Reviewer for Contemporary Philippine Arts from the Region

by: AR

Note: Hello! It’s me again, back with another reviewer. I hope that this reviewer will help you sa
exams this week :] Remember to #OustDu30, and if you can, register for a voters id! Also, if
you’re someone who has a fascination in documentaries, action movies or simply someone
who’s cute & not a dds/enabler ng gobyerno, hit me up :> Good luck!!! I hope that you ace this
prelim.

The Characteristics of Contemporary Arts

Art – the expression of one’s feelings.
Contemporary Arts – “the art of today”
- reflects the complex issues that shape our diverse, global, and rapidly changing world.
Philippine Contemporary Art – had been influenced by almost all spheres of the globe.
- had the taste of the Renaissance, Baroque, and Modern Periods through the colonizers who
arrived in the country.
- allows Filipino artists to portray the subject and the medium in innovative and skillful ways,
reflecting Filipino identity.
Philippine Contemporary Painters:
1. Ronald Ventura – known for his dynamic melding of realism, cartoons, and graffiti.
- his paintings and sculpture feature a complex layering of image and styles, symbolic of the
multifaceted national identity of the Philippines.
2. Alfredo and Isabel Aquilizan – their work speaks of community, personal experience,
memory, displacement, and emotional, psychological effects of migration
3. Elmer Borlongan – prominent contemporary painter best known for his distinctive use of
figurative expressionism.
- one of the CCP Thirteen Artists Awardees.

Subject Matter and Art Styles

Abstract Expressionism – developed by American painters during 1940’s and 1950’s
- distinguished by gestural brush-strokes or mark-making.
Kinetic Art – contains movement that can be perceived by the viewers.
Op Art (Optical Art) – consists of two colors; black white and uses optical illusion.
Performance Art – exhibition of art that includes movement among performers.
 Environmental Art – focuses in ecological aspect and it encompasses connection with
nature using natural materials.
Feminist Art – highlights the identity of women in societal aspect.
Minimalism – highlights reductive aspect of modernism.
Post-Minimalism – attempts to develop and go beyond, the aesthetic of minimalism.
Video Art – has moving images with the integration of technology.
Graffiti Art – writing or drawings that have been scribbled, scratched, or painted, typically
illicitly, on a wall or other surface, often within public view.
Body Art – the body becomes the “canvas” or “artwork”.
Digital Art – artistic work or practice that uses digital technology as an essential part of the
creative or presentation process.

Materials Used in Contemporary Arts

Materials – can be recycles and made into creative forms
Chime Halo – made by Impy Pilapil; Cavite born artist.
- the hanging bamboo chimes that create sound when blown by the wind.
Project Belonging – made by Alfredo and Isabel Aquilizan; Los Baños, Laguna artist.
- gathered used objects, clothes, personal accessories and many other things and compress
them into cube shapes.
Paper – as an art medium is also explored by artists like Mona Alcudia of Cebu makes solid
forms as well as transparent artworks using paper.
Painting – no longer confined to canvas hung on the wall as it can also be found on ceilings
and floors.
The Singapore Art Bridge – painted by Batanes-born artist Pacita Abad with 2350
multiple colors.
In Architecture – extensive use of glass and steel.
- color combination is either complementary or strong contrasting, such as orange and blue,
red and white.
In Performance Art – artists use variety of props.
- paints are also used for body art.
In Technology – redefined art in many ways e.g. pen controlled by a software program to
create certain patterns.

Interpretation and Analysis in Contemporary Arts

Subject Matter – what you see that is depicted in the artwork.
Art Element & Principle – refers to the physical qualities of the image.
Skills, Techniques and Production in Contemporary Arts:
Collage – artistic composition of materials pasted over a surface; an assemblage of diverse
elements.
Decalcomania – process of applying gouache to paper or glass then transferring to a reversal
of that image onto canvas or other flat materials.
Decoupage – done by adhering cut-outs paper then coating these with one or more coats or
transparent coating of varnish.
 Frottage – technique of rubbing crayon on a piece of paper placed over an object or an
image.
Montage – used for photography or film where a pictorial image is juxtaposed or places
overlapping to make another picture or design.
Trapunto – form of embroidery that resembles quilting.
Interpretation and Analysis in Contemporary Arts:
“THE VIEWERS OF ART SHOULD PUT THEMSELVES IN A STATE OF SENSORY
AWARENESS, GIVE UP THEIR INTERESTS AND NOT ASSOCIATE ART WITH
ANYTHING WHEN THEY RESPOND TO IT.”
Immanuel Kant – German philosopher; laid the foundation for artistic modernism that has
influenced contemporary artists.
Aesthetics – deals with the nature, beauty, and value of art objects and experiences.
Aesthetic Judgment – should rise above time, place, and personal biases to reach a
judgment of art to which all reasonable people would agree.
Modernism – a school of thought that took place in late 1800s and early 1900s.
- advocated rational thinking and the use of science and reason for the advancement of man.
- the modernist era was characterized by the simple and elegant original works of gifted artists.
- believed in universal truth and not political.
Post Modernism – is a school of thought that took place after World War II. •believed in the
irrationality of things.
- the postmodernist era was characterized by the advancement in technology and its use in
different media.
- did not believe in universal truth and were very political.
Art Analysis – Starts with description, focuses on beauty, design qualities, and the value of
an artwork.
- requires an understanding of the content by separating the parts of the subject matter.
- grasping the artwork’s organizational structure, nature, function and value.
Various Elements that Constitute Analysis:
1. Determination of subject matter through naming events or associated with the artwork.
2. Discussion of how qualities of the artwork contribute to its appearance, image, or function.
3. Effect of the materials/medium used.
4. Reaction of the artwork.
Art Interpretation – employed by the viewer after describing and analyzing an artwork.
- focuses on the expressive qualities, meaning, theme, mood or idea communicated by the
artist.
A. Main idea and the overall meaning of the artwork.
B. Interpretive statement: “Can I express what I think the artwork is about in one sentence?”
C. The evidence inside or outside the artwork that supports your interpretation.