PAINTING

In the last half of the 19th century, Filipino painters showed enough maturity of concept and technique to merit critical acclaim. Damian Domingo got recognition as the “father of Filipino painting.” Towards the end of the Spanish regime, two Filipino painters won recognition in Europe – Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo and Juan Luna. Hidalgo’s Antigone and Luna’sSpolarium were both acclaimed in Europe as masterpieces of Filipino painting. In 1884, Luna won the first Gold Medal at the Exposicion Nacional de Bellas Artes for his Spolarium. This monumental painting shows fallen gladiators being dragged to an unseen pile of corpses in a chamber beneath the Roman arena. 

Spoliarium,Art Manila

After World War II, the Neo-Realist school of painting emerged, with such notable members as Vicente Manansala, Hernando R. Ocampo, Victor Edades, Arturo Rogerio Luz, Jose T. Joya, and others.

The name of Jose Joya (1931 - 1995) is synonymous to the best in Philippine abstract expressionist art. He produced an excellent body of bold and lyrical works. 

SCULPTUREFilipino sculptors came to be known in the middle of the 19th century. Classical Philippine sculpture reached its peak in the works of Guillermo Tolentino (1890-1976). His best known masterpiece is the Bonifacio Monument, which is a group sculpture composed of numerous figures massed around a central obelisk. The principal figure is Andres Bonifacio, leader of the revolution against Spain in 1896. Behind him stands Emilio Jacinto, the brains of the Katipunan. The Bonifacio Monumen t - completed in 1933 -- marked the apex of Tolentino'’s career.

Bonifacio Monument

Napoleon Abueva (born 1930), one of Tolentino'’s pupils, is one of the pioneering modernists in sculpture. He used various media. And his stylization bordered on the abstract as inAllegorical Harpoon, in which the dominant horizantal thrust of the figure evokes the vitality of primitive forms.

Allegorical Harpoon,  Art Philippines

Abueva'’s more famous work is Fredesvinda , which was included in the First ASEAN Sculpture Symposium held in Fort Canning Hill, Singapore, from March 27 to April 26, 1981.

Fredesvinda, The Asean Sculptures

MUSICWith the death of Nicanor Abelardo and Francisco Santiago, the two greatest Filipino composers, Filipino music has been struggling. However, the efforts of such musicians as Antonio J. Molina, Felipe P. Padilla de Leon, Lucio San Pedro, and others, using folk literature and folk songs, have contributed to the revival of Filipino music.

The Philippines is rich in sound-producing instruments, such as percussions, flutes and stringed instruments. Here are some examples:

Gongs – There are two types used in the Philippines. One is the flat gong which is a narrow-rimmed gong without central protrusion and found exclusively in the north. The other has a boss or central protrusion with narrow or very wide rim, widely used only in southern Philippines. 

Kulintang (gong-chime)

Kutyapi – This is a two-stringed plucked lute, commonly found in Maganoy, Maguindanao. It is one of the most technically demanding and difficult to master among Filipino traditional instruments. However, the kutyapi music is rich in melodic and rhythmic sound and is deeply poetic in inspiration. 

 Kutyapi (two-stringed plucked lute)

DANCENative dances occur in amazing diversity throughout the Philippines. However, many of them are of varied origins and functions – Some are part of a tribal rite or sacrifice; others are in native feasts and festivals to conciliate the spirits, seek deliverance from pestilence or mark births and deaths; and still others have a lighter burden to carry: flirtation or courtship, or to lighten the tasks of planting or harvesting. 

Darangan Cultural Troupe Dancers

METAL WORKSThis is generally inlay in silver and gold or black. Brass is much used for the common things, such as bowls and trays, ladders, weapons, gongs, and other musical instruments. 

Muslim weaponry and household utensils

SARI-MANOKIt is the legendary bird or “artificial cock” that has become an ubiquitous symbol of Maranaw art. It is depicted as a fowl with wings and feathered tail, holding a fish on its beak or talons. The head is profusely decorated with scroll, leaf, and spiral motifs. 

Sari-manok

MAT (BANIG)A closer look at some of the mat traditions will show the artistry and the superb skills of the native weavers. One example is the Samal mat, considered design-wise as one of the most interesting traditions in the whole country. The Samals are Muslims occupying the bigger islands in Tawi-Tawi. They are generally engaged in trade and agriculture. The Samal mat uses the leaves of pandanus plant which grows abundantly in the area. It has four general patterns: 1) stripes; 2) multicolored squares; 3) a checkered pattern of white and other colors; and 4) a zigzag pattern. 

Samal mat