Philippine Visual Arts: Ethnic Traditions PDF

MODULE: ARTS AND HUMANITIES Lesson 1 Philippine Visual Arts: Ethnic Traditions Pottery stands among one of the most ancient arts. The Manunggul Jar Manunggul Jar, excavated in Palawan. It is b...

MODULE: ARTS AND HUMANITIES Lesson 1 Philippine Visual Arts: Ethnic Traditions Pottery stands among one of the most ancient arts. The Manunggul Jar Manunggul Jar, excavated in Palawan. It is believed to have been made during the 8th century BC. It shows the high artistic level which the art attained in ancient times. This large burial jar has a cover showing two men rowing a boat, suggesting the belief among early Filipinos in an afterlife across a mythical body of water. Around its body is an incised design of curved lines and dots. Indeed, extant examples of early Philippine pottery display a wide variety of shapes and decorative techniques, including incision, stippling, applique, openwork, and impression by rope and mat. Designs are often geometric and include stylized nature motifs. In later years pottery would become more and more associated with objects for daily use, such as the palayok (clay pot) for cooking, and the banga and tapayan (clay pot) for storing liquids. In the Ilocos, the making of burnay pottery continues as a lively tradition. Burnay Pots Abel Weaving Weaving also originated from the precolonial times and remains as a precious living tradition. The Cordillera groups of the north are well-known for the art of weaving. With a backstrap loom, they produce blankets and articles of clothing that fulfill a practical function and also play a part in religion and ritual. This tradition is also found in the adjacent Ilocos provinces which take pride in their sturdy abel (weave). In Mindanao, the Tboli of Cotabato weave abaca cloth, called tnalak, in a difficult tie-dye process. This cloth has a large repertoire of motifs, such as the gmayaw bird, whose rhythms create the feeling of Tnalak Attire MODULE: ARTS AND HUMANITIES flapping wings, the frog which signifies fertility, and the dancing man which calls for rain. These motifs attest to the Tboli’s deep-seated sense of harmony between humans and nature. Weaving techniques are also used in the exquisite mats with vivid colors and intricate geometric designs woven by the women of Sulu, particularly from the islands of Laminusa and Siasi. In the Visayas, Samar and Leyte are known for colorful mats with bird and flower designs. The large mats are meant for family use and show the strength of family ties in this group. Other woven art pieces are baskets, hats, and fans. The Cordilleras are rich in baskets for all purposes, example, for rice planting on the mountain terraces, hunting in the forests, Sulu Mat and fishing in the streams. The pasiking or backpack, for instance, is both an Pasiking example of good design and of sound structure: the bag supports the human frame. Aside from baskets and containers related to hunting and agricultural activities, there are also many bamboo fish traps with shapes and sizes to suit the different species of fish found in the rivers. Many parts of the country have lively wood carving traditions. The Cordillera groups carve anito figures called bulul, which double as ancestral spirits and granary gods. Often found in pairs, these signify the value of fertility. Human and animal motifs are also carved into the posts of Cordillera houses and Bulul into household objects, like bowls, forks, and spoons. Sarimanok In southern Philippines, the Maranao and Tausug of Mindanao are known for their okir, ornate curvilinear designs and motifs applied to wood carving. The principal okir designs are the sarimanok, the naga, and the pako rabong. The sarimanok, carved in wood, simply varnished or painted in many colors, or sometimes executed in brass, is the stylized design of a bird holding a fish in its beak and/or standing on a base in the shape of a fish. While its meaning derives from epics and myths, it also alludes to MODULE: ARTS AND HUMANITIES Lake Lanao’s fertile waters. The naga has the form of an elaborate mythical serpent or dragon with a vigorous S-curve and numerous curvilinear motifs to suggest its scales. The pako rabong is a stylized growing fern with a broad base gracefully tapering upwards. The sarimanok and naga are found in the panolong, the extended floor beam, and the interior beams and posts of the large sultan’s house called torogan. Knife with Kulintang Set on Naga a Pako Rabong design assembly The Tagbanua of Palawan carve wooden handle figures of various birds and animals. Again, this is linked to religion and ritual, for birds in Tagbanua mythology are the messengers that link the many levels of heaven. Animals, like the pig and the wild boar, are the sacrificial offerings in A modern rituals. The wooden sculptures Maranao Torogan are blackened and incised with geometric designs that bring out the original light tone of the material. Jewelry, another ancient art, began as amulets and charms to ward off evil spirits and to give supernatural Ling-ling-o powers to the wearer. Later, jewelry assumed a purely ornamental character. The Cordillera groups have an ancient amulet design called the ling-ling-o. Said to signify fertility, this is found in necklaces, rings, and earrings. The T’boli wear some of the most splendid body ornaments of brass chains and bells; strings and nets of multicolored beads; and fine chains of horsehair forming neckpieces, earrings and rings, bracelets and anklets. Related to religious belief and to social function, body ornaments are worn to please the gods, to signify the status of the wearer and enhance her charms. A belt, made of a row of brass bells that tinkle with every movement, calls attention to he presence of a young marriageable girl. Often, jewelry is worn along with elaborate tattoos on and around the arms and legs. These permanent body designs use motifs expressive of the animist world view. To this day, anting-anting or talisman T’boli Accessories medals with their mystical symbols and figures in relief are MODULE: ARTS AND HUMANITIES worn by the local folk as amulets rather than as mere body ornaments. Mambabatok (Tatooist) Whang-od keeping Kalinga Tattoo Tradition Related to jewelry is metalwork in brass, bronze, alive gold, and silver done in the traditional lost-wax process which uses clay molds and liquefied metal. Native metalwork technology includes the use of the Malay forge with a blower. The T’boli make lively brass figurines which tell of their occupations, activities, work, and play. Brass vessels of varying shapes and elaborate geometric and curvi-linear designs are also produced by the Maranao for ceremonial purposes and as status symbols. Among these are the large gadur and the spouted liquid container or kendi—household objects often forming part of the wedding dowry. Again, these brass vessels combine practical function and aesthetic design. Also noteworthy is the variety of betel-nut boxes, many of them in metal, that attest to the Maranao Gadur widespread social custom of betel chewing often referred to in the epics and still extant among some Philippine groups. Maranao Kendi Many traditions dating back to precolonial times survive to the present day despite centuries of colonization. Many have survived because of the resistance of tribal communities to colonial Betel-nut Box a with compartments imposition. These traditions, which attest to the inexhaustible creativity of the people, have been a source for the creative expression of contemporary Filipino artists engaged in the search for a Filipino identity in art. MODULE: ARTS AND HUMANITIES Lesson 2 Philippine Visual Arts: Spanish Colonial Influences Religion as a Patron of the arts In the 16th century, Spanish colonizers aimed to replace indigenous culture with one in the image and likeness of Europe. Art became a handmaiden of religion, serving to propagate the Catholic faith and thus support the colonial order at the same time. Since the Church was the sole patron of the arts up to the 19th century, the practice of art came under the strict supervision of the friars who provided Western models for artists to copy. However, in time, what resulted was not a Western culture, but a colonial culture marked by a fusion of indigenous and Western elements. Printing by means of the xylographic method, which uses woodblocks, is of Chinese origin but was one of the first art forms popularized by the West in the country. The first books impressed and printed in this method were Doctrina christiana en lengua española y tagala (Christian Doctrine in the Spanish and Tagalog Languages), the Doctrina christiana en letra y lengua china (The The pictures of the book Christian Doctrine in the Chinese Script and Language), and the Apologia por la uses woodblock images impressed on verdadera religion (In Defense of the True Religion)—all of which were the paper (Xylography) while letters use the published by the Dominicans in 1593. traditional Printing Press (see previous lessons). Beginning from the 18th century, copper printing was widely used for illustrating books, such as novenas and the lives of saints. A number of Filipino engravers were recognized for their talent, among them Nicolas de la Cruz Bagay and Francisco Suarez, who proudly identified themselves as “Indio tagalo” when signing their works. The art of engraving was also put to use in cartography or map making, as in the map commissioned by Fr. Murillo Velarde in 1734, whose borders the artists ornamented with genre scenes, possibly the first secular images in colonial art. Miag-ao Fortress Church, Iloilo Province MODULE: ARTS AND HUMANITIES The folk penchant for decoration with local motifs asserted itself in the various arts, including painting, sculpture, and architecture. The churches built all over the country exhibit the blend of Philippine folk and European classical or baroque. For instance, the relief stone carvings on the facade of the Miag-ao Church in Iloilo, such as the figure of San Cristobal carrying Christ under a coconut tree, combine a lively folk motif with curving balustrade motifs and ornate medallions of baroque. The formal santos for churches crafted under the strict supervision of ecclesiastical authorities followed European aesthetic canons - prescribed proportions for the figure and conveyed the values of restraint and measure, while those showing baroque influence had an emotional, expressionistic character. However, informal or folk santos drew from the indigenous sculpture styles typified by the angular and squat anitos with round, bulging eyes. Church supervision of religious art existed precisely to prevent the entry of unorthodox elements. Yet it is clear that local artisans still managed to do things their way. Throughout the centuries of religious art, folk creative imagination insisted on asserting itself. Around the many fiestas, a multitude of folk arts developed with exuberant forms and colors. Among these were the parol (Christmas lantern), the palaspas (Lenten palm), the taka (papier Takas (Paper maché) of Paete maché animals), the tinapay ni San Nicolas (San Nicolas biscuit), the wrappers for pastillas (candy made from carabao milk), and brightly colored native delicacies. These Tinapay ni San Nicolas arts continue to the present especially in regional centers, such as Paete which produces wood carving and the taka—brightly colored papier maché figures usually depicting country maidens, chickens, carabaos, and horses with saddles and caparisons painted in floral designs. In Angono, another lakeshore town, the harvest festival brings out papier mache giants and carabaos in a parade. In the Quezon towns of Lucban and Sariaya, the Maytime fiesta of San Isidro Labrador decks the houses in kiping, colorful leaf shapes made of rice flour formed into chandeliers and floral arrangements. The kiping covers all available space, together MODULE: ARTS AND HUMANITIES with the harvest of fruits and grain, handicrafts, and other products of the town. The art of lantern making has culminated at present in the huge Christmas lanterns of San Fernando, Pampanga, which are virtual kaleidoscopes of color and movement synchronized to music. Wood carving as folk art is also practiced in the Laguna towns of Paete and Pakil, as well as in Betis, Pampanga. Paete wood-carvers have perfected the art of Kiping covered house, Lucban carving santos from native hardwoods. After the initial coating of glue and gesso (plaster of paris) to create a nonporous ground, the encarnador (finisher) gives the image a rosy lifelike hue or an ivory Santos making, Laguna finish. A neighboring town, Pakil, is known for its fans and toothpick trees of exquisite wood filigree, while the Betis wood-carvers of Pampanga apply their skills to furniture. Ati-atihan Festival, Aklan In the Visayas, another center of folk art related to church fiestas is Kalibo in Aklan where the Santo Niño is honored with the ati-atihan in January. The participants don the most spectacular costumes and headdresses in a combination of feathers, beads, and boar’s teeth as in primitive art, while their bodies are blackened with soot. In the towns of Marinduque, the Moriones festival dramatizes the story of Longinus and is characterized by wooden masks in strong colors to resemble Roman centurions with their towering headdresses. Secularization of Art Moriones Festival, Marinduque With the opening of the country to international trade in the mid-19th century, economic change came with cash-crop agriculture. Foreign merchant houses established themselves in Manila and stimulated the cash economy. The new situation enriched the merchants, moneylenders, and the landlords—mostly Chinese mestizos or half-breeds—who converted their lands from their traditional produce to the new export crops, like sugar, coffee, abaca, hemp, and copra. The quota system was MODULE: ARTS AND HUMANITIES introduced, thereby applying greater pressure on the peasant farmers. The surplus from the cash crops which accrued to the landlords soon gave rise to the ilustrado, which literally means “enlightened” or educated class, whose members became the new patrons of the arts. It was the ilustrados who gained access to higher education in local universities and, with the opening of the Suez Canal, in foreign shores. Their contact with European culture developed new tastes geared to Western aesthetics and created a class of connoisseurs for Western art forms. The cash-crop agriculture of the mid-19th century led to a boom in the building of the bahay na bato, the mansion of stone and wood which combined Replica of the Rizals’ Bahay na Bato at Calamba, Laguna indigenous features with classical and baroque elements. For their handsomely furnished interiors, the ilustrados commissioned portraits celebrating their social ascendance. The popular style of the age was called miniaturismo, derived from the miniaturist’s art which pays meticulous attention to the embroidery and textures of costumes, to fashion accessories and jewelry, and to domestic furnishings. These images reflect a dynamic stage in the development of the Filipino identity. Portrait of Dolores Paterno y Ignacio Along with portraiture, the first genre paintings by Justiniano appeared which saw the secularization of painting, Damian Asuncion Domingo opened his Tondo studio as the first art school, the Academia de Dibujo y Pintura. He was well known for his watercolor albums of tipos del pais, inhabitants of the archipelago representing the entire range of the social hierarchy dressed in the typical costumes of their occupation and social class. These paintings, done in the artist’s personal style of figuration, answered the demand of foreign visitors for local color. After Domingo’s death, the school was reopened under the supervision of the Junta de Comercio which brought over Spanish art professors from the peninsula. It was through them that the European classical tradition was introduced into the country. Furthermore, the school imported oil paintings and sculptures from Europe to serve as models for local students. MODULE: ARTS AND HUMANITIES The Academia produced many notable students and painting, among them were Juan Luna and Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo who later chose to pursue their art in Europe. The Madrid exposition of 1884 was a significant event for Filipino expatriate artists and for the Filipino Reformists in Spain. Luna won a gold medal for his Tipos del País (Types of the Country), a watercolor painting by Justiniano Asuncion depicting the inhabitants in the Philippines large-scale academic painting Spoliarium in their different native costumes that show their social status while Hidalgo garnered a silver medal and occupation during colonial times. for Las Virgenes Cristianas expuestas al populacho (Christian Virgins Exposed to the Populace). At the banquet honoring Luna and Hidalgo, Spoliarium Jose Rizal extolled the two artists for proving that Filipinos could hold their own in the world of art, thus winning one more point in the Reformists’ campaign for political equality. The subject of Luna’s Spoliarium can be interpreted as an allegory of imperial Rome corresponding to imperial Spain, with the image of the Romans dragging the dead gladiators symbolizing the Las Virgenes Cristianas expuestas al populacho colonial oppression of indigenous populations. The spoliarium was the basement hall of the Roman Colosseum where the dead and dying gladiators were dragged after the bloody games and despoiled of their last worldly effects. The other work, Hidalgo’s Virgenes, showed a group of captive Christian maidens persecuted and offered as slaves to leering men.