NATIONAL ARTIST FOR

VISUAL ARTS:
ARCHITECTURE, DESIGN & ALLIED ARTS
Order of National Artists:
Visual Arts
Fernando Amorsolo
(May 30, 1892 – April 24, 1972)

Was the son of Pedro Amorsolo a bookkeeper and

Bonifacia Cueto. He spent his youthful days in Daet,
Camarines Norte. When his father died in 1903,
Bonifacia moved the entire family to Manila to live with
a first cousin, painter
Fabian de la Rosa.

• Nicknamed the "Grand Old Man of Philippine Art," he

was the first-ever to be recognized as a National Artist
of the Philippines.

• He was one of the first graduates of the University of

the Philippines in 1919, receiving several medals for
excellence.
• Upon graduation, he became an instructor at the UP School of Fine Arts,
while at the same time working for the Bureau of Public Works. For the
next, 38 years he was with UP.

• In 1922, he made his first important painting, Rice Planting which

became one of the most popular images of the commonwealth period.

Fun Fact:
Amorsolo designed the logo for Ginebra San Miguel (Markang Demonyo)
depicting St. Michael vanquishing the devil. The logo is still in use in it's
original form today.
Other major works:
• Maiden in a stream (1921)
• Planting Rice (1946)
• Dalagang Bukid (1936)
Hernando R. Ocampo
(April 28, 1911 – December 28, 1978)

• His works provided on understanding and

awareness of the harsh social realities in the
country, after World War II
• National Artist in Visual Arts (1991)
• was a leading figure in Philippine Modern Art
• member of the Saturday group artist
• one of the Thirteen Moderns
• formed the Triumvirate of neo-realist
• many of his work also depicted the beautiful
Philippine landscapes. His canvases evoked flora
and fauna, under the sun and rain in fierce and
bold colors.
• played a pivotal role in sustaining the Philippine
Art Gallery, the country's first.
His masterpiece Genesis served as
MANILA
the basis of the curtain design of
the Cultural Center of the
Philippines Main Theater.
Other major works:

Man and Carabao, Ina ng

Balon, Calvary, Slum Dwellers,
Nude with Candle and Flower,
Angel's Kiss, Palayok at Kalan,
Ancestors, Isda at Mangga, The
Resurrection, Fifty-three "Q",
Backdrop, Fiesta.
Benedicto 'Bencab' Cabrera
• National Artist in Visual Arts (2006)
• Better known as BenCab, a figurative painter
• He upheld the primacy of drawing over the
decorative color.
• A lyrical expressionist
• Bencab's investigation of form, which enabled
him to break out of late neo-realism and high
abstraction of the 1960s and reevaluate the
power of figurative expression, provided crucial
choices for Philippine art from the Martial Law
era in the 1970s through the modern age.
• His lone figures of scavengers rising from a
gloomy environment were sharp jabs at the
social consciousness of a population who had
grown numb to poverty and neglect.
 Selected works:
Madonna with Objects, 1991

Studies of Sabel, dyptych, 1991

People Waiting, 1989

Waiting for the Monsoon
1986 by Bencab The Indifference, 1988

Waiting for the Monsoon, 1986

BenCab's paintings often depict
figures wrapped in flowing
fabrics in muted tones and
earthy colour palettes.
Carlos "Botong" Francisco
(November 4, 1912 – March 31, 1969)

• was a muralist from Angono, Rizal

• single-handedly revived the forgotten art of mural
and remained its most distinguished practitioner for
nearly three decades.

• He formed what was then called in the local art circles

as "The Triumvirate," which included Victorio C.
Edades and Galo Ocampo, which was generally
associated with the "modernists" artists. The hallmark
of Botong's work derived from his precise sense of
composition, lush tropical sense of color, and
unwavering belief in the traditional values exemplified
by the residents of Angono.
His other major works include the following:

Magpupukot, 1958 Bayanihan, 1962

First Mass at Limasawa, 1965

The Martyrdom of Rizal, 1960
Portait of Purita Fiesta, 1960
The Invasion of Limahong Bayanihan sa Bukid
Seranade Sandugo
Muslim
Betrothal
 Cesar Legaspi
(April 02, 1917 – April 07, 1994)

• National Artist for Visual Arts (1990)

• A pioneer "Neo–Realist" of the country

• Remembered for his singular achievement of refining

cubism in the Philippine context.

• Belong to so called "Thirteen Moderns" and later, the

"Neo–realist".

• Legaspi made us of geometric fragmentation

technique, weaving social comment and juxtaposing
the mythical and modern into his overlapping,
interacting forms with disturbing power and intensity.
Among his works are Gadgets I,
MANILA
Gadgets II, Diggers, Idols of The
Third Eye, Facade, Ovary, Flora
and Fauna, Triptych, Flight,
Bayanihan, Struggle, Avenging
Period, Turning Point, Peace, The
Survivor, The ritual.

Gadgets, 1949 by
Cesar Legaspi
Abdulmari Asia Imao
(January 14, 1946 – December 16, 2014)

• National Artist in Visual Arts (2006)

• A native Sulu, is a sculpture, painter, photographer,
ceramist, documentary filmmaker, cultural researcher,
writer, and articulator of Philippine Muslim art and culture.
• Through his works, the indigenous ukkil, sarimanok, and
naga themes have gained popularity and been ingrained as
uniquely Filipino creations in the minds of the Filipino nation
and other peoples.
• Imao has contributed to the development of cultural
groups' trust and confidence—two things required for the
creation of a more just and humane society—through the
large-scale statues and monuments of Muslim and local
heroes and leaders that adorn specific areas from Batanes to
Tawi-tawi.
Selected works:
•Industry Brass Mural —Philippine National
Bank, San Fernando, La Union
•Mural Relief on Filmmaking —Manila City
Hall
•Industrial Mural —Central Bank of the
Philippines, San Fernando La Union
•Sulu Warriors (statues of Panglima Unaid
and Captain Abdurahim Imao), 6 ft., Sulu
Provincial Capitol. Sarimanok by Abdulmari Asia Imao
 Arturo Luz
• National Artist for Visual Arts (1997)

• A painter , sculptor, and designer for more

that 40 years.

• He produced works of art that represent the

ideal of exquisite austerity in expression and
form. From the late 1950s Carnival series to
more recent paintings of cyclists, Luz created
works that took the Filipino artistic
perspective to new levels of refined simplicity.
By founding the Luz Gallery, the art gallery was
institutionalized and given a significant
influence on succeeding Filipino artists.
 Among his other significant paintings are:

Bagong taon, Vendador de Flores , Skipping Rope, Candle

Vendors, Procession, Self-Portrait, Night Glows, Grand
Finale, Cities of the Past, Imaginary Landscapes .

His mural painting BLACK AND WHITE is

displayed in the lobby of the CCP's Bulwagang
Carlos v. Francisco (Little Theater). His sculpture
of a stainless steel cube is located in front of the
Benguet Mining Corporation Building in Pasig.
Black and White Night Glows, 1960 by Arturo Luz
Napoleon Abueva
(January 26, 1930 –February 16, 2018

• National Artist for Sculpture (1976)

• At 46, a native of Bohol, was the youngest National
Artist awardee.

• Father of Modern Philippine Sculpture

- Abueva almost all types of materials, including
hardwood (molave, acacia, langka wood, ipil,
kamagong, palm wood, and bamboo), abode, metal,
stainless steel, cement, marble, bronze, iron,
alabaster, coral, and brass.

• Bouyant Sculpture – one of the earliest innovations

Abueva introduced in 1951, which is sculpture intended
to be appreciated from the surface of a calm pool.
Abueva performed as one-man show at the Philippine Center in New York in
1980s. His creations have been displayed in a variety of domestic and
international museums, including "The Sculpture" at the United Nations
headquarters in New York City.

Some of his major works include Kaganapan (1953), Kiss of Judas (1955), Thirty
Pieces of Silver, The Transfiguration (1979), Eternal Garden Memorial Park, UP
Gateway (1967), Nine Muses (1994), UP Faculty Center, Sunburst (1994)-
Peninsula Manila Hotel, the bronze figure of Teodoro M. Kalaw in front of the
National Library, murals in marble at the National Heroes Shrine, Mt. Samat,
Bataan.
“Kiss of Judas” was made by MANILA

Napoleon Abueva in 1955,

exemplifying a modern touch
without losing an evocative
quality. It is made of oak wood.

Kiss ofJudas, 1995 by

Napoleon Abueva