.

Originality is not an issue in contemporary art. An artist can get another artist’s work and add to it, redesign or interpret it using other
materials. For example, the portrait of Marilyn Monroe has been interpreted by artist Andy Warhol in an artwork where a series of faces
of Monroe appears in a variety of colors. In Bohol, artist Geovanni Abing used colorful papers to make a collage portrait of Monroe. In
Paeta, Laguna, there are numerous wood sculptures of the famous Monroe in her white dress being blown by the wind, the same figure
is mass produced using fiberglass and resin.

What is essential to contemporary artist therefore, is the process of art-making. It is the experience for example, of dipping one’s hands
into a pail of paint and making markings on a flat surface that matters to the contemporary artist. It is not how much money they make
out of the final artwork. It is the movement in the dance that matters, or the plot that is communicated to the fil viewers that is important.

Given this characteristics, it can be said that contemporary art is a statement that an artist makes about life, thoughts, ideas, beliefs,
and many other things that define human life.

ACTIVITY 1. APPLICATION OF MAJOR CONCEPTS

1. Contemporary art is
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2. The practice of selling artworks has changed by

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3. “Originality is not an issue in contemporary art” means

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ACTIVITY 2. INDEPENDENT WORK

As you have learned, originality is not an issue in contemporary art. An artist can get an artwork done by another artist and used it as
his/her own by adding to the image according to his/her own design. For example, Michael Buonarroti’s Creation of Adam was used for
a Levi’s Jeans advertisement where God is handling a pair of jeans to Adam.

Creation of Adam by Michael Buonarotti Levi’s Jeans Advertisement (Contemporary Artwork)

Search the internet for contemporary artworks that are based on one that has been done in the past. Print the original images side by
side and then do the following in writing.
1. Describe the artwork done by the artist in the past.
2. Describe the new artwork based on the previous artwork.
3. Compare the two. What qualities of contemporary art are manifested in the new artwork?