CONTEMPORARY

PHILIPPINE ARTS
FROM THE REGION
Grade 12
Module 3
 THE CHARACTERISTICS OF CONTEMPORARY
ARTS
Module 3:
This lesson will enable you to:
Describe the beginnings of contemporary art in the
Philippines
Explain the importance of process in contemporary
Art has gone a long way. Art today is so different from
art-making
the traditional art where artists perfected their art by practicing
“mimesis” or copying the model exactly as it is. Contemporary
artists did not feel obliged to apply perspective, color
combination, naturalism and other guidelines that were
carefully observed in traditional art. They deliberately broke
the rules of traditional art.
 Since the 1950s, artists have experimented on a variety of techniques and different ways of expressing their
emotions, perceptions, convictions, ideas, ideology and other things that could be expressed through art.
If you check the Art Timeline, you will realize that the 90s through 2000s, there are more than 100 art styles and
movements. Some of the more famous ones are abstract expressionism, kinetic art, Op art, performance art,
environmental art feminist art, post-minimalism, video art, graffiti art, postmodern art, body art, and digital art.
 Modern artists that paved the way to the development of Contemporary Art. Their styles and ways of art-making are very different from the traditional ways:
Jackson Pollock (January 28, 1912 – August 11, 1956) Paul Jackson Pollock was an American painter and a major figure in the abstract expressionist movement. He was widely noticed for his "drip technique" of pouring or splashing liquid household paint onto a horizontal
surface, enabling him to view and paint his canvases from all angles.
Marcel Duchamp
(28 July 1887 – 2 October 1968) Henri-Robert-Marcel Duchamp
was a French painter, sculptor, chess player, and writer whose
work is associated with Cubism, Dada, and conceptual art.
Vassily Kandinsky Russian painter

Wassily Wassilyevich Kandinsky was an art theorist. Kandinsky is generally credited as the pioneer of
abstract art. Born in Moscow, he graduated at Grekov Odessa Art school. He enrolled at the University
of Moscow, studying law and economics
Kandinsky, a pianist, compared painting to making music.
Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol was an American artist, film director, and
producer who was a leading figure in the visual art movement
known as pop art.
Henry Moore
Henry Spencer Moore was an English artist. He is best known for his
semi-abstract monumental bronze sculptures which are located
around the world as public works of art.
Henri Matisse
Henri Émile Benoît Matisse was a French artist, known for both his use of
colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a draughtsman,
printmaker, and sculptor, but is known primarily as a painter.
 In the Philippines, Victorio Edades was the first to break the rules of art. He
did not show natural forms nor perspective and used bold strokes and bright
colors.
Victorio Edades

“The Sketch”
The early contemporary artists like Carlos “Botong” Francisco and Galo Ocampo, were influenced by
Western artists.

Abstraction, expressionism, and surrealism were evident in their paintings.

Carlos “Botong” Francisco

“Andres Bonifacio”
“The Martyrdoom of Dr. Jose Rizal”
Galo Ocampo
“The Brown Madonna”
“Ecce Homo”
 Other artists experimented with
forms. In Romeo Tabuena’s
painting, the heavy black carabao is
shown standing on thin legs that
disappear in flat background.
Romeo Tabuena
 Hernando Ocampo used
geometric forms in strong red colors
overlapping with shades of yellow to
brown.
Hernando Ocampo
 Vicente Manansala painted in abstract cubism his human
forms engaged in genre such as those in his market scene.
Vicente Manansala
 Cesar Legaspi used his art as a commentary to the state of hard labor in
the Philippines. He employed transparent cubism with a lot of flowing lines
that give movement to his human forms
Cesar Legaspi
 Today, hundreds of contemporary artists are found in the
17 regions of the Philippines. Their arts can be grouped
according to visual and performance art and crafts.
CHARACTERISTICS OF CONTEMPORARY ARTS

VENUE
 Contemporary art is not confined to the museum.
They are also found in galleries, art schools, side streets,
and public spaces like train or bus stations, shopping
centers or parks. An example is the performance art of
Cagayan de Oro artist Nicolas Aca.
CHARACTERISTICS OF CONTEMPORARY ARTS

VENUE
 Contemporary art is not confined to the museum.
They are also found in galleries, art schools, side streets,
and public spaces like train or bus stations, shopping
centers or parks. An example is the performance art of
Cagayan de Oro artist Nicolas Aca.
SELLING
 The practice of selling paintings has also changed in
contemporary art. For example, many installation
artworks are intended for display only for a particular setting
and for a given span of time. They are de-constructed and
cannot be repeated nor sold. Many artworks are posted
online. This means that anyone who has access to the
Internet can view the artwork and actually purchase it. This
makes it possible for somebody in Germany to purchase an
artwork of an artist who are in the Philippines.
EDUCATION/TRAINING
 Many contemporary artist are self-taught and did
not have formal education. Access to different kinds of
materials that were originally used for construction, for
example, has expended the choice of artists. For example
Cebu artist Mona Alcudia used paper to produce solid
forms. The problem of weight has also been solved by
technology, which has given artist enough flexibility and
liberty to combine art materials with found objects.
MATERIALS
 In architecture, different shapes and forms have
emerged as a result of the use of different
materials. An example is in Quezon Province’s Pueblo for
la Playa’s office in igloo shaped architecture. The shape is
unusual, especially in tropical Philippines but since the
structures are not too big, good air conditioning can
improve the room temperature.
COLLABORATION

 It is not surprising to find contemporary artists who employ

the help of fabricators, carpenters, electricians or welders in
“constructing” their artworks. This is practiced by
conceptual artists who use principles of physics and the
technology of construction to form their artworks. Some
gather “found objects” and put these together in a certain
way that expresses their statement regarding the issue or
disturbing reality that they are reacting to.
CONCEPT
 Originality is not an issue in contemporary art. An
artist can get another artist’s work and add to it, redesign
or interpret it using other materials. For example, the
portrait of Marilyn Monroe has been interpreted by artist
Andy Warhol in an artwork where a series of face of
Monroe appears in a variety of colors. In Bohol, artist
Geovanni Abing used colourful papers to make a collage
portrait of Monroe. In Paete, Laguna, there numerous
wood sculptures of the famous Monroe in her white dress
being blown by the wind. The same figure is mass
produced using fiberglass and resin.
 What is essential to contemporary artists
therefore, is the process of art making. It is the
experience for example of dipping one’s hands into a
pail of paint and making marking’s on a flat surface
that matters to the contemporary artist. It is not how
much money they make out of the final work. It is the
movement in dance that matters, or the plot that is
communicated to the film viewers that is important.
STATEMENT
 Given these characteristics, it can be said that
contemporary art is a statement that an artist
makes about life, thoughts, ideas, beliefs, and
many other things that define human life.
 ASSIGNMENT

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Make your own artwork of your : “SELF PORTRAIT” in Triptych
2. Example is of Cagayan de Oro City’s Oscar Floriendo, 2009 artwork Self
Portrait. Triptych. Hologram. Photo transfer on pine wood. Coiled plastic
colored rattan. Winner, top 10 Mindanao-Philippine Art Award.

 A triptych is a work of art (usually a panel painting) that is divided

into three sections, or three carved panels that are hinged together
and can be folded shut or displayed open. It is therefore a type of
polyptych, the term for all multi-panel works. The middle panel is
typically the largest and it is flanked by two smaller related works,
although there are triptychs of equal-sized panels.

3. Use any materials in any art form in any contemprary art styles as long as
you have expressed who you are. (Example in: drawings, painting, sculpture,
photography, videography, etc. in environmental, expressionism, digital arts
etc.)
4. Write an essay about your self prortrait.
Deadline: Next meeting
Thank you!
Teacher Sumra
 Visual artist
Oscar Floriendo,
of Cagayan de
Oro City. 2009
artwork Self
Portrait. Triptych.
Hologram. Photo
transfer on pine
wood. Coiled
plastic colored
rattan. Winner,
top 10 Mindanao-
Philippine Art
Award.