LESSON

ARTISTS AND ARTISANS

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Week 9

Learning Objectives:
At the end of this module, you should be able to:
1. Outline the history of the emergence of artists and artisans;
2. Recognize and critically discuss the function of state sponsorship in the field
of arts and culture through the National Artists Award and the Gawad sa
Manlilikha ng Bayan (GAMABA);
3. Identify and define the different individuals and groups who take on varied
roles in the world of art and culture; and
4. Classify the practices of artists in terms of form, medium, and technique.

Overview
The arts is one of the most significant ways in which we try to
grapple with how the presents unfolds. In Robert Henri’s The Art Spirit (1923), he
stated that “Art when really understood is the province of every human being. It is
simply a question of doing things, anything, well. It is an outside, extra thing. When
the artist is alive in any person, whatever his kind of work may be, he becomes an
inventive, searching, daring, self-expressing creature. He becomes interesting to
other people. He disturbs, upsets, enlightens, and he opens ways for a better
understanding. Where those who are not artists are trying to close the book he
opens it, shows there are more pages possible.” There is a gap when one continues
to persist with the idea that art is something that is detached from the every day. In
what has been reduced to a blur, it became more integral that man pursues a better
understanding of the world where he lives. One of the avenues that makes this both
possible and exciting is the engagement with art and culture.

This lesson will introduce the artists who have dedicated their lives to
the cultivation of the arts through the works of great creativity,
imagination, and daring throughout history. It aims to expand this into
the wider world of arts and culture, wherein other key players and
movers are testament to how the production, consumption, and
distribution of arts have changed profoundly.

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Let’s Get Started
Activity 1

1. What art form can you most relate to and appreciate? It may be
architecture, sculpture, painting, music, literature, film, dance,
performance/theatre, and living traditions.

2. Name an artist whose works you really like.

3. Is there a particular work of art created by him or her that you relate to
and appreciate? What is it and why?

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4. Based on what you wrote, make an assumption about what the painting
means.

ARTIST VS. ARTISANS

1. Creator of arts which are for

enjoyment and appreciation of 1.Makers of crafts.
viewer. Creative
2. Practical
2. Performs creative art.
Artistic 3. Creates something functional.
3.Creates something whose only
value is aesthetic Makes 4.Skilled workers.
4. Makes output to express the out5. His/her products has functional
output
of
beauty of the art itself. value.
expression
5.The object has no functional 6.Makes output with his/her
and
value.
imagination
hands(weavers, carpenters,
6.Performers(singers, dancers, potters and etc.)
theater actors and actresses etc.)

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ARTIST
• Artist have treaded a long history. Their roots can be likewise be traced in
one of the major milestones in human civilization.
• “New Ways of Seeing” a project by The New York Times’ T Brand Studio and
jewelry giant Tiffany and Co.,art critic Jerry Saltz(2016) underscored the
significance of not only the discovery of cave paintings, but also the paintings
themselves.
• He asserted that “these firsts artists invented a way to get a three
dimensional world into two dimensions and attach to their own ideas. And all
the history of art flows forth from this invention.”

HISTORY OF THE IMMERGENCE OF ARTIST AND ARTISANS

• Peter Ducker’s seminal book Post Capitalist Society, he stated that” the real
controlling resource and the absolutely decisive factor of production is neither
capital not land nor labor. IT IS KNOWLEDGE. Instead of capitalists and
proletarians, the classes of post capitalist society are the knowledge workers
and the service workers.”
• Creativity- one type of knowledge that fuels the twenty-first century.
• Artists- integral drivers and movers in society.

STONE AGE

BRONZE AGE- MIDDLE AGES

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ARTISANS
An artisan is
essentially a manual
worker who makes
items with his or her
hands, and who
through skill,
experience and talent can create things of
great beauty as well as being functional.

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ARTISAN AND THE GUILDS
• GUILDS- were type of social fellowship, an association structured with rules,
customs, rights, and responsibilities.
• With a lifetime commitment to a particular trade, an artisan develops
immense skill and expertise in his craft.
• A master artisan or craftsman would them be open to hiring apprentices who
would be under his tutelage and instruction.
• In this guilds, artistry and technology flourished under one roof.
• Skills and qualifications was needed for an apprentice to register under a
particular craft guild.
• Guilds are prevalent during the Middle Ages particularly during the thirteenth
to fifteenth century.
• Shoemakers, textile and glass workers, carpenters, masons, armorers, and
weapon makers, among others. The practice of artist was not grounded on
the idea of individual capacities or success, rather in commitment to work
together as a collective.
• MUSEUMS are packed with numerous artifacts and interesting objects from all
over the world that have survived centuries for us all to see.
• Magnificent structures that are often appreciated not only their historical
significance but more so for their aesthetic characteristics that render them
unique, become tourist destinations for those who wish to explore and see
the remarkable façade, interior and even the minutest of details up close.
Perhaps what made the difference was the materials, medium, and the
principles behind the process of their creation.
• Another contributory factor is the emergence of technology and the
knowledge in managing and conserving all these objects and structures,
enabling the retention of the integrity of the artwork and the intention of the
artist in terms of design and overall aesthetic.
• Craftsmen and builders in the past did not have sophisticated terminologies
and principles that architects and engineers abide by today. What they had
was a sense of how the materials behaved, how the environment, light,
weather patterns affected structures and other more intuitive principles of
creation.
• Experimentation and luck must not be forgotten. Gothic cathedrals along with
their structures inspired by its architectural tenets have survived through
time, not only by their sheer durability, but more so through the articulation
of the process that followed.
• An example of this would be the Cologne Cathedral in Germany created by
the master mason Gerhard Ryle in 1248 but was only completed roughly 600
years later, claiming the record as one of the longest construction projects to
date.

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 In the visual arts, example of an artist
strongly influenced by this was, Albrecht Dürer,
born in 1471, his father was a goldsmith that is
why he also apprenticed as such. Later on he
shifted to visual arts. One of his biggest credits
to his apprentice was his dedication and
interest in scholarship with his attendance to his
close friend’s meetings of artist and scholars.
He published quite a number of books and
treatises including those that talked about
practical skills.

Albrecht Dürer

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Culture of Artisans in the Philippines
• SPANISH COLONIAL PERIOD. Formerly done with the spirit of the communal
and every day. Patronship and changed the way art was perceived.
• During the propagation of faith, Spanish friars commissioned a lot of artisans
to carved, paint and engrave images for churches and public sites. Each
locality had a characterizing style or feature in the way their depictions were
made.
• The manner in Boholano artists would paint saints and scenes were different
from those Rizal or in Laguna. Like other baroque churches that benefitted
from talents of artist.
• Spanish colonial churches were also lined with frescos and ceiling paintings,
with a number of them undergoing restoration in the early 1900s.
• Project Kisame is a collective endeavor amongst enthusiasts and advocates
who aimed to promote this art form through documentation, engagement,
and appreciation of surviving ceiling paintings in more than 60 churches in the
Philippines.
• O n e o f t h e e x

Church of the Most Holy Trinity in Loay, Bohol in 1822, the ceiling paintings
were rendered trompe l’oeil style depicting biblical scenes. In 2003 it became
a National Historical Landmark.
• The next patrons of arts were the new elite, ILUSTRADOS or the MIDDLE
CLASS
• Two other important genres for painting at the time were the tipos del pais
and letras y figuras.
• The former was watercolor paintings that showcased the different local
inhabitants of the country in different garbs, and clues to their occupation and
status. While the latter combined the principle of tipos del pais and
incorporated it as a means to illustrate the letters of one’s name or surname.
• Damian Domingo of Academia de Dibujo- known as the best tipos del pais
painter, this school specialized in teaching the miniaturismo style of painting
along with the tenets of classical European painting.

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 • Eventually other schools emerged teaching other genres such as bodegones
(still life) and paisajes (landscape).
Artist and His Studio
• An artist on the other hand is
dedicated only to the creative
side, making visually pleasing
work only for the enjoyment
and appreciation of the viewer,
but with no functional value.
• An artist’s studio is an extension
of artist himself.
• The studio model dates back
from the renaissance period.
• Therein, artists flexed their
relationship with their patron as
a site where negotiations and
works were made.
• There were those work stations were segmented into two;
studiolo and the bottega. The latter is where the work is usually
done/happened.
• The format remained through the latter part of 1800s.

Other Players in the World of Art

Medium and Technique
 Medium is the mode of expression in which the concept, idea or message is
conveyed.
 These are the materials which are used by an artist to interpret his feelings
and thoughts.

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  Many mediums are used in creating different works of art
 Technique (artist) is the manner in which artist controls his medium to
achieve the desired effect.
 It has something to do with the way he manipulates his mediums to express
his idea.

Awards and Citations

 In history, support for the arts and culture is not limited to the allocation of
funding or patronship.
 The artist are given incentives and honor for their work through state-initiated
and given awards and citations.

2 Major Awards given to Philippine Artists

A. Orden ng Pambansang Alagad ng Sining (Order of National Artists)
 The Order of National Artists is the highest National Recognition given
to Filipino individuals who have made significant contributions to the
development of Philippine Arts. (Music, Dance, Theater, Visual Arts,
Literature, Film, Architecture)
 Jointly administered by the National Commission for Culture and the
Arts (NCCA) and the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) and
conferred by the President of the Philippines upon recommendation by
both institutions.
 The first recipient was Fernando Amorsolo in 1972 (National Artist for
Visual Arts).

Incentives and Privileges

1. The rank and title

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 2. Medallion or insignia and a citation
3. Cash awards and a host of benefits (monthly life pension,
medical and hospitalization and life insurance coverage)
4. A state funeral and burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani
5. A place of honor or designated area during national state
functions, along with recognition or acknowledgement at
cultural events

B. Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan (National Living Treasures Award)

 Conducts the search for the finest traditional artists of the land whose
distinctive skills have reach a high level of technical and artistic
excellence and have been passed on to and widely practice by the
present generation in his community. (Weaving, carving, graphic and
plastic arts, textile, pottery and other artistic expressions of traditional
culture)
 Created in 1992 under RA #7355 by the NCCA.

Incentives and Privileges

1. A specially designed gold medallion
2. An initial grant of 100,000php and a 10,000php monthly stipend
for life (later increase to 14,000php)
3. Maximum cumulative amount of 750,000php medical and
hospitalization benefits
4. Funeral assistance and tribute fit for a national living treasure

Let’s Make it Happen

Activity 2
1. Identify and select one artist. He or she may be a Filipino or foreign; and may be
identified with any art form: architecture, sculpture, painting, music, literature, film,
dance, performance/theatre, and living traditions, among others.
a. Research on him or her and select five aspects of his or her life (events,
ideas, works, awards/citations) that you think have a substantial contribution
not only to the local or foreign art scene, but also to human history.

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 Rubrics for Research Report
Criteria Unsatisfactory - Developing Accomplished Exemplary Total
Beginning
Paper Focus: 0-13 points 14-15 points 16-17 points 18-20 points /20
Purpose/
Fails to identify a Identifies a research Identifies a relevant Identifies a relevant
Position
Statement relevant research topic but may be too research topic and a research topic and a
topic or is not broad in scope and/or thesis that provides thesis that provides
clearly defined the thesis is adequate direction direction for the paper
and/or the paper somewhat unclear for the paper with that is engaging and
lacks focus and needs to be some degree of thought provoking,
throughout. developed further. interest for the The thesis clearly and
Focal point is not reader. The thesis concisely states the
consistently states the position, position, premise, or
maintained premise, or hypothesis and is
throughout the paper. hypothesis, and is consistently the focal
the focal point of point throughout the
the paper for the paper.
most part.
Analysis 0-22 points 21-23 points 24-26 points 27-30 points /30

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 Demonstrates a Demonstrates general Demonstrates an Demonstrates a
lack of understanding with understanding and sophisticated
understanding and limited critical analysis some critical analysis understanding and
inadequate of the research topic of the research topic careful, critical analysis
and thesis (argument). of the research topic
analysis of the and thesis (argument).
Adequately and thesis (argument).
research topic and Summarizes compares/contrasts Compares/contrasts
thesis. Analysis is perspectives, counter- perspectives, counter- perspectives, considers
superficial based arguments, or arguments, or counter arguments or
on opinions and opposing positions. opposing positions but opposing positions, and
preferences rather broader connections draws original and
than critical and/or implications thoughtful conclusions
analysis. are not as thoroughly with future implications.
explored.

Evidence 0-22 points 21-23 points 24-26 points 27-30 points /30
(Sources)
Lacks sufficient Provides some Provides essential, Provides compelling
research sources to evidence to support accurate evidence and accurate evidence
support the central the central position to support the to support in-depth
position and/or, if with only a few central position with the central position
included, are research sources. the required (7) beyond the required
generally not Some sources may not research sources (7) research sources
relevant, accurate, be relevant, accurate, including 1 source with at least 1 source
or reliable. and reliable and/or from a periodical from a periodical
Contains numerous appropriately database that are database. Research
factual mistakes, referenced and cited mostly relevant, sources are highly
omissions, or in the paper. accurate, and relevant, accurate,
oversimplifications. reliable. Sources are and reliable and add
Sources, if referenced and to the strength of the
included, are not cited appropriately paper; and are
properly throughout the effectively referenced
referenced and paper for the most and cited throughout
cited in the paper. part. the paper.
Criteria Unsatisfactory - Developing Accomplished Exemplary Total
Beginning
Organization 0-6 points 7 points 8 points 9-10 points /10
Paper lacks logical Paper is somewhat Paper is adequately Paper is effectively
organization and organized, although organized. Ideas are organized. Ideas are
impedes readers’ occasionally ideas from arranged reasonably arranged logically,
comprehension of paragraph to with a progression flow smoothly, with a
ideas. Central paragraph may not of thought from strong progression of
position is rarely flow well and/or paragraph to thought from
evident from connect to the central paragraph paragraph to
paragraph to position or be clear as a connecting to the paragraph connecting
paragraph and/or whole. May be missing central position. to the central
the paper is a required component Includes required position. Includes all
missing multiple and/or components components required components
required may be less than (introduction, body, (introduction, body,
components. complete. conclusion, conclusion, Reference
Reference List, etc.) List, etc.).
for the most part.
Writing 0-6 points 7 points 8 points 9-10 points /10
Quality &
Paper shows a Paper shows an Paper shows above Paper is well written
Adherence to

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Format below average and/or casual average writing style and clear using APA
Guidelines
average/poor writing style using and clarity in writing guidelines and
writing style lacking standard English and using standard standard English
in elements of following APA English and characterized by
appropriate guidelines. Some errors following APA elements of a strong
standard English in spelling, grammar, guidelines. Minor writing style. Basically
and following punctuation, usage, errors in grammar, free from grammar,
proper APA and/or formatting. punctuation, punctuation, spelling,
guidelines. spelling, usage, usage, or formatting
Frequent errors in and/or formatting. errors.
spelling, grammar,
punctuation,
spelling, usage,
and/or formatting.
Timeliness* Deduct 11 points- Deduct 6-10 points Deduct 1-5 points 0 points deducted /---
and Length overall failing
of Paper
Paper is submitted Paper is submitted 1-2 Paper is submitted Paper is submitted by
(* unexcused
late) 2-3 days (49-72 days (25-48 hours) within 1 day (24 the deadline and
hours) or more after the deadline hours) after the meets the required
after the deadline and/or is somewhat deadline and meets length (6-8 pages for
and/or lacking (or exceeds) the the required length the body).
substantially required length. (6-8 pages for the
lacks/exceeds the body).
required length

TOTAL POINTS (sum of 6 Criteria) /100

Let’s Work on This

Assessment

1. What do you think is the role of the artist in the twenty-first century
society?

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2. How relevant still are the awards National Artists and GAMABA, not only to
the art world, but also to the Filipino society as a whole?

3. Analyze and critique state-sponsored recognition for artists and cultural

workers. What do you think are some of the considerations that must be
addressed with regard to these?

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