Unit 4: National Artists in the Philippines PDF

UNIT 4: National Artists in the Philippines Table of Contents Introduction 2 Lesson 1: Understanding the National Artists Award Jump Start 3 Lear...

UNIT 4: National Artists in the Philippines Table of Contents Introduction 2 Lesson 1: Understanding the National Artists Award Jump Start 3 Learn about It! 3 Check Your Understanding 8 Did You Know? 9 Lesson 2: Traditions and Collaborative Works of National Artists Jump Start 9 Learn about It! 10 Check Your Understanding 13 Let’s Create! 13 Check and Reflect 15 Wrap Up 16 Answers to Check Your Understanding 17 Bibliography 18 Glossary 18 1 GRADE 11/12 |Contemporary Philippine Arts for the Regions UNIT 4 National Artists in the Philippines In the previous lessons, we have learned that it is essential to view an artwork in connection with its context. With that in mind, it becomes necessary to understand the relationship of local artists and their artwork to the national scene. This conversation is largely held by major institutions and award-giving bodies like the National Artists Award. In this unit, we'll discuss another national award for artistic people in specific disciplines, such as the visual arts. Some of them have been mentioned earlier. In this study, we will take a closer look and try to understand the motives and influences particularly via collaboration and exchange, as people consider the National Artist Award in the context of society to which creators and nomination organizations are responsible. Learning Targets In this unit, you should be able to: explain Filipino artists’ roles and identify their contribution to contemporary arts; and evaluate contemporary art forms based on the elements and principles. 2  Lesson 1: Understanding the National Artist Award The NAA or the National Artists Awards remains to be the prestigious award giving panel in the Philippine art scene which was established in the year of 1972. The recipient of the award is automatically considered as an eminent national icon in the country. It is necessary to know the goals of NAA and how these winners are selected and what is the purpose of the event. Focus Group Discussion In groups of 4-6 members, come up with a set of guidelines for the NAA. These guidelines should answer: how do you think the NAA nominees be judged and qualified for the award? Answers should be in bullet form and should contain five criteria. Share your guidelines with the class. Learn about It! The NAA confers the purest degree of appreciation on famous painters for their notable artistic skills and literature. They are chosen from numerous organizational distinctions and appreciation tools. It is on par with the Gawad ng Manlilikha ng Bayan (GAMABA) and the National Scientist Award in terms of reputation. Every three years, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and the Cultural Center of the Philippines collaborate to present the award, which is the product of a thorough deliberation and screening cycle. President Ferdinand Marcos, issued Presidential Decree No. 1001 in 1972, establishing the NAA. The artist Fernando Amorsolo was the first recipient of the award which was given to him ceremonially. The institutionalization of the award created many changes. As of this moment, 66 awardees have been announced, representing 7 disciplines: (1) architecture, 3 design and allied arts (2) film and broadcast arts (3) visual arts (4) literature (5) dance (6) music and (7) theater. Other types, such as ancient writing and fashion design are listed in the NAA's tradition as a result of the president’s prerogative. Works of National Artists in Public Spaces: A Look at UP Diliman In universities across the country, a large range of works done by National Artists can be identified. The University of the Philippines (UP) campus in Diliman, Quezon, has a number of displays created by famous creative minds. The popular university icon is focused on Guillermo Tolentino's Oblation (1935), a geometric sculpture portraying a nude male with hands extended in an expression of sacrifice and freedom (awarded 1973). Guillermo Tolentino later made it rigid by bronze cast. In art, Tolentino, alongside Fernando Amorsolo (awarded 1972), is a proponent of the academic style. The Jorge B. Vargas Gallery in UP houses Amorsolo's nostalgic images of quaint scenery and idealized depictions of famous figures from the early 1900s era and Second World War. Quite apart from buildings or sculptures in national places, large numbers of Tolentino’s pieces are on display at the National Museum. Both National Artists were teachers at the University of the Philippines School of Fine Arts and were known for both their passion in art as well as teaching. Abdulmari Asia Imao's calligraphy artwork (awarded 2006) is one of his biggest international sculptures placed at the Vargas Museum. The sculpture was created in the 1980s. The UP Theatre has Benedicto Cabrera's (awarded 2006) classic Variations of Sabel (2015) constructed of aluminum sheets. Fig. 1.1. Oblation at Quezon Hall, UP Diliman. 4 Jose Joya (awarded 2003) who was a painter and Napoleon Abueva (awarded 1976) who was a sculptor, both with contemporary sensibilities, created collaborative pieces which later adorned the university's visual arts heritage. Joya’s mural in the Virata School of Business titled Barter of Panay (1978) is composed of alternating zones of black, white, orange, brown, and golden yellow in an Abstract Expressionist style. The strong color scheme provides ties to the myth while making human shapes, illustrating the exchange involving Datu Puti and King Marikudo, the former carrying gold accessories to buy the lowlands of Panay from the latter. Abueva's abstract sculpture Spirit of Business (1979), looks like something pulled out from science fiction as it consists of a metal disk with jagged spikes extending from it. Abueva also made enormous progress on public sculptures for the University, using a variety of resources such as wood, metal, and stones with styles varying from figurative tableaus to abstract sculptures that embrace the spirit of the academic unit. Joya and Abueva have a number of things in common like working at UP and serving as faculty and deans of the UP College of Fine Arts. When doing additional art research in the USA, the two were influenced by the era's modernist aesthetics. It's also important that Abueva and Joya were the representatives of the Philippines in the Venice Art Biennale 1964, which is considered to be the oldest international art event in the world. 5  Fig. 1.2. Exterior of the UP Chapel The Church of the Holy Sacrifice in UP Diliman was inaugurated in 1955. This is the first Catholic Church in the nation to use a circular architecture with a thin shell dome. The circular architecture was made possible by rigorous mathematical calculations and the increasing prominence of concrete as a manufacturing material for buildings. It is different from the rectangular shape of many other churches that were made of transept and nave structures. The architectural vision of Leandro Locsin (awarded 1990) was inspired by the spirit of time. The spherical structure was symbolized as reminiscent of a flying saucer and was highly focused towards space travel and scientific and technological developments of the 1950s. 6  Fig. 1.3.Jesus carrying the cross, Stations of the Cross mural by Vicente Manansala. The National Historical Institute (now known as the National Historical Commission of the Philippines) recognizes the Church as a National Historical Landmark and the National Museum recognizes it as a Cultural Treasure. It brings together the creations of five National Artists—Locsin for architecture and four additional modernists for visual arts. The works of all these artists are on display in the chapel building. The double-sided crucifix sculpted in hardwood by Abueva stands above the circular altar in the center. One side of the cross depicts the crucifixion of Jesus, and the other vantage point depicts an image of the resurrected Christ. A terrazzo floor work from Arturo Luz (awarded 1997) is another work of the Modernist style. It shows the end of the rivers at the altar in a whirling pattern of planar forms. Artistically speaking, the use of flat and angular forms resonates with 15 Stations of the Cross, which are murals made by Vicente Manansala (awarded 1981) with the help of Ang Kiukok (awarded 2001). Christ and his passion are portrayed with a slightly distorted figure—limbs are elongated and volumes are shown in solid, hard-edged forms that give cubistic quality to the compositions. In 1968, the leading composer, musician and ethnomusicologist, Jose Maceda (awarded 1997) who was also declared National Artist for 7 Music, played on this cutting-edge structure. Maceda's Pagsamba was composed of hundreds of mixed voices of indigenous musical instruments, such as bamboo buzzers, clappers and whistle flutes; and a prayer sung in Tagalog was incorporated. He also created the UP Center of Ethnomusicology in the Philippines and Southeast Asia, where he donated his valuable collections of sound recordings, field notes, and other material on ethnomusicology. The UNESCO Memory of the World recognised the importance of the Maceda Archives. Check Your Understanding Recall 1. The iconic school symbol of UP relies on the __________ (1935), an iconic sculpture by the highly accomplished visual artist Guillermo Tolentino (awarded 1973), depicts a human body with hands extended as a sign of devotion and liberation. 2. Joya's ___________1978 mural in the Virata School of Business is composed of smooth, alternating zones of dark, sunny, tangerine, maroon, and bright gold, and is an example of Expressionism. 3. Maceda's __________ included chantings sung in Tagalog, as well as a thousand combined vocals and local percussion devices such as broom whistles, ringers, and horn accordions. Application 4. What are the cultural offices that do rigorous deliberation and selection process of the NAA? 5. What are the seven disciplinal areas of NAA? Synthesis 6. What is the role of the NAA to the Filipino public? 8  Lesson 2: Traditions and Collaborative Works of National Artists Although artists may deliver results on their own, creative partnerships aid in the development of projects that include extensive production work. You will discover how various NAA recipients work with many other artists to incorporate their designs into a unified artwork and how NAA receivers contributed to the art as a collective in this section. 9  Think-Pair-Share In pairs, discuss the question: do the NAA recipients have any responsibility to the Philippine art scene? Share ideas and present what you have discussed in front of the class. Learn about It! Fig. 2.1. Film still from Genghis Khan played and directed by Manuel Conde, set and costume design by Carlos Francisco 10 In the art field, such as in film or theater, a collaborative spirit is required. In many of his productions, actor, director, and producer Manuel Conde (awarded 2009) collaborated with Carlos V. Francisco (awarded 1973). The renowned Genghis Khan (1950), which depicted the epic journey of a Mongolian conqueror, was one of these movies. This was shot in Francisco's hometown of Angono. Francisco's innovative stage architecture supplemented Conde's cinematic perspective, yet he is better recognized for his majestic murals. The movie was played at numerous movie festivals around the world and was converted into 16 languages for global distribution. Venice Biennale in 2015 served as the venue for its latest screening. Interestingly, many National Artists contributed to the pop-rock opera Tales of the Manuvu, which was performed at the CCP in 1985. As per the origins of Manobo, the scholar, poet, teacher and National literature Artist Bienvenido Lumbera (awarded 2006) wrote the libretto, while the performances were choreographed by National Artist Alice Reyes (awarded 2014). She is the founder of the Philippines Ballet. Being a National Artist for Theater, the costume and stage design were handled by Salvador Bernal (awarded in 2003). It represented a fusion of styles previously thought to relate to separate domains as ballet and opera at one end and; popular music and folk music on the other end. Noong Unang Panahon, a melancholic reminiscence of environmental change that is still convincing in contemporary settings, has been one of the compositions popularized by this production. Moving images and the performance arts are often based on narratives from current literary texts. Producers have been tasked with creating variations for the cinema based on the combined drawings and tales popularized by the influential Francisco V. Coching (awarded 2014) in comics. In the late nineties, for example, before the appearance of the fantaserye (fantasy series) on national TV, the young superhero, Pedro Penduko, first appeared in Liwayway's comics in Coching's work. It was animated in 1954 by Gerardo de Leon, a national film artist (awarded 1982). Nick Joaquin, a poet, novelist, and playwright who was named National Artist in Literature in 1976, penned A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino in 1950. The plot depicts a painting of the same name. The film was devoted to the two unmarried daughters of a crippled artist, Candida, and Paula. The drawing caught the eye of people who were interested in the works of a formerly famous painter and earned a variety of opinions on it. The film, based on pre-war Intramuros, explores the plight of artists and the nostalgia for 11 “peace” and glory days in Manila. Lamberto Avellana, National Artist for Film , developed it for the big screen in 1965 (awarded 1976). Daisy Hontiveros Avellana, National Artist for Theater (awarded 1999) who was his spouse and director, portrayed the protagonist (Candida Marasigan) in both screen and theatre. The collaborative spirit demonstrated by these NAA awardees is a testament to the importance of art in society. This indicates that art and its artists are not isolated in their own universe, but instead cooperate with other artists' creations and are recognizable to society. This provides art a social dimension, which is vital to keep in mind when considering an award like the NAA. The NAA is a Presidential decree-based prize, given by two main artistic agencies, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and the Cultural Center of the Philippines. This means that NAA exists primarily to promote the Philippine art scene. It aims not only to acknowledge the artists and their creations, but also to enable a national discourse around the artworld. 12  Check Your Understanding Recall 1. What year was the National Artist for Theatre granted to Salvador Bernal? 2. Recounting the origins of the Manobo people, the scholar, poet, and teacher Bienvenido Lumbera, National Artist for Literature (awarded 2006) wrote the ________. Application 3. What is the role of collaboration in film or theatre? 4. What is Nick Joaquin’s The Portrait of the Artist as Filipino about? Synthesis 5. What is the role of the NAA to the Philippine art scene? Let’s Create! Divide the class into seven groups. Each group must prepare a 10 minute presentation covering one of the NAA’s seven disciplinal areas, namely: (1) architecture, design, and allied arts (2) film and broadcast arts (3) visual arts (4) literature (5) dance (6) music, and (7) theater.During the presentation, the following must be observed: Discuss the most significant recipients of the award, but not necessarily all the recipients of the award. Aide your presentation with visual aids. Make sure to include images of the artists and their artwork, if applicable. In presenting the recipients, make sure to discuss the following questions: a. Why was the award granted to the recipients? b. Do you think these recipients deserve the NAA? c. How have the recipients and their artworks affected national discourse and the 13  Philippine art scene? The presentation will be graded based on the following criteria: 4 3 2 1 Traits: 100-75 75-50 50-25 25-0 The The The Barely any rigor Rigor and presentation presentation presentation in research was quality of exhibited exhibited exhibited the evident research significantly satisfactory rigor minimum rigorous in research required effort research in research Quality of The The The The information information presentation presentation presentation included was not discussed showcased high showcased showcased of quality and quality and quality and average quality was not relevant relevant of information necessarily information information relevant to the presentation Audience Audience Audience Audience Audience was engagement remained remained engagement was barely, if at all, engaged all engaged significantly engaged throughout the throughout wavering throughout the presentation most parts of throughout the presentation the presentation presentation Overall The The The The presentation presentation presentation presentation presentation was clear, high was clear and of was of average was unclear, of 14  quality, and decent quality quality and poor quality, and well-prepared with room for called for called for major for improvement improvement improvement Total:_____ Comments and Remarks: Check and Reflect I think I need more I have a minimal I am confident that I Skills time and assistance. understanding of it. can do this with ease. I know the process behind the NAA I know the importance of the NAA I can name recipients of the NAA Reflect I find __________________________ the most interesting because ______________________. I got ____ checks because _______________________________________________________. I need to improve on _______________________because _____________________________. I need to practice _________________________ because _____________________________. I plan to _____________________________________________________________________. 15 Wrap Up 16  Answers to Check Your Understanding Lesson 1: Understanding the National Artists Award 1. Oblation 2. Barter of Panay 3. Pagsamba 4. Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) 5. Architecture, design and allied arts; film and broadcast arts; visual arts; literature; dance; music; theater Lesson 2: Traditions and Collaborative Works of National Artists 1. 2003 2. Libretto Photo Credits Guillmero Tolentino, Oblation at Quezon Hall, 1935, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oblation_(statue) Vicente Manansala & Ang Kuikok, stations of the Cross V: Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry the Cross, 1955-56, https://lakansining.wordpress.com/2016/12/13/university-of-the-philippines-quezon-city-the-a rt-of-the-parish-of-the-holy-sacrifice/08e-1955-56-vicente-manansala-ang-kuikok-stations-of-th e-cross-v-simon-of-cyrene-helps-jesus-carry-the-cross/ 17  Bibliography Datuin, Flaudette May, Roberto Paulino, Eileen Legaspi-Ramirez and Louise Marcelino. Contemporary Philippine Arts from the Regions. Manila: Rex Book Store, 2016. Datuin, Flaudette May, Brenda Fajardo, Patrick Flores, Alice Guillermo, Rosa Maria Icagasi, Regalado, Jose, Elena Mirano, Elenita Ordoñez and Norma Respicio. Art and Society. Quezon City: University of the Philippines Press, 1997. "Order of National Artists." National Commission for Culture and the Arts. January 7, 2015. Accessed February 15, 2018. http://ncca.gov.ph/about-culture-and-arts/culture-profile/national-artists-of-the-philippi nes/. Tiongson, Nicanor. CCP Encyclopedia of Philippine Arts. Pasay: Cultural Center of the Philippines, 1994. Tiongson, Nicanor. Tuklas Sining: Essays on Philippine Arts. Pasay: Cultural Center of the Philippines, 1991. Glossary Libretto: It is the text of a work (such as an opera) for the musical theater Modernist: It is the modern artistic or literary philosophy and practice; especially self-conscious break with the past and a search for new forms of expression Tableau: It is a depiction of a scene usually presented on a stage by silent and motionless costumed participants 18