Contemporary Philippine Arts from the
Regions
Materials and Application of
Techniques in Contemporary Arts
Mediums and techniques are not
neutral or accidental, but part of the
context of the work.
It also dictates to a large degree
the forms in which we perceive and
respond to the work of art.
In contemporary art, the
medium has become largely
dependent on conventions; artists are
experimenting and inventing new
mediums and techniques, thereby
widening the range of artistic tools.
Medium is defined as the
material or the substance out of which
a work is made.
Through these materials, the
artists express and communicate
feelings and ideas.
The medium also describes the
essence of the type of art as follows:
 Sculptures are made of metal,
wood stone, clay, and glass.
Sculptures fall within the
category of "three dimensional
arts” because they occupy
space and have volume.
Pottery is a form of sculpture.
Other examples are
nudes or figures such as
Guillermo Tolentino's
Oblation, ritual objects such as
bulul wood carvings in the
Cordillera, or the santos or
carvings of saints in Christian
churches.
 Architecture uses wood,
bamboo, bricks, stone,
concrete, and various building
materials. Buildings are also
called "three- dimensional arts
because like sculpture, they
occupy space and have volume.
However, architecture
has the added element of time
since we move into the
structures.
 Painting uses pigments
(watercolor, oil, tempera, textile
paint, acrylic, ink etc.) on a
usually flat ground (wood,
canvas, paper, stone wall such
as in cave paintings.
 Prints uses ink printed or
transferred on a surface. (wood,
metal plates, or silk screen) that
is in keeping with a duplication
or reproducing process.
Prints and paintings are
further classified as "two
dimensional" arts, because they
include the surface or ground
on which coloring substances
are applied.
However, while
paintings are unique and one
of a kind, prints can be
reproduced in several pre-
determined editions.
  Music is composed of sound
and instruments (including the
human voice). A T' boli chanter
sings creation stories in a way
that is different from a classical
singer or pop music singer
influenced by the Western
music scale.
 Dance uses the human body and
its movements.
 Theater integrates all the arts
and uses the stage, production
design, performance elements,
and script to enable the visual,
musical, dance and other
aspects to come together as a
whole work.
 Photography uses the camera to
record outside world.
 Film uses the cinematographic
camera to record and put
together production design,
sound engineering,
performance, and screen play.
 Creative writing can be a novel,
poetry, nonfiction, and fiction
uses words.
The following are the classification of arts
base on the mediums.
1. Musical arts include music, poetry
and dance that is accompanied by
music.
2. Practical arts use for everyday and
business life such as design,
architecture, and furniture.
3. Environmental arts occupy space and
change in its meaning and function
depending on their categories
including architecture, sculpture, and
site-specific works such as
installations and public art.
4. Pictorial arts include painting,
drawing, graphics and stage and
production design.
5. Dramatic arts include drama,
performance art, music, and dance.
6. Narrative arts include drama, novel,
fiction, nonfiction, music, and dance.
Technique is the way in which
artists use and manipulate materials to
achieve the desired formal effect, and
communicate the desired concept or
meaning, according to his or her
personal style.
For example,
 stone is chiseled,
 wood is carved,
 clay is modeled and shaped,
 metal is cast, and
 thread is woven.
Technique involves tools and
technology, ranging from
✓ the most traditional (carving,
silkscreen, analog, photography and
filmmaking) to
✓the most contemporary (digital
photography, digital filmmaking, music
production, industrial design, and
robotics).
For example,
✓ the mural Filipino Struggles
Through History (1963) by National
Artist Carlos Francisco depicts Andres
Bonifacio leading the revolution. It
takes advantage of line and color to
communicate dynamism and intense
passion, in the expressionist modern
style.
The Bonifacio monument by
another Artist, Guillermo Tolentino on
the other hand, make use of the
carving to come up with work that has
mass and volume, enabling him to
depict the scene realistically capturing
a moment of stillness when Bonifacio
stands reflectively on a scene of death,
but with grace and dignity befitting a
leader in Neoclassic style.
ART CRITIQUE
The art critique is a systematic
study and assessment of a piece of
art.
Although no two people can have
the same reaction to, or view, a work
of art in the same way, there are a few
simple principles that can be followed
to produce a critical, detailed critique.
A. Description (Describing the work
for critiquing).
Gather important
knowledge about being a
critique.
It is the sort of stuff on
the label of a museum or
gallery, or in an art book.
Knowing the history of a
piece will make a major
difference in the way you view
and understand it.
Start your criticism by providing
the following information:
 Title of the work
 Artist's name
 When the piece was
created
 Where it was made
 The types of media used
to create the work (e.g.,
oil paint on canvas) The
exact size of the work
1. Describe what you see.
Describe the artwork
using fair words.
✓ For example, you
might say, "This is a small-
scale portrait painting of a
young woman, seen from
the middle torso up against
a dark background." She
clasps her hands in front of
her chest and looks up
slightly to the right of the
audience.
✓ She wears a pink
dress and a long veil that
falls behind her head.
✓ "Avoid using words like
"beautiful," "ugly," "good" or
"evil.
2. Discuss the work's
elements.
Describe the work in
details. Talk about how art
uses these five basic
elements in art and design:
line, color, space, light, and
form.
3. Describe how to use the
line.
Lines in a piece of art
may be either explicit or
symbolic.
 Different types of lines
may produce various moods
or effects.
The rough, sketchy lines
build a sense of movement
and independence, while the
smooth, firm lines sound
more still and carefully
designed.
The arrangement of
figures and objects within a
scene can indicate a line of
sight or action.
4. Speak about how color is
used.
Note characteristics such
as hue (red, green, blue,
etc.), color (lightness or
darkness) and strength.
Look at the overall color
scheme and think about how
colors fit together.
✓ For example, do the
colors clash, or are they
harmonious? Does the work
use a variety of colors, or is
it monochromatic (all shades
of blue, for example)?
5. Describe the use of space
in the work.
"Space" refers to the
areas around and within
objects inside a job.
When thinking about space,
concentrate on issues like
depth and perspective,
overlapping objects, and
using empty space versus
space filled with details.
When you present a two-
dimensional piece of art, like
a painting, think about
whether the piece produces
the impression of three-
dimensional space and
depth.
6. Describe the use of light in
the work.
Light in a work of art may
be warm or cold, bright or
dark, natural or artificial.
Take some time to think
about the role of light and
shadow in the work.
When you are thinking
about a two-dimensional
work, like a painting, the
attention may be on how the
artist creates the illusion of
light.
In a three-dimensional
work, like a sculpture, you
might explore how real light
interacts with the work is the
surface reflective.
7. Make note of the way
shape is used in the work.
Were the shapes linear,
straight lines and perfect
curves in the work, or are
they more natural?
Is the work dominated by
some single form of shape,
or do you see several
different shapes?
1. Balance: How do the colors, shapes
and textures of the piece fit together?
Should they produce a balanced or
harmonious effect, or is the piece in
some way unbalanced?
2. Contrast: Does the job use
contrasting colors, textures, or
lighting?
Contrast can also be seen in
the use of various shapes or contours,
such as jagged vs. curved lines or
geometric vs natural shapes.
5. Movement: ✔Why is the work
generating a sense of movement? Is
your eye drawn in a specific way
through the composition?
6. Proportion: Do the proportions of the
different elements appear as you might
expect, or are they surprising? For
example, if the research depicts a
group of people, do all of the figures
look bigger.
B. Analysis (Analyzing the work)
2. Identify the subject of the
job.
Many of the works of art
have one or more points
designed to attract your
attention and draw your gaze.
For a portrait, this may
be the subject's face or eyes. It
may be a centrally located or
well-lit object in a still-life.
5. Search for patterns at
work.
Identify a few main
themes and explain how the
artist used design elements
(color, light, room, form, and
line) to illustrate these themes.
Themes could include things I
like.
a. The use of a color scheme to
give the work a particular mood
or meaning.
b. Symbolism and religious or
mythological imagery.
c. Repeating images or
C. Interpretation (Interpreting the
work).
Try to identify the
purpose of the work in other
words, what do you think the
artist was trying to say with the
work? Why did they create the
work?
Back up your
interpretation/definition with
examples.
Using examples from
your job summary and review to
illustrate why you think and feel
the way you do it.
✔ Example, "I believe
that James Sant's portrait of a
young bride is intended to give
a sense of the bride's spiritual
devotion.
Back up your
interpretation/ definition with
examples.
This is indicated by the
line of the composition, which
draws the viewer's eye upward,
following the upward gaze of
the subject It is also suggested
by warm light, coming from a
source somewhere.
D. Judgment (Judging the work)
Decide whether you think
the work is good. Your aim here
is not simply to determine if the
art is "good "or "bad." Rather,
 concentrate on whether you
think the work is "productive. Summary

Explain how you judge the The desired formal effect

job.
When you have agreed
on a few elements of the work
to be assessed, clearly
demonstrate the focus of your
evaluation.
is achieved by manipulating
materials to communicate the
desired concept or meaning
according to the artists'
personal style is called
technique.

You may suggest, for This can involve tools

example, that you judge the
piece on how well structured it
is, how well done it is
technologically, and how well it
expresses the intended mood or
themes.
Summarize why you think the
work has been successful or
ineffective.
and technology ranging from
the traditional to the most
contemporary techniques. In
critiquing certain work of art,
description. analysis,
interpretation and judgment are
essential steps to learn.

✓ Explain your decision

on the job in a few sentences.
Please offer clear reasons for
your decision, using your
understanding and analysis of
the work
✔ For example, "I believe
this work is successful because
the use of light, shape, gesture,
and line all work together.

Basically, an art critique allows

the artist to understand how they
influence their audience.
It also allows the
audience/viewer to gain a better
understanding of that artists' work.
Moreover, it is also a spur to
deciding what you really think is the
meaning, even though disagreement
with the critic.