Philippine Hispanic Art (1565-1700)

Study Notes

Spanish culture and religion influenced portraiture in the Philippines, combining with local traditions (ikon + imagen) and (bua + larawan) to create Philippine colonial art.
The primary purpose of Hispanic art was to promote Christianity, similar to Philippine pre-Hispanic art.
Chinese migrants were the first artists in the Philippines, introducing techniques such as ivory sculpture, which became a unique Philippine contribution to Hispanic art.
Features of colonial art include:
- Flowing drapery
- Almond eyes
- Soft brushworks
- Emphasis on line rather than light and shadow

Indio sculptors and carvers were commissioned to create icons for newly built churches.
The "popular" style of religious sculpture emerged from the combination of indigenous traditions and Christian forms.
Painters, both Chinese and Indios, were employed to animate the works of santo-makers, initially making painting subordinate to sculpture.

Juan de los Santos of San Pablo, Laguna (ca. 1590-ca. 1660) was a notable Filipino sculptor who created a huge retablo now in the San Agustin Museum.
Unknown artists created works such as "Blessed Trinity" (late 18th-early 19th century), "Immaculate Conception" (17th century), and "Santo Cristo" (17th century).
Damian Domingo created works such as "La Sagrada Familia" (ca. 1830) and "Una Mestiza Mercadera de Manila" (ca. 1830).

The 18th century was the formative period of Philippine art.
Common subjects of religious painting and sculpture reflected Filipino social values and circumstances.
A three-generation Holy Family motif emerged, emphasizing the importance of family in Filipino culture.
Patron saints were assigned to each town and barrio, becoming the devotional object of each year's local fiesta.

Francisco Suarez (ca. 1690-ca. 1760) and Nicolas de la Cruz Bagay (1702-ca. 1765) were leading Filipino engravers who created genre and religious works, showcasing different racial and social classes.
The printmakers/engravers were the first Filipino artists to sign their work and reproduce brown Madonnas like the Nuestra Señora de Guia (1711).

Colonial painting began to flourish in the late 18th century as interest in black-and-white prints declined.
The policies of King Charles III of Spain nurtured the growth of colonial painting in the Philippines.
King Charles III dispatched scientific expeditions to record the flora and fauna, as well as the customs of the Filipino.
Tipos del Pais (human types of the country) became a fresh topic of local artists.
The Conquest of Batanes was the earliest known painting of a Philippine historical episode.

Faustino Quiotan (ca. 1770-1825) was a Chinese mestizo who showed emotion in his subjects.
Damian Domingo (ca. 1790-1832) was a Filipino master of the early 19th century who set up the first private art school in the country in 1821.
Filipino portraiture came of age in the 19th century.
In 1823, the Real Sociedad Economica founded an art school, which was offered to Domingo in 1826 and known as Academia de Debujo.