PHILIPPINE

ART
 CHARACTERISTICS
• Filipino art has often been described as surreal, with
elements of magic and mythology infused into the works.
• The art throughout the regions is distinguished as a vast
array of forms and styles, seeking inspiration from cultural
or social issues, local customs or traditions, indigenous
cultures, and established fine art forms.
• Philippine art consists of two branches: traditional and non-
traditional art.
• Traditional arts in the Philippines include folk architecture,
maritime transport, weaving, carving, folk performing arts,
folk (oral) literature, folk graphic and plastic arts,
ornaments, textile or fiber art, pottery, and other artistic
expressions of traditional culture.
• Non-traditional arts include dance, music, theater, visual
arts, literature, film and broadcast arts, architecture and
allied arts, and design.
 OUTLINE
• CHARACTERISTICS OF PHILIPPINE ART

• MAJOR ARTISTS IN PHILIPPINES

• MAJOR ARTWORKS IN PHILIPPINES

Major Artists
 FERNANDO AMORSOLO
Labelled the country’s first National Artist in 1972 by
then President Marcos, Fernando Amorsolo is often
known as the ‘Grand Old Man of Philippine Art’. The
Spanish-trained realist developed a backlighting
technique, where his colorful depictions of local
people reflect the radiance of the Philippine sun. The
figures and illuminated landscapes magically glow on
the canvas. Despite his deteriorating health and failing
eyesight, he remained prolific until the end, producing
up to 10 paintings a month until his death at the age of
80. Amorsolo’s creativity defines the nation’s culture
and heritage to this day.
 JUAN LUNA
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.
 AGNES ARELLANO

Agnes Arellano, a sculptor best renowned for her

expressionist and surrealist work in plaster, bronze,
and cold-cast marble, was born into a distinguished
architectural family. Her sculptures emphasize the
female body while incorporating ideas from
mysticism, religion, and sexuality. Agnes refers to her
work as "inscapes," which emphasize an internal
unity among different parts in her installations and
sculptures, and borrows the term from poet Gerard
Manley Hopkins. Her work covers themes of creation
and destruction, as well as the cycles of life from birth
to death, drawing inspiration from the terrible death
of her parents and sister in a house fire in 1981.
 CARLOS FRANCISCO
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.
MAJOR
ARTWORKS
 PLANTING RICE
An artist known for his distinctive art style
and realistic paintings, Filipino painter
Fernando Amorsolo is best known for his
depiction of the country’s culture, its
picturesque sceneries, portraits of women,
and scenes from World War II.
One of his most popular paintings is
“Planting Rice”, where he depicted a group
of farmers — both men and women —
toiling under the sun.
 SPOLIARIUM
Considered the largest painting in
the Philippines, “Spoliarium” is
among the notable art pieces of
Filipino painter Juan Luna. It
features the bloody gladiator
matches of Romans but is also an
allegory to the despair and abuses
Filipinos suffered from during the
Spanish reign in the country.
 Carcass-Cornucopia

It shows a headless female body with

hooves
instead of feet, hanging upside down
from slaughterhouse hooks. Her
stomach is ripped open showing a
small bulol, the rice god of the
Ifugaos, with oval balls spilling to the
ground. A mound of unhusked
rice is strewn around. From death, a
new life arises.
 FIRST MASS AT LIMASAWA

An interpretation of the first

documented Christian mass in the
Philippines in 1521, “First Mass  at
Limasawa” is one of Carlos Modesto
“Botong” Villaluz Francisco’s most
important paintings.
The national government
commissioned Francisco to create the
artwork for the commemoration  of
400 years of Philippine
Christianization.