Division of Baguio City

BAGUIO CITY HIGH SCHOOL

Governor Pack Road, Baguio City 2600

Integrative Art as Applied to Contemporary Art

Art plays a significant part in the rich cultural identity of the Philippines. It mirrors the Filipino people,

- Its history
- Its tradition
- and the country as a whole
Diverse art forms in the different parts of the archipelago, When integrated, will clear picture of what kind of country
the Philippines is and what kind of Filipinos are. These art forms developed from the early times continue to evolve up
to the present.

Ethnic Contemporary art

Progress
Tradition Tradition

As a Filipino, one should have the knowledge of the different forms of art in the Philippines to fully grasp its identity as a
nation and to completely embrace oneself as a citizen of the country.

Lesson 1: Arts in the Philippines

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND:
The development of Philippine Art comes in three major traditions. These are;
1. Ethnic Tradition
2. Spanish Colonial Tradition
3. American Colonial and Contemporary Traditions
Before the colonization , the Philippines already has its indigenous art. The ethnic art forms primarily influenced by the
geographical location and the experiences of the Filipinos. For instance, the dances in the country during the pre-
colonial times vary depending on the area where our ancestors thrive.
In the highlands- dance steps were imitations of the movements of certain animals like birds
Low lands- Sea - near the sea were mimics of the movements of the fishes.
Pre- colonial- (dominant art forms) In terms of visual arts- pottery, weaving, wood carving, and metal crafting ; making
use of available materials surrounding them.
Architecture: the early Filipinos used local materials such as anahaw, bamboo, cogon, cane, rattan, and other light
materials in constructing structures since these were the materials accessible in their area.
Folk literature: which came in the forms of folk speeches, songs, and narratives. These folk literature verbalizes their
experiences.
Theater arts: tribal presentations and rituals were the early theatrical performances depicting their beliefs.
Music: our ancestors also have their indigenous musical instruments like bamboo flutes and brass gongs.

SPANISH PERIOD:
-Then came the Spaniards who tend to replace the Philippine indigenous arts with Western art forms.
-Religion and secularization greatly influenced the art in the Philippines under the Spanish regime.
-The friars were the ones supervising the practice of arts in the country with their agenda of propagating Christianity
and maintaining power of the colonizer.
Literature: the literary works could be classified into religious and secular prose and poetry
Theater Arts: secular and religious plays like the “komedya” becomepopular.
Choreography: religious dances commonly performed to venerate patrons and saints proliferated.
- There were also secular dances performed in social functions like valse, fandango, polka, and
minuet.
Music: The Spaniards introduced the piano and other Western instruments. Bands and Orchestra multiplied as the
zarzuela and operas became prevalent.
Visual arts: Spaniards introduced painting and sculpture which mostly depicted religious subject matters.
Architecture: stones and bricks were predominantly used in constructing buildings like churches, houses, and
government offices.
*despite the strong influence of the Spaniards, the arts in the country did not result in a pure Western Art but a mix of
Western and indigenous art.
*Filipino artist still put Filipino touches on their art pieces.

American influence:
-In the area of education, thee are Filipinos who went abroad to study, some studied under the tutelage of the American
educators, and learned through observation and personal education. Those who went abroad to study came back to the
country carrying the concept of modern art.

Modern art: refers to the practice of art in the 1860’s to 1960’s. It was during these years that the western world was
significantly developing. The urbanization consumerism, rise of the middle class, change in political system,
secularization and emergence of new technology affected the way of art making in that period
Contemporary art: refers to the recent and current practice of art ranging from 1970’s up to the present. It mirrors
the society and culture of the present time. Artists experimented with different materials and methologies and
produced non-conventional art works with wide-range of themes.

Activity: Draw 1(one) image that depict the 3 (three) different stages of the development of art in the Philippines