Artists and the Artisans

OBJECTIVES
By the end of this chapter, students should be able to:
 define an artist’s or artisan’s medium and technique;
 define the role of managers, curators, buyers, collectors, and art dealers in the art world;
 differentiate between artist and artisan’s approach/ technique toward a particular medium;
 identify National and GAMABA artist’s notable works and their contribution to society;
 explain the three stages in the creative process.
The word “artist” is generally
defined as an art practitioner, such
as a painter, sculptor,
choreographer, dancer, writer, poet,
musicians, and the like, who
produces or creates indirectly
functional arts with aesthetic value
using imagination.
Artists are creative individuals who use their
imagination and skills to communicate in an art form.
They use the materials of an art to solve visual
problems. Artists look to many sources for inspiration.
Some look forward to their natural and cultural
environment for ideas; others look within themselves for
creative imagination.

Artists exhibit the courage to take risks. They are able to

see their surroundings in new and unusual ways. They
are willing to intensely for long periods of time to
achieve their goals. Some artists are self-taught and have
been called folk-artists because they are not educated in
traditional artistic methods. Just like the artists, the
artisans learn skills and techniques from some other
artists but eventually, both artists and artisans, develop
their own unique styles.
ARTISAN

An artisan is a craftsman, such as carpenter, carver,

plumber, blacksmith, weaver, embroiderer, and the
like, who produces directly functional and/or
decorative arts. Artisans help us in meeting our
basic needs, such as food, shelter, clothing,
dwelling, furniture, and kitchen utensils; they craft
everything that makes our life easy. The artisan’s
works are useful, relevant and essential in our
everyday life. They serve us for a long time,
supplying us directly functional arts.
KEY COMPONENT OF THE ART MARKET
The art market is an economic ecosystem that relies not only on supply and demand
but also on the fabrication of a work’s predicted future monetary and /or cultural
value. The art market can appear somewhat unclear since artists do not make art with
the sole intention of selling it, and buyers often have no idea of the value of their
pleasure
Important players
in
the art market
 CURATOR

A curator, who is a manager or overseer,

and usually a curator or keeper of a

cultural heritage institution (e,g, gallery,

museum, library, or archive).

Art Buyer
An art buyer is a professional who is
knowledgeable in art, who may scout
talents for an advertising agency
seeking to employ an art director, or
who may look for an art for a collector
or a company.
 Art Dealer

An art dealer is a person or a company that buys and sells works of art. Art dealers

often study the history of art before starting their careers. They have to understand

the business side of the art world.

 Private Collections

This is personal owned collection of works, usually a collection of art.

THE CREATIVE PROCESS
 Robert Fritz, based on his book, enumerated the steps in the creative process, and said that creating
is a skill that can be learned and developed. Like any other skill, we learn by practice and hands-on
experience.—we can learn to create by creating. There are, however, some steps we can follow to
guide our action, Fritz enumerated three stages in the creative process:

1. Conceive the result you want to create. 

2. Know what currently exists.

3. Take actions.

4. Develop your creativity.

5. Lear the rhythms of the creative process. 

Three Stages in the Creative Process

1. Germination (Idea) - – is the initial moment when you conceive a new project in
your life. It is a moment with a lot of energy coming out of the future you envision.

2. Assimilation - a crucial step in the creative process because you will plan, analyze it,
and cultivate it with all the available resources.

3. Completion is the time to finish your project, to give it to the final shape before you
present it to the audience.
Three Stages in Art making.
1. PRE-PRODUCTION OR SUBJECT DEVELOPMENT - this ends when the
planning ends, and the content starts being produced.

2. PRODUCTION OR MEDIUM MANIPULATION - is a method of joining diverse

material inputs and unimportant inputs (plans, know –how to make something for
consumption (the output).

3. POST PRODUCTION (COMPLETION) OR EXHIBITION - once an artwork is

finished, it will be displayed, circulated, and performed for the audience and public to
see or watch.
Medium and Technique

 Medium refers to the materials that are used by an artist to create a work of art. The
plural for of medium is media. Without the medium, an idea remains a concept, or it
would just dwell in the walls of the artist’s imagination. It is challenging to manipulate
medium and transform it from its raw state.

 Technique refers to the artist’s ability and knowledge or technical know-how in

manipulating the medium.
 Process
Tapping into the Skin thru a thorn
end of a calamansi or pomelo tree

Medium
Technique
• Ink mixture of charcoal and
• Batok (ancient term)
water
• Hand tapping
• Body as human canvas

Persons involved
• Whang Od’s grandniece
• Tourists, pilgrims, trekkers
 Strength Weakness
MEDIUM
• There is universal appeal. • Accessibility and supply
• Uses organic/indigenous of the material within
materials the community
RECOGNITION AND AWARD FOR ARTIST AND
ARTISAN
1. Orden ng Pambansang Alagad ng Sining (Order of National Artists)

 Highest national recognition given to Filipino individuals who have made significant contribu-
tions to the development of Philippines arts; namely, music, dance, theater, visual arts, literature,
film, broadcast arts, and architecture and allied arts.

 Administered by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the Cultural
Center of the Philippines.

 Conferred by the President of the Philippines upon recommendation by both

institutions.
Fernando Amorsolo

• First recipient of this award.

• Touted as the Grand Old Man

of Philippine Art.

• Sole awardee in the year 1972,

a National Artist for Visual
Arts.
 Honors and Privileges
of an awardee
1. Rank and title, as proclaimed by the President of the Philippines

2. Medallion or insignia and a citation that will be read during the conferment

3. Cash awards and a host of benefits (monthly life pension, medical, and
hospitalization benefits, life insurance coverage)

4. State funeral at the Libingan ng mga Bayani

5. Place of honor or designated area during national state functions along with
recognition or acknowledgement at cultural events.
2. Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan (National Living Treasures Award)

 Created in 1992 under the republic act no. 7355.

 Ginaw Bilog – master of Ambahan poetry

 Masino Intaray – master of various traditional musical instruments

of the Palawan people

 Samaon Sulaiman – master of the kutyapi

 Incentives accorded
to the awardee

1. Special designated gold medallion

2. Initial grant of 100,000.00 pesos and a 10,000.00 pesos monthly stipend

for life (later increased to 14,000.00 pesos)

3. Benefits such as maximum cumulative amount of 750,000.00 pesos

medical and hospitalization benefits

4. Funeral assistance or tribute fit for a National Living Treasure.