LESSON8 :

NATIONAL ARTISTS
IN VISUAL ARTS
A
Brainstorm
Session
 Introduction
National Artist for Visual Arts – Painting, 1972
Paco, Manila, NCR

Fernando Amorsolo y Cueto (May 30, 1892 – April 24, 1972) was one of the most important
artists in the history of painting in the Philippines. Amorsolo was a portraitist and painter of rural
Philippine landscapes. He is popularly known for his craftsmanship and mastery in the use of
light.

Amorsolo is best known for his illuminated landscapes, which often portrayed traditional Filipino
customs, culture, fiestas and occupations. His pastoral works presented "an imagined sense of
nationhood in counterpoint to American colonial rule" and were important to the formation of
Filipino national identity. He was educated in the classical tradition and aimed "to achieve his
Philippine version of the Greek ideal for the human form."[8] In his paintings of Filipina women,
Amorsolo rejected Western ideals of beauty in favor of Filipino ideals and was fond of basing the
faces of his subjects on members of his family.
Amorsolo used natural light in his paintings and developed the backlighting technique
Chiaroscuro, which became his artistic trademark and his greatest contribution to Philippine
painting. In a typical Amorsolo painting, figures are outlined against a characteristic glow, and
intense light on one part of the canvas highlights nearby details.
FERNANDO AMORSOLO
 Artworks

Palay Maiden, 1920

Oil on canvas

Palay is Tagalog for grain, which is symbolic of the Philippines’ most staple
crop. Maiden bears significance to Amorsolo’s preference for beauty.
Throughout his pieces showing women, Amorsolo does not conform to a
Western standard of beauty; rather, he portrayed them to have:

[A] rounded face, not of the oval type often presented to us in newspapers and
magazine illustrations. The eyes should be exceptionally lively, not the dreamy,
sleepy type that characterizes the Mongolian. The nose should be of the blunt
form but firm and strongly marked. … So the ideal Filipina beauty should not
necessarily be white complexioned, nor of the dark brown color of the typical
Malayan, but of the clear skin or fresh colored type which we often witness
when we met a blushing girl.
 Introduction
National Artist for Visual Arts – Painting, 1973
Angon, Rizal, Region 4A – CALABARZON

Carlos Modesto "Botong" Villaluz Francisco (November 4, 1912 – March

31, 1969) was a muralist from Angono, Rizal.
Francisco was a most distinguished practitioner of mural painting for
many decades and best known for his historical pieces. He was one of the
first Filipino modernists along with Galo Ocampo and Victorio C. Edades
who broke away from Fernando Amorsolo's romanticism of Philippine
scenes. According to restorer Helmuth Josef Zotter, Francisco's art "is a
prime example of linear painting where lines and contours appear like
cutouts

BOTONG FRANCISCO
 Artworks

First Mass At Limasawa

His great works include portrayals of the Blood Compact, First Mass at
Limasawa, The Martyrdom of Rizal, Bayanihan, Magpupukot, Fiesta, Bayanihan
sa Bukid, Sandugo, Portrait of Purita, The Invasion of Limahong, Serenade, and
Muslim Betrothal.
 Introduction
National Arts for Visual Arts – Sculpture, 1973
Malolos, Bulacan, Region 3 – Central Luzon

In 1955, Tolentino retired from service in the University of the Philippines and
returned to private practice. He received various awards and distinctions in his
later years, most notably his declaration as National Artist by Ferdinand Marcos
on May 15, 1973 Guillermo Estrella Tolentino (July 24, 1890 – July 12, 1976) was a
Filipino sculptor and professor of the University of the Philippines. He was
designated as a National Artist of the Philippines for Sculpture in 1973, three
years before his death.

Tolentino was born on July 24, 1890 in Malolos, Bulacan. He was the fourth child
in his family and had seven siblings. Before being interested in sculptures, he
learned how to play the guitar, a skill which he inherited from his father. The
young Tolentino showed an early talent in sculpting, having been able to mold
figures of horses and dogs out of clay.
GUILLERMO TOLENTINO
 Artworks
Bonifacio monument
The Bonifacio Monument, which was sculpted by Guillermo Tolentino in 1933, an
obelisk, rises to a height of 13.7 m (45 ft); the obelisk is made up of five parts
representing five aspects of the society, "Kataastaasan, Kagalanggalang na Katipunan
ng mga Anak ng Bayan (Highest and Most Venerable Association of the Sons of the
Nation)". It is crowned by a figure with wings representing triumph. Below the
vertical pylon 20 figures cast in bronze have been molded over an octagonal shaped
plinth, plus one angel of peace at the top. The octagon represents the eight provinces
who fought against Spain and also represents eight rays of the Katipunan flag. The
plinth is raised in three steps, each step representing the three centuries of Spanish
rule. These figures are a representation of the people of Philippines, who faced
inequality, agony and suppression under the colonial rule which eventually ended in
an armed revolution in 1896. The main central image of the monument holds a bolo,
a machete, in the right hand and a gun in the other hand. At the back of the central
figure a flag of Katipunan in an unfurled state is depicted. A remarkable feature of the
molded images of the human figures is the classic style with detailing marked by
realistic expressions reflecting the revolutionary spirit with an "upright head and
body" and with arms spread on the sides. The central obelisk is surrounded by pools
of water.[2][5]
 introduction
National Artist for Visual Arts – Sculpture, 1976
Tagbilaran, Bohol, Region 7 – Central Visayas
Napoleon "Billy" Veloso Abueva (January 26, 1930 – February 16, 2018)
was known as the "Father of Modern Philippine Sculpture" Through
Proclamation No. 1539, He was proclaimed National Artist for Sculpture in
1976 when he was 46, making him the youngest recipient of the award to
date.

Recognized as the “Father of Modern Philippine Sculpture”, Abueva helped

shape the local sculpture scene to what it is now. He used almost all kinds
of materials for his sculptures such as hard wood, adobe, metal, stainless
steel, cement, marble, bronze, iron, alabaster, coral and brass. He was the
first Filipino artist to mount a one-man exhibit at the Philippine Center in
New York in 1980
NAPOLEON ABUEVA
 Artworks
Sandugo
The Sandugo was a blood compact, performed in the island of Bohol in the
Philippines, between the Spanish explorer Miguel López de Legazpi and Datu
Sikatuna the chieftain of Bohol on March 16, 1565, to seal their friendship as
part of the tribal tradition. This is considered as the first treaty of friendship
between the Spaniards and Filipinos. "Sandugo" is a Visayan word which means
"one blood".[1]

The Sandugo is depicted in both the provincial flag and the official seal of the
government in Bohol.[2] It also features the image of the blood compact. The
top of the seal explains the history behind the Sandugo event that occurred in
Bohol, the fleet and the location where the Spaniards anchored and the place
where the treaty was conducted which was dated on March 16, 1565.[3]
 Introduction
National Artist for Visual Arts
Dagupan, Pangasinan, Region 1 – Ilocos Region
Victorio C. Edades (December 23, 1895 – March 7, 1985) was a Filipino
painter. He led the revolutionary Thirteen Moderns, who engaged their
classical compatriots in heated debate over the nature and function of
art. He was named a National Artist in 1976.

Victorio Edades was born on December 23, 1895 to Hilario and Cecilia
Edades. He was the youngest of ten children (six of whom died of
smallpox). He grew up in Barrio Bolosan in Dagupan, Pangasinan. His
artistic ability surfaced during his early years. By seventh grade, his
teachers were so impressed with him that he was dubbed "apprentice
teacher" in his art class. He was also an achiever from the very
beginning, having won awards in school debates and writing
competitions. VICTORIO C. EDADES
 Artworks
THE SKETCH

Victorio Edades Edades, "The Sketch," 1928, oil on canvas

Buying Victorio Edades paintings – Highest Prices Paid
 Introduction
Vicente Silva Manansala (January 22, 1910 – August 22, 1981) was
a Filipino cubist painter and illustrator.

Manansala was born in Macabebe, Pampanga. From 1926 to 1930, he studied at

the U.P. School of Fine Arts. In 1949, Manansala received a six-month grant by
UNESCO to study at the École des Beaux-Arts in Banff and Montreal, Quebec,
Canada. In 1950, he received a nine-month scholarship to study at the École des
Beaux-Arts in Paris by the French government.
Manansala's paintings are the best and were celebrated as the best of the barrio
and the city together. His Madonna of the Slums is a portrayal of a mother and
child from the countryside who became urban shanty residents once in the city.
In his Jeepneys, Manansala combined the elements of provincial folk culture with
the congestion issues of the city.

VICENTE S. MANANSALA
 Artworks
Sophisticated Folk: The Genre Works of National Artist

Manansala’s art bred a combination of confident machismo, devout

Catholicism, and artistic restlessness devoted to the various genres in Modern
Art
 Introduction
Cesar Torrente Legaspi (April 2, 1917 – April 7, 1994) was a Filipino National
Artist in painting. He was also an art director prior to going full-time in his visual
art practice in the 1960s
. His early (1940s–1960s) works, alongside those of peer, Hernando Ocampo are
described as depictions of anguish and dehumanization of beggars and laborers in the
city. These include Man and Woman (alternatively known as Beggars) and Gadgets.
Primarily because of this early period, critics have further cited Legaspi's having
"reconstituted" in his paintings "cubism's unfeeling, geometric ordering of figures into a
social expressionism rendered by interacting forms filled with rhythmic movement".
During his career as an artist, he had the opportunity to be part of several exhibits
abroad, including the First Plastic Arts Conference in Rome in 1953, the São Paulo Biennial
in Graphic Arts in 1967 and 1969, and the Wraxall Gallery in London with Filipino artists
Mauro Malang Santos and Benedicto Cabrera in 1982. Apart from this, he holds the
record of five retrospective exhibitions at different venues: the Museum of Philippine Art
in 1978, the National Museum and the Metropolitan Museum in 1988, and the Luz
Gallery and the Cultural Center of the Philippines in 1990. He was an active member of
the Art Association of the Philippines and was part of the Neo-Realists. He was also the
head of the Saturday Group artists from 1978 until his death on April 7, 1994.
CECAR LEGASPI
 Artworks

SEA OF GOLD

Artist:
Cesar Legaspi (Filipino, 1917–1994)

Title:
Sea of Gold , 1990

Medium:
oil on canvas

Size:
91 x 122 cm. (35.8 x 48 in.)
 Introduction
Hernando Ruiz Ocampo (April 28, 1911 – December 28, 1978) was a Filipino
National Artist in the visual arts. He is also fictionist, a playwright and editor.
Hernando Ruiz Ocampo was a leading radical modernist artist in the Philippines.
He was a member of the Saturday Group of artists (also known as the Taza de Oro
Group), and was one of the pre-war Thirteen Moderns, a group of modernist
artists founded by Victorio C. Edades in 1938. Famously known for his triumvirate
of with neo-realists Vicente S. Manansala and Cesar Legaspi, his works reflected
the harsh realities of his country after the Second World War. However, many of
his works depicted lush sceneries and the beautiful Philippine landscapes through
his skillful use of fierce and bold colors.
H. R. Ocampo was credited for inventing a new mode of abstraction that
exemplifies Philippine flora and fauna, and portrays sunshine, stars and rain. Using
movement and bold colors, Ocampo utilized fantasy and science fiction as the
basis for his works. His art is described to be "abstract compositions of biological
forms that seemed to oscillate, quiver, inflame and multiply" like mutations.
HERNANDO RUIZ OCAMPO
 Artworks

Artist:
Hernando Ruiz Ocampo (Filipino, 1911–1978)

Title:
Untitled (Abstraction series , 1971

Medium:
oil on canvas

Size:
41 x 30 cm. (16.1 x 11.8 in.)
 Introduction

Arturo Rogerio Luz ( born on November

20, 1996)

-Philippine National Artist awardee in

Visual Arts.
- He is also a known printmaker,
sculptor, designer and art
administrator.
- A founding member of the modern Neo - Arturo
realist school in Philippine art, he received Luz
the National Artist Award , the country 's
highest accolade in the arts, in 1997.
 Ar t w or ks

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 Introduction

Jerry Navarro Elizalde ( 2 2 May 1924 – 10 June

1999)
-Philippine Artist
- He studied in the University of the Philippines, Manila as
a Ramon Roces Publication Scholar in 1947.
- The following year he transferred to the University of
Santo Tomas, he studied fine arts with a major in
painting.
He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1951. While
Jerry
studying at the university he was also an art editor for
the university newspaper The Varsitarian. His wife is Nava
sculptor Virginia Ty-Navarro. rro
Elizalde
 Early Life

-
B
e
i
n
g

y
o
u
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g
 Introduction

A n g Kiukok ( March 1, 1931 – May 9,

2005)
-Filipino painter of Chinese descent and was a National Artist
for Visual Arts.
- Ang was born on March 1, 1931, in Davao, Davao Province ,
Philippines and Chin Lim who were immigrants from Xiamen,
China. Ang was the only son in his family and he had four
sisters.
He was originally intended to be named Ang Hua Shing ("Hua
Shing" literally means "Chinese -born") but did not push
through with the plan upon learning that his cousin was Ang
given the name by his uncle.
Kiuk
ok
 C a r e e r Le g a c y ,

and Death

- Ang ' s first formal recognition in his career as an artist was when his
work Calesa garnered third place at the Shell National Students Art
Competition in 1953. In 1954, he launched his first one - man show at
the Contemporary Arts Gallery after he was urged by his mentor
Manansala .[1] Within a few years his works such as garnered him
more recognition such as Still Life (1951, Honorable mention), The Bird
(1959, First Prize), Still Life in Red (1963, Third Prize), Fish (1963,
Second Prize), and Geometric Still -Life Fish (1963, Second Prize). All
of these recognition was from the Art Association of the Philippines.
- I n the end, Ang emerged not only as a critical favorite, but a
commercially popular artist as well. Upon his death from cancer on
May 9, 2005, it was reported that he and fellow National Artist
Fernando Amorsolo were the most widely bidded after Filipino
painters in auctions
 Introduction

José T. Joya ( June 3, 1931 – May 11,

1995)
- Filipino abstract artist and a National Artist of
the Philippines awardee
- Joya was a printmaker, painter, mixed media artist, and
a former dean of the University of the Philippines'
College of Fine Arts. He pioneered abstract
expressionism in the Philippines. His canvases were
characterized by "dynamic spontaneity " and "quick
gestures" of action painting. He is the creator of José T.
compositions that were described as "vigorous
compositions " of heavy impastoes, bold brushstrokes,
controlled dips, and diagonal swipes".
Joya
 Artwork
and
Death

- Joya added the brilliant tropical colors. He was awarded a

Fulbright - Smile - Mundt grant which enabled him to pursue
a master's degree in Fine Arts in 1956–57. His works were
strongly influenced by the tropical landscapes of the
Philippine Islands. Among his masterpieces are the Nanking
(a collage rendered with Asian calligraphy and forms and
patterns resembling rice paddies), the Granadean
Arabesque (1958)
- Jose died in 1995 of blood loss in Rizal Avenue,
Manila, Philippines
Granadean Arabesque, oil on canvas,
118 x 3 0 5 cm, 1958 9 0 x 120 cm,
1958
 Introduction

Benedicto Reyes Cabrera ( born April 10,

1942)
- Better known as "BenCab", is a Filipino painter and
was awarded National Artist of the Philippines for
Visual Arts (Painting) in 2006. He has been noted as
"arguably the best - selling painter of his generation of
Filipino artists.
- BenCab was born to Democrito Cabrera and Isabel
Reyes in Malabon, Philippines on April 10, 1942. He was
the youngest of nine children. BenCab ' s first exposure
and discovery of the arts happened through his elder
Brother Salvador, who was already an established artist "Benc
during Bencab ' s childhood ab"
 In 1 9 8 5 , h o w e v e r , B e n C a b ' s 1 6 - y e a r m a r r i a g e w i t h

Family
K e n n e d y e n d e d in d i v o r c e , a n d h e e v e n t u a l l y d e c i d e d t o
c o m e h o m e t o t h e Philippines .

and T

Career R

- BenCab met British journalist Caroline Kennedy (author E

of An Affair of State, 1987, and How the English
Establishment Framed Stephen Ward, 2013) in Manila in
1968, and married her in London in 1969.
S
- When BenCab returned to the Philippines in 1972, he
was hailed as a Filipino pioneer of the arts and a
M
significant influence among his peers. However, he
returned to London once more in 1974. His Larawan
series was developed out of his nostalgia for the A
Philippines. He and Caroline used to scour local flea
markets all over Europe looking for early maps and In 2 0 0 6 , t h e Philippine G o v e r n m e n t c o n f e r r e d u p o n h im t h e
O r d e r o f N a t i o n a l A r t i s t f o r Visual Arts .[2] In 2 0 0 9 ,
prints of the Philippines. This collection became the R t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f t h e Philippines c o n f e r r e d
basis for his Larawan series. u p o n him a n h o n o r a r y D o c t o r o f H u m a n i t i e s d e g r e e .
I
 Introduction

Abdulmari Asia Imaio ( January 14, 1936

- December 16, 2014)

- Filipino painter and sculptor

- Imao was named National Artist of the Philippines for Sculpture in
2006. A Tausūg, Imao is the first Moro to receive the recognition.
Aside from being a sculptor, Imao is also a painter, photographer ,
ceramist, cultural researcher, documentary film maker, writer, and a
patron of Philippine Muslim art and culture.
- Abdulmari Imao is known for using the okir, sarimanok and the naga
as motifs in his artworks and is credited for popularizing the motifs to
the Filipino national consciousness .[3][8] Imao draws inspiration Abdulma
from Tausūg and Maranao art. Imao ' s Islamic faith is also a source
ri Asia
of inspiration in his art as evidenced in his sculptures composed of
elements of Allah's name through Arabic calligraphy Imao
Personal Life
and Death

- Abdulmari Imao was married to Grace de Leon, an art

dealer from Santo Tomas, Pampanga. They had four
sons.
- Imao died on 16 December 2014 at the age of 78 at his
home in Marikina. Imao was suspected of dying due to
heart attack but his family later released a statement
through Imao ' s daughter - in - law , Cielo Imao, that he died
in his sleep.
- A traditional state necrological service and tributes,
which is usually given to National Artists, was accorded
to Imao on 21 December at the Cultural Center of the
Philippines' Main Theater. Imao was later interred at the
Sarimanok b y Abdulmari Asia Imao
Libingan ng mga Bayani at noon
 Introduction

Frederico Aguilar Alcuaz ( June 6, 1932

– February 2, 2011)

- Filipino painter who exhibited extensively Internationally and

whose work earned him recognition both in the Philippines and
abroad
- Alcuaz was conferred the title of National Artist for Visual Arts,
Painting, Sculpture and Mixed Media in 2009. However , four
nominees for the award other than Alcuaz became embroiled in
the 2 0 0 9 National Artist of the Philippines Controversy , which led
the Supreme Court of the Philippines to temporarily issue a status
quo order on August 25, 2009, blocking the conferment of the Frederico
awards on all seven nominees - despite the fact that no Aguilar Alcuaz
objections were ever raised regarding the conferment of the
award to Alcuaz and two other nominees.
 Education
and
Personal Life
- Federico Aguilar Alcuaz was born on June 6, 1932 in
Santa Cruz, Manila. He was the 6 th of 11 Children of
Mariano Aguilar a Lawyer and a Musician and Encarnneo
de Manila and finished his degree in 1955. In 1949–1950
he took up painting subjects at the University of the
Philippines ( UP) School of Fine Arts.
- I n 1955 he went to rats. In the same year he began
signing his paintings with Aguilar Alcuaz to distinguish
himself from two other Aguilars who are also members
of the La Punalada Group.
- I n 1959, he met Ute Schmitz, whom he married 3
years later and they had 3 sons.He died on February Federico Aguilar Alcuaz ( Philippine 1932-
2, 2011, in Manila, Philippines due to natural causes.
2011) Untitled
 Introduction

Francisco V. Coching ( January 29, 1919

– September 1, 1998)

- Filipino comic books illustrator and writer and is

regarded as one of the “pillars of the Philippine Komiks
Industry”. He served as both illustrator and writer for his
comic book stories, Coching is referred to as the "King
of Komiks", and as the "Dean of Philippine Comics ".
- I n 2014, he was posthumously conferred as a
National Artist for Visual Arts, the highest honor for
artists in the Philippines.
- Coching was born in Buting, Pasig, Rizal Province in the Francsi co V.Cochn
ig
Philippines. He was the son of Gregorio Coching , a
Filipino novelist in the Tagalog - language magazine
Liwayway
 Influence
and
Death

- He died at age 78 on September 1, 1998.

- Coching influenced many other Filipino illustrators.
Among them were Noly Panaligan, Federico C. Javinal,
Carlos Lemos, Celso Trinidad, Emil Quizon - Cruz ,
Nestor Redondo, Alfredo Alcala, and Emil Rodriguez.
- Almost all of Coching ’s komiks novels were adapted
into films, with the exception of three titles. Among
those that were made into a film was El Negro in 1974.
Group November 18,
1 20 20

Thank you!

Have a
great
day!