MOST FAMOUS FILIPINO ARTIST AND THEIR

MASTERPIECE
(Art Appreciation)

Miechaella Cañete Belarde

BSCRIM – 1 SET C
Fernando Amorsolo, Harvest Scene, 1942

To gaze upon an Amorsolo is to gaze upon the soul of idealistic, Filipino sentiment. The
painter’s authoritative brushstrokes depict relaxed scenes of days in the market, afternoons spent
idling under the shade of an overarching tree, and fiestas, of course; all of which have become
the trademark of Amorsolo’s career. 

Although born in Manila, Amorsolo spent his formative years by the rural backdrop of Daet,
Camarines Norte. His sense of community at having been brought up within such a setting has
proven impactful; his conscious choice to paint a world of rural simplicity and charm contrasts
highly with the political turmoil of the late 1800s and early 1900s (of which was his world). In
some of his paintings—such as in Ligawan, Afternoon Meal of Rice Workers, and Palay Maiden
— subjects in the foreground are shown smiling or talking, while scenes depicting work are sent
to the background.
Juan Luna, Spoliarium, 1884

The Spoliarium stands majestically at the forefront of the National Museum. At almost eight
metres tall, Juan Luna’s imposing depiction of a battle lost is sombre and striking. The scene of
the painting is at the Roman spoliarium, the basement of the Colosseum where dead gladiators
are brought and stripped of their worldly possessions.

Trained in Spain, Luna mastered the art of classical style at the Real Academia de Bellas Artes
de San Fernando. While most are of the opinion that the “Spoliarium” is a political commentary
on the Spanish government in the Philippines, one may also guess that Luna’s turbulent personal
life, as well as his European education and cultural integration, had inspired the work. After all,
the scene is set within the context of the European battle and was completed by 1884, before his
service with the Philippine revolutionary government in 1898. Either way, there is no doubt that
the “Spoliarium” is a true obra maestra by one of the country’s most enigmatic personalities.

Benedicto Cabrera, 32 Variations on Sabel, 2008

A muse, one that has held Benedicto Cabrera’s imagination captive for years: this is Sabel.
Undoubtedly a trademark of BenCab’s work is the scavenger woman he would frequently see
along Yakal Street in Tondo, Manila. She usually look for scraps of plastic and then Cabrera
started drawing abstract sketches of her from his window. Since then, he has drawn and painted
Sabel in various forms and context.
What mystified Cabrera the most wasn’t who she was exactly, rather it was the fluidity of her
identity. “Looking at the way she moved, how her ‘clothes’ swayed, she could be an OFW, a
vendor, a dreamer,” he said. The BenCab Museum states that Sabel has served to be a “vehicle
for the transmission of intensely emotional moods”. One can interpret Sabel to be a different
person each time and it’s through this unconfirmed identity that she becomes a fertile ground for
the artist’s exploration into shape, structure, theme, and mood.

Anita Magsaysay-Ho, Women Amidst Bananas, 1979

Anita Magsaysay-Ho, a first cousin to former president Ramon Magsaysay, is one of the
Philippines’ pioneering modernist painters. She was the pupil of Fernando Amorsolo, whose
influence can sometimes be seen in her landscape artworks such as Fish Harvest At Dawn and
Three Women In A Landscape. However, her personal signature is independent of her famous
teacher and lies not just in her style but also in her subjects; which most notably are women at
work.
Magsaysay-Ho portrays women with high cheekbones, slanted eyes, and beautiful morena skin.
They are more often than not surrounded by nature, harvesting crops, selling fish, or sheaving
grain. In Alfredo Roces’ In Praise of Women, published in 2005, Magsaysay-Ho talks about why
women are her subject of choice. She says: “In my works, I always celebrate the women of the
Philippines. I regard them with deep admiration and they continue to inspire me—their
movements and gestures, their expressions of happiness and frustration; their diligence and
shortcomings; their joy of living. I know very well the strength, hard work and quiet dignity of
Philippine women, for I am one of them.”

Ang Kiukok, Second Station: Jesus Carries His Cross, 1996

Ang Kiukok is perhaps best known for the emotion in his art, most of which are raw and
oftentimes sombre or angry. The scenes in his works depict crucifixions, screams, or figures
forlorn. Using vivid colours and a surrealist, cubist style of expression, Ang Kiukok expressed
his views on society throughout much of his career.

Born to Chinese immigrant parents, Kiukok was said to have been inspired by his teacher and
fellow artist-friend, Victor Manansala. On a trip to New York, Kiukok was said to have been
moved by the squalor and decrepitude of the city, eventually translating these themes into his
work. During the Marcos regime, Kiukok once again used his art as both self-expression and
social commentary in works such as Screaming Figures and Seated Figure.

Fernando Zobel de Ayala, Virevia II, 1960

His art style, abstractionist, was inspired by Mark Rothko, but although Rothko is famous for
vibrant colours, Zóbel’s artwork has been mostly done in blacks, whites, blues, and greys.
Although some works evoke a calming feel with their soft, even brushstrokes, others are created
that feel quite tense, with sharp, dark, crisscrossing lines against a light backdrop.

While Zóbel’s play on colour and strokes can be interpreted differently, he had once been quoted
talking about the emotion in his approach. “Critics have asked me,” he once said, “what I did
with the anguish in my life. My answer is that I leave it at home where it belongs since it has
nothing to do with my painting.”
Carlos Francisco, First Mass At Limasawa, 1955-1960
Carlos “Botong” Francisco’s signature lies not just in the subjects of his work—most of which
depict scenes of deep-rooted Filipino histories—but also in his medium. A muralist at heart,
Botong Francisco helped revive the form in Manila; his work can now be seen in the City Hall of
Manila as well as in the National Museum.

A storyteller through and through, Francisco’s works have captured narratives closest to our
collective conscience. He has created murals of the first Mass in the Philippines, Rizal’s death at
the hands of the guardia civil, and the iconic reimagining of Andres Bonifacio charging against
the Spaniards with the KKK.

Jose Joya, Susurro del Mar, 1961

Although Jose Joya has shown his audience a range of subjects, styles, and mediums, he is
perhaps best known for his brightly coloured paintings, most of which seem akin to Cubist
abstraction. His trademark work could quite possibly be his Granadean Arabesque, which
features gobs of colour, mostly yellow, alongside impasto and sand. But while his play with
colours, textures, and depths has earned him an esteemable place in the world of Philippine art,
he is perhaps best credited as a pioneer in mixed-medium artistry. His use of rice paper to portray
transparency, along with his resourcefulness in utilising ceramics as a medium has earned him a
posthumous spot as a National Artist in Visual Arts.

Arturo Luz, Man On A Wheel, 2015

Arturo Luz’s sophisticated geometric design is perhaps his most well-known and celebrated
style. The elegance to be found in his neo-realist paintings is manifested in his simplistic use of
colours, as well as in his subjects: of which the most famous range from cityscapes to musicians.

A National Artist for Visual Arts in 1997, Luz is an artist well-trained, having studied in Manila,
Paris, New York, and California. Speaking on his style, he was once quoted saying: “I cannot
paint flowers. They are by nature too decorative and pretty. I like things that are very stark,
elemental, simple—like a stone or a shell.” And in true Luz fashion, he has transformed complex
shapes, architectural elements, and human forms into minimalistic shapes, rectangles, and lines.

Betsy Westendorp-Brias, Untitled, 2015

Betsy Westendorp-Brias, who actively donated several of her exquisite paintings to worthy
causes via the annual Tatler Ball, created a name for herself in the art world with her unique style
that involves gentle brushstrokes and seamless colour integration. Perhaps most well-known for
her cloudscapes and floral paintings, Westendorp-Brias has also dabbled in portraits and still
lifes. She has also since released her two-volume coffee table book with The De La Salle
University Publishing House.