Spanish

Colonial
Period
Contemporary Philippine Arts
from the Regions
Week 9-12
What kinds of art were developed
during Spanish Colonization?
• The colonizers gain inroads in
the Central part of the Islands
whose inhabitants we now refer
to as “Lowland Christians”
• Art that flourished during the
Spanish colonial period
conformed to the demands of the
church and the colonial state.
What kinds of art were developed
during Spanish Colonization?
• Religious orders were
dispatched to convert the natives
to Catholicism as part of the
larger part of colonization.
• The art forms from that period
are referred to stylistically and
culturally as religious art,
lowland Christian art or folk art.
Religious Art
• There are many ways of defining religious art. We can
say it is:
(1) Any artwork that has a Christian or Biblical theme
(Christian art); or
(2) Any artwork which illustrates the worship of any
god, or deity; or
(3) Any artwork with an Islamic, Buddhist, Hindu,
Sikh, Juche Judaic, Bahai, or Jainist theme, or any art
depicting themes of the Shinto, Cao Dai or traditional
Chinese religions.
(http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/religious-art.htm)
Religious Art
Folk Art
• the traditional decorative or utilitarian art of
the people that is often an expression of
community life and is distinguished from
academic or self-conscious or cosmopolitan
expression
(https://www.merriam-
webster.com/dictionary/folk%20art)
Folk Art
What kinds of art were developed
during Spanish Colonization?
• The natives were forcibly
resettled in towns structured
according to the plaza
complex.
• This relocating became a
means of organizing and
gaining control of the native
populace.
What kinds of art were developed
during Spanish Colonization?
• The complex was designated as
the town center and consisted
of the municipio or local
government office and the
church.
• During this period, cruciform
churches following the shape
of the Latin cross were built.
What kinds of art were developed
during Spanish Colonization?
• In keeping with the prevailing
design of Hispanic Churches,
the Baroque style was
predominantly employed; they
were characterized by
grandeur, drama, and elaborate
details that purposely appealed
to the emotions.
Cruciform Churches
Baroque Style
Examples of
Baroque Churches
• San Agustin Church –
Manila
• Morong Church – Rizal
• Paoay Church – Ilocos
Norte
• Sto. Tomas De Villanueva –
Miag-ao, Iloilo.
What kinds of art were developed
during Spanish Colonization?
•Although the designs are
European-inspired, local
interventions have been
employed in order to suit
native sensibilities and
adjust to local
environmental conditions.
What kinds of art were developed
during Spanish Colonization?
•The façade of Miag-ao
Church features St.
Christopher surrounded by
reliefs or relleves having
tropical motifs like palm
fronds and papaya trees.
What kinds of art were developed
during Spanish Colonization?
•The use of adobe,
limestone, or brick and
the construction of
thick buttresses or
wing-like projections
reinforce the church
structure to make it
What kinds of art were developed
during Spanish Colonization?
• In other words, the result is a fusion of
both native and European elements,
prompting some art historians to refer
to the style as colonial baroque or
Philippine or tropical baroque.
What kinds of art were developed
during Spanish Colonization?
• Images of saints and interpretations of
biblical narratives were considered essential
to worship. Under the strict watch and
patronage of the church, images were
produced through painting, sculpting, and
engraving.
• During the 17th Century, Chinese artisans,
under Spanish supervision were engaged in
making icons or saints or santos (in the
vernacular) in wood and ivory; building
churches and houses; as well as making
furniture.