Contemporary

Philippine Arts from

the Regions
Quarter 2 – Module 8:
National Artists for Visual Arts:
Architecture, Design & Allied
Arts
 Copyright Page

Writer:

MIMILANIE B. MABOLOC
Master Teacher I, Doña Carmen Denia NHS
Davao City Division, Davao City

Evaluators:

LIBERT A. DIGAO
Teacher I
Davao City Division, Davao City

ALWIN M. MUSA
Teacher II, Sta. Ana National High School
Davao City Division, Davao City

ELSIE E. GAGABE, PhD

Education Program Supervisor
Davao City Division, Davao City

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 National Artists for
Visual Arts
Architecture, Design and Allied Arts

Information about this ADM learner’s material

I. Objectives: The learner demonstrates understanding of

Ia. Content Standards
the significant roles of artists from the regions

Ib. Performance Standards The learner creates avenues to advocate the

arts from the different region

. Ic. Learning Competencies/ 1. Explains Filipino artists’ roles and identify

Objectives
their contribution to contemporary art

a. Visual Arts (CAR11/12CAP-0c -e-5)

b. Architecture, Design and Allied Arts

(CAR11/12CAP-0c -e-5)

II. Content / Topic National Artists

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 Good day everyone! Are you ready to learn more about the

Philippines’ brightest stars when it comes to the field of arts?

Sounds exciting, right?

If there is one country in Southeast Asia that has a lot to

exhibit when it comes to various art forms, the Philippines could take

a stand. A country with a broader and more dynamic artistic

community than any other Southeast Asian nations because it has

various cultural heritages.

In this lesson, we will get to know national artists in visual arts

and architecture and allied arts. These are artists whose

contributions resulted in the applause of the world, thus inspiring the

younger generation of our time.

In this quarter, we aim to achieve the following:

1. Recognize Philippines’ national artists of for

visual arts and architecture and allied arts.

2. Explain the roles of national artists in

contemporary arts.

3. Identify their contributions to contemporary arts.

4. Value the significance of the contributions of

Introduction
national artists Lesson
to the 1:lives of the
National Filipino
Artists

people.
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 The colonial past and broad contemporary culture of the Philippines

are wide influences of the country’s art (Bhandari, 2018). The great artworks of

Filipino national artists to the country and the world mirrors these influences.

Imagination and skills carried by an intense drive to greatness to their field

were typical among the national artists. Thus, the land gives them the highest

recognition. The works of these contemporary artists significantly contributed to the

development of arts in the country (NCCA, 2020).

Young artists can take inspiration from the roles of national artists and gain

the courage to go to distance and contribute the same way these artists did in the

country.

Now, let’s accomplish the following

activities. It will only take a couple of

minutes.

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Whose Masterpiece Am I?

Instruction: Look at the pictures below. Make a guess who is the artist behind each

work of art. Choose the artist from the names inside the box. Write your answer on

the space provided at the bottom of each image.

Vicente Manansala Francisco Mañosa

Fernando Amorsolo Arturo Luz

Leandro V. Locsin Abdulmari Asia Imao

Carlos “Botong” Francisco Napoleon Abueva

Benedicto “Bencab” Cabrera Ang Kiukok

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7
 B. Analysis

1. How do you describe the pictures above?

2. How does one contribute to the development of art in a country?

3. Do you think that the artists behind the images have significant roles in the

Philippines’ contemporary arts? Why?

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 Now it’s time to know more facts about our

topic. I am sure it will help you further in

achieving our objectives in this lesson.

Order of National Artists: Visual Arts

Source: National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA)

ww
FERNANDO AMORSOLO
National Artist for Visual Arts
(May 30, 1892 – April 24, 1972)

The country had its first National Artist in Fernando C.

Amorsolo. The official title “Grand Old Man of Philippine Art”

was bestowed on Amorsolo when the Manila Hilton inaugurated

its art center on January 23, 1969, with an exhibit of a selection of his works.

Returning from his studies abroad in the 1920s, Amorsolo developed the

backlighting technique that became his trademark were figures, a

cluster of leaves, a spill of hair, the swell of breast, are seen aglow

on canvas. This light, Nick Joaquin opines, is the rapture of a

sensualist utterly in love with the earth, with the Philippine sun,

and is an accurate expression of Amorsolo’s own exuberance. His

Dalagang Bukid, 1936 by
Fernando Amorsolo

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citation underscores all his years of creative activity which have “defined and

perpetuated a distinct element of the nation’s artistic and cultural heritage”.

Among others, his major works include the following: Maiden in a

Stream(1921)-GSIS collection; El Ciego (1928)-Central Bank of the Philippines

collection; Dalagang Bukid (1936) – Club Filipino collection; The Mestiza (1943) –

National Museum of the Philippines collection; Planting Rice (1946)-UCPB

collection; Sunday Morning Going to Town (1958)-Ayala Museum Collection.

HERNANDO R. OCAMPO

National Artist for Visual Arts (1991)

(April 28, 1911 – December 28, 1978)

A self-taught painter, Hernando R. Ocampo was a leading

member of the pre-war Thirteen Moderns, the group that charted

the course of modern art in the Philippines. His works provided an understanding

and awareness of the harsh social realities in the

country immediately after the Second World War

and contributed significantly to the rise of the

nationalist spirit in the post-war era. It was,

Man and Carabao, 1969
however, his abstract works that left an indelible Hernando R. Ocampo

mark on Philippine modern art. His canvases evoked the lush Philippine landscape,

its flora and fauna, under the sun and rain in fierce and bold colors. He also played a

pivotal role in sustaining the Philippine Art Gallery, the country’s first.

Ocampo’s acknowledged masterpiece Genesisserved as the basis of the

curtain design of the Cultural Center of the Philippines Main Theater. His other major

works include Ina ng Balon, Calvary, Slum Dwellers, Nude with Candle and

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Flower, Man and Carabao, Angel’s Kiss, Palayok at Kalan, Ancestors,Isda at

Mangga, The Resurrection, Fifty-three “Q”, Backdrop, Fiesta.

BENEDICTO ‘BENCAB’ CABRERA

National Artist for Visual Arts (2006)

“Bencab,” upheld the primacy of drawing over the

decorative color. He started his career in the mid-sixties as a

lyrical expressionist. His solitary figures of scavengers emerging from a dark

landscape were piercing stabs at the social conscience of a people long inured to

poverty and dereliction.

Bencab’s exploration of form, finding his way out of the

late neo-realism and high abstraction of the sixties to be able

to reconsider the potency of figurative expression had held out

vital options for Philippine art in the Martial Law years in the

seventies through the contemporary era.

Waiting for the Monsoon,
1986 by Bencab
Selected works:

Madonna with Objects, 1991

Studies of Sabel, dyptych, 1991

People Waiting, 1989

The Indifference, 1988

Waiting for the Monsoon, 1986

CARLOS “BOTONG” FRANCISCO

National Artist for Painting (1973)
(November 4, 1912 – March 31, 1969)

Carlos “Botong” Francisco, the poet of Angono,

single-handedly revived the forgotten art of mural and remained

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its most distinguished practitioner for nearly three decades. He was invariably linked

with the “modernist” artists, forming with Victorio C. Edades and Galo Ocampo what

was then known in the local art circles as “The Triumvirate”. Botong’s unerring eye

for composition, the lush tropical sense of color and abiding faith in the folk values

typified by the townspeople of Angono became the hallmark of his art.

His other major works include the

following: Portrait of Purita, The Invasion of

Limahong, Serenade, Muslim

Betrothal, Blood Compact, First Mass at

Magpupukot, 1957 by
Limasawa, The Martyrdom of Rizal, Carlos "Botong" Francisco

Bayanihan, Magpupukot, Fiesta, Bayanihan sa Bukid, Sandugo.

CESAR LEGASPI
National Artist for Visual Arts (1990)
(April 2, 1917 – April 7, 1994)

A pioneer “Neo-Realist” of the

country, Cesar Legaspi is remembered for his

singular achievement of refining cubism in the

Philippine context. Legaspi belonged to the so-called “Thirteen

Moderns” and later, the “Neo-realists”. His distinctive style and Gadgets, 1949 by
Cesar Legaspi
daring themes contributed significantly to the advent and eventual

acceptance of modern art in the Philippines. Legaspi made use of the geometric

fragmentation technique, weaving social comment and juxtaposing the mythical and

modern into his overlapping, interacting forms with disturbing power and intensity.

Among his works are Gadgets I, Gadgets II, Diggers, Idols of the Third

Eye, Facade, Ovary, Flora and Fauna, Triptych,Flight, Bayanihan,

Struggle,Avenging Figure,TurningPoint, Peace, The Survivor, The Ritual.

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 ABDULMARIASIAIMAO
National Artist for Visual Arts (2006)
(January 14, 1936 – December 16, 2014)

A native of Sulu, Abdulmari Asia Imao is a sculptor,

painter, photographer, ceramist, documentary filmmaker, cultural

researcher, writer, and articulator of Philippine Muslim art and

culture. Through his works, the indigenous ukkil, sarimanok and naga motifs have

been popularized and instilled in the consciousness of the Filipino nation and other

peoples as original Filipino creations.

With his large-scale sculptures and monuments of Muslim and regional

heroes and leaders gracing selected sites from Batanes to Tawi-tawi, Imao has

helped develop among cultural groups trust and

confidence necessary for the building of a more

just and humane society.

Selected works:
Sarimanok by Abdulmari Asia Imao
Industry Brass Mural, Philippine National Bank,

San Fernando, La Union Mural Relief on Filmmaking, Manila City Hall Industrial

Mural, Central Bank of the Philippines, San Fernando, La Union Sulu

Warriors (statues of Panglima Unaid and Captain Abdurahim Imao), 6 ft., Sulu

Provincial Capitol.

ARTURO LUZ
National Artist for Visual Arts
(1997)

Arturo Luz, painter,

sculptor, and designer for more

than 40 years, created

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masterpieces that exemplify an ideal of sublime austerity in expression and form.

From the Carnival series of the late 1950s to the recent Cyclist paintings, Luz

produced works that elevated Filipino aesthetic vision to new heights of sophisticated

simplicity. By establishing the Luz Gallery that professionalized the art gallery as an

institution and set a prestigious influence over generations of Filipino artists.

Among his other significant paintings are Bagong Taon, Vendador de

Flores, Skipping Rope, Candle Vendors, Procession, Self-Portrait, Night

Glows,Grand Finale, Cities of the Past, Imaginary Landscapes. His mural

painting Black and White is displayed in the lobby of the CCP’s Bulwagang Carlos

V. Francisco (Little Theater). His sculpture of a stainless steel cube is located in front

of the Benguet Mining Corporation Building in Pasig.

NAPOLEONABUEVA
National Artist for Sculpture (1976)
(January 26, 1930 – February 16, 2018)

At 46 then, Napoleon V.

Abueva, a native of Bohol, was the

youngest National Artist awardee. Kiss of Judas, 1955 by

Napoleon Abueva

Considered as the Father of Modern Philippine Sculpture, Abueva helped shape the

local sculpture scene to what it is now. Being adept in either academic

representational style or modern abstract, he has utilized almost all kinds of

materials from hardwood (molave, acacia, langka wood, ipil, kamagong, palm wood

and bamboo) to adobe, metal, stainless steel, cement, marble, bronze, iron,

alabaster, coral and brass. Among the early innovations, Abueva introduced in 1951

was what he referred to as “buoyant sculpture” — sculpture meant to be appreciated

from the surface of a placid pool. In the ’80s, Abueva put up a one-man show at the

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Philippine Center, New York. His works have been installed in different museums

here and abroad, such as The Sculpture at the United Nations headquarters in New

York City.

Some of his major works include Kaganapan (1953), Kiss of

Judas (1955),Thirty Pieces of Silver, The Transfiguration (1979), Eternal Garden

Memorial Park, UP Gateway (1967), Nine Muses (1994), UP Faculty

Center, Sunburst (1994)-Peninsula Manila Hotel, the bronze figure of Teodoro M.

Kalaw in front of National Library, and murals in marble at the National Heroes

Shrine, Mt. Samat, Bataan.

J. ELIZALDE NAVARRO
National Artist for Visual Arts (1999)
(May 22, 1924 – June 10, 1999)

J. (Jeremias) Elizalde

Navarro was born on May 22, 1924 in

Antique. He is a versatile artist, being both

A Flying Contraption
for Mr. Icarus, 1984
a proficient painter and sculptor. His devotion to the visual arts by J. Elizalde Navarro

spanned 40 years of drawing, printmaking, graphic designing, painting and sculpting.

His masks carved in hardwood merge the human and the animal; his paintings

consists of abstracts and figures in oil and watercolor, and his assemblages fuse

found objects and metal parts. He has done a series of figurative works drawing

inspiration from Balinese art and culture, his power as a master of colors largely

evident in his large four-panel The Seasons (1992: Prudential Bank collection).

A Navarro sampler includes his ’50s and ’60s fiction illustrations for This

Week of the Manila Chronicle, and the rotund, India-ink figurative drawings for Lydia

Arguilla’s storybook, Juan Tamad. Three of his major mixed media works are I’m

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Sorry Jesus, I Can’t Attend Christmas This Year (1965), and his Homage to

Dodjie Laurel (1969: Ateneo Art Gallery collection), and A Flying Contraption for

Mr. Icarus (1984: Lopez Museum).

FRANCISCO COCHING
National Artist for Visual Arts (2014)
(January 29, 1919 – September 1, 1998)

Acknowledged as the “Dean of Filipino Illustrators” and

son of noted Tagalog novelist and comics illustrator Gregorio

Coching, Francisco Coching was a master storyteller ― in

images and in print. He synthesized images and stories informing Philippine folk and

popular imagination of culture. His career spanned four decades.Starting his career

in 1934, he was a central force in the formation of the popular art form of comics. He

was a part of the golden age of Filipino comics in the ’50s and ’60s. Until his early

retirement in 1973, Coching mesmerized the comics-reading public as well as his

fellow artists, cartoonists, and writers.

The source of his imagery can be traced to the Philippine culture from the

19th century to the 1960s. His works reflected the dynamics

brought about by the racial and class conflict in Philippine

colonial society in the 19th century, a theme that continued to be

dealt with for a long time in Philippine cinema. He valorized the

indigenous, untrammeled Filipino in Lapu-Lapu and Sagisag ng Lapu-lapu, 1954 by

Francisco Coching
Lahing Pilipino, and created the types that affirm the native

sense of self in his Malay heroes of stunning physique. His women are beautiful and

gentle, but at the same time can be warrior-like, as in Marabini (Marahas na Binibini)

or the strong seductive, modern women of his comics in the 50s and 60s.

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 Other works include Haring Ulopong. Movie Fan, Pusakal, Talipandas,Gigolo,

and Maldita, Dimasalang and El Vibora.

VICTORIO EDADES
National Artist for Painting (1976)
(December 23, 1895 – March 7, 1985)

Painting distorted

human figures in rough, bold

impasto strokes, and standing tall

and singular in his advocacy and practice of what he

believes is the creative art, Victorio C. The Sketch, 1928 by Victorio Edades

Edades emerged as the “Father of Modern Philippine

Painting”.

In the 1930s, Edades taught at the University of Santos Tomas and became

dean of its Department of Architecture where he stayed for three full decades. It was

during this time that he introduced a liberal arts program that offers subjects as art

history and foreign languages that will lead to a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts. This

development brought about a first in Philippine education since art schools then were

vocational schools.

It was also the time that Edades invited Carlos “Botong” Francisco and Galo B.

Ocampo to become professor artists for the university. The three, who would later be

known as the formidable “Triumvirate”, led the growth of mural painting in the

country.”

Among his works are The Sketch, The Artist and the Model, Portrait of the

Professor, Japanese Girl, Mother and Daughter, The Wrestlers, and Poinsettia

Girl.

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 ANG KIUKOK
National Artist for Visual Arts (2001)
(March 1, 1931 – May 9, 2005)

Born to immigrant Chinese parents

Vicente Ang and Chin Lim, Ang Kiukok is one of

the most vital and dynamic figures who emerged

during the 60s. As one of those who came at the heels of the
Seated Figure, 1979
pioneering modernists during that decade, Ang Kiukok blazed a by Ang Kiukok

formal and iconographic path of his own through expressionistic works of high visual

impact and compelling meaning.

He crystallized in vivid, cubistic figures the terror and angst of the times.

Shaped in the furnace of the political turmoil of those times, Ang Kiukok pursued an

expression imbued with nationalist fervor and sociological agenda.

Some of his works include Geometric Landscape (1969); Pieta, which won

for him the bronze medal in the 1st International Art Exhibition held in Saigon (1962);

and the Seated Figure (1979), auctioned at Sotheby’s in Singapore. His works can

be found in many major art collections, among them the Cultural Center of the

Philippines, National Historical Museum of Taipei, and the National Museum in

Singapore. Ang Kiukok died on May 9, 2005

JOSE JOYA
National Artist for Visual Arts
(2003)
(June 3, 1931 – May 11, 1995)

Jose Joya is a

painter and multimedia artist who

Hills of Nikko, 1964 by Jose Joya
distinguished himself by creating an authentic Filipino

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abstract idiom that transcended foreign influences. Most of Joya’s paintings of

harmonious colors were inspired by Philippine landscapes, such as green rice

paddies and golden fields of harvest. His use of rice paper in collages placed value

on transparency, a common characteristic of folk art. The curvilinear forms of his

paintings often recall the colorful and multilayered ‘kiping’ of the Pahiyas festival. His

important mandala series was also drawn from Asian aesthetic forms and concepts.

He espoused the value of kinetic energy and spontaneity in painting which

became significant artistic values in Philippine art. His paintings clearly show his

mastery of ‘gestural paintings’ where the paint is applied intuitively and

spontaneously, in broad brush strokes, using brushes or spatula or is directly

squeezed from the tube and splashed across the canvas. His 1958 landmark

painting Granadean Arabesque, a work on canvas big enough to be called a mural,

features swipes and gobs of impasto and sand. The choice of Joya to represent the

Philippines in the 1964 Venice Biennial itself represents a high peak in the rise of

modern art in the country.

Among them are his compositions Beethoven Listening to the

Blues, and Space Transfiguration, and other works like Hills of

Nikko, Abstraction, Dimension of Fear, Naiad, Torogan, Cityscape.

VICENTE MANANSALA
National Artist for Painting (1981)
(January 22, 1910 – August 22,
1981)

Vicente Manansala‘s

paintings are described as visions of

Market Vendors, 1949 by
Vicente Manansala
reality teetering on the edge of abstraction. As a young

boy, his talent was revealed through the copies he made of the Sagrada Familia and

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his mother’s portrait that he copied from a photograph. After finishing the fine arts

course from the University of the Philippines, he ran away from home and later found

himself at the Philippines Herald as an illustrator. It was there that Manansala

developed a close association with Hernando R. Ocampo, Cesar Legaspi, and

Carlos Botong Francisco, the latter being the first he admired most. For Manansala,

Botong was a master of the human figure.

He trained in Paris and at Otis School of Drawing in Los Angeles. Manansala

believes that the beauty of art is in the process, in the moment of doing a particular

painting, closely associating it with the act of making love. “The climax is just when

it’s really finished.”

Manansala’s works include A Cluster of Nipa Hut, San Francisco Del

Monte, Banaklaot, I Believe in God, Market Vendors, Madonna of the

Slums, Still Life with Green Guitar, Via Crucis, Whirr, Nude.

Lauro “Larry” Alcala

National Artist for Visual Arts (2018)
(August 18, 1926-June 24, 2002)

His comic

strips spiced up the slices of

Filipino lives with witty illustrations executed

throughout his 56 years of cartooning. He

Aksiong Aksaya by Larry Alcala

created over 500 characters and 20 comic strips in widely circulated publications.

Alcala’s most iconic work, Slice of Life, not only made for decades long of widely

circulated images of Filipino everyday life, it also symbolically became an

experiential way for his followers to find a sense of self in the midst of an often

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cacophonic, raucous and at odds environment that Filipinos found themselves

amidst.

Notable Works:

Slice of Life Weekend 1980-1986

Asiong Aksaya, Daily Express, Tagalog Klasiks, 1976-1984

Smolbatteribols, Darna Komiks 1972-1984

Siopawman, Daily Express, 1972-1983, 2002

Kalabogesyons, Pilipino Komiks, 1966-1972

Congressman Kalog, Aliwan Komiks, 1966-1972

Baryo Pogspak, Holiday Komiks, 1966-1972

Loverboy, Redondo Komiks, 1964-1969

Mang Ambo, Weekly Graphic, 1963-1965

Kalabog en Bosyo, Pilipino Komiks, 1949-1983

Islaw Palitaw, 1946-1948

FEDERICO AGUILAR ALCUAZ

National Artist for Visual Arts (2009)
(June 6, 1932 –February 2, 2011)

Federico Aguilar y Alcuaz, who signed his works as

Aguilar Alcuaz was an artist of voluminous output. He is known

mainly for his gestural paintings in acrylic and oil, as well as

sketches in ink, watercolor and pencil. He was also a sculptor of note and has

rendered abstract and figurative works in ceramics,

tapestries and even in relief sculptures made of paper

and mixed media, which he simply calls “Alcuazaics.”

The preference to use his maternal name was more

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for practical reasons; Alcuaz was rarer than the name Aguilar, and thus ensured

better recall; it was also simpler to drop the customary y between the two names.

Alcuaz belongs to the second generation of Filipino modernists after the

fabled Thirteen Moderns, credited along with Jose Joya, Constancio Bernardo,

Fernando Zobel and Arturo Luz, for building a significant Abstract with Black and Yellow by
Federico Alcuaz

body of abstract art from the arguably more tentative

efforts of their predecessors. Alcuaz went to the UP College of Fine Arts in Diliman

while also taking up his pre-law course at San Beda College. Napoleon Abueva,

Jose Joya and Juvenal Sanso were also in school with him at that time, studying

under Fernando Amorsolo, Guillermo Tolentino, Irineo Miranda, Constancio

Bernardo and Toribio Herrera. He would go on to win prizes at UP and at the

national Shell Art competition, and embarked on several solo exhibits after

graduating from San Beda.

He received a fellowship from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Spain and

proceeded to study at the Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in Madrid,

where other Filipino expatriates like Juan Luna, Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo,

Fernando Amorsolo, Fabian dela Rosa and Jose Ma. Asuncion received a similar

classical training.

His works are highly favored, not only for its studied refinement and European

flair, but also for the ease and pleasure conveyed by his choice of light, color and

composition; all of which add up to scenes which are always quite playful but never

cluttered. His love for classical music is also apparent in this constant fluidity.

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 GUILLERMO TOLENTINO
National Artist for Sculpture (1973)
(July 24, 1890 – July 12, 1976)

Guillermo Estrella Tolentino is a product of the

Revival period in Philippine art. Returning from Europe (where he

was enrolled at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Rome) in

1925, he was appointed as professor at the UP School of

Fine Arts where the idea also of executing a monument for

national heroes struck him. The result was the UP

Oblation that became the symbol of freedom at the campus.

Acknowledged as his masterpiece and completed in

1933, The Bonifacio Monument in Caloocan stands as an Bonifacio Monument, 1933 by

Guillermo Tolentino
enduring symbol of the Filipinos’ cry for freedom.

Other works include the bronze figures of President Quezon at Quezon

Memorial, life-size busts of Jose Rizal at UP and UE, marble statue of Ramon

Magsaysay in GSIS Building; granolithics of heroic statues representing education,

medicine, forestry, veterinary science, fine arts and music at UP.

He also designed the gold and bronze medals for the Ramon Magsaysay

Award an did the seal of the Republic of the Philippines.

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 Order of National Artists: Architecture and Allied Arts

Source: National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA)

PABLO S. ANTONIO
National Artist for Architecture (1976)
(January 25, 1902 – June 14, 1975)

Born at the turn of the century, National Artist

for Architecture Pablo Sebero Antonio pioneered modern

Philippine architecture. His basic design is grounded on

simplicity, no clutter. The lines are clean and smooth, and where there are curves,

these are made integral to the structure. Pablo Jr.

points out, “For our father, every line must have a

meaning, a purpose. For him, function comes first

before elegance or form“. The other thing that

characterizes an Antonio structure is the maximum

Manila Polo CLub by Pablo S. Antonio
use of natural light and cross ventilation. Antonio

believes that buildings “should be planned with austerity in mind and its stability

forever as the aim of true architecture, that buildings must be progressive, simple in

design but dignified, true to a purpose without resorting to an applied set of

aesthetics and should eternally recreate truth.”

Antonio’s major works include the following: Far Eastern University

Administration and Science buildings; Manila Polo Club; Ideal Theater; Lyric

Theater; Galaxy Theater; Capitan Luis Gonzaga Building; Boulevard-

Alhambra (now Bel-Air) apartments; Ramon Roces Publications Building (now

Guzman Institute of Electronics).

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 LEANDRO V. LOCSIN
National Artist for Architecture, 1990
(August 15, 1928 – November 15, 1994)

Leandro V. Locsin reshaped the urban landscape with

a distinctive architecture reflective of Philippine Art and

Culture. He believes that the true Philippine Architecture is

“the product of two great streams of culture, the oriental and the occidental… to

produce a new object of profound harmony.” It is this synthesis that underlies all his

works, with his achievements in concrete reflecting his mastery of space and scale.

Every Locsin Building is an original, and identifiable as a Locsin with themes of

floating volume, the duality of light and heavy, buoyant and massive running in his

major works. From 1955 to 1994, Locsin has produced 75 residences and 88

buildings, including 11 churches and chapels, 23 public buildings, 48 commercial

buildings, six major hotels, and an

airport terminal building.

Locsin’s largest single work

is the Istana Nurul Iman, the

palace of the Sultan of Brunei,

which has a floor area of 2.2

million square feet. The CCP Complex itself is a CCP by Leandro V. Locsin

virtual Locsin Complex with all five buildings designed by him — the Cultural Center

of the Philippines, Folk Arts Theater, Philippine International Convention

Center, Philcite and The Westin Hotel (now Sofitel Philippine Plaza).

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 JUAN F. NAKPIL
National Artist for Architecture, 1973
(May 26, 1899 – May 7, 1986)

Juan F. Nakpil, architect, teacher, and civic leader is a

pioneer and innovator in Philippine architecture. In essence,

Nakpil’s greatest contribution is his belief that there is such a

thing as Philippine Architecture, espousing architecture reflective of Philippine

traditions and culture. It is also largely due to his zealous

representation and efforts that private Filipino architects

and engineers, by law, are now able to participate in the

design and execution of government projects. He has

integrated strength, function, and beauty in the buildings Quiapo Church by Juan F. Nakpil

that are the country’s heritage today. He designed the

1937 International Eucharistic Congress altar and rebuilt and enlarged the Quiapo

Church in 1930 adding a dome and a second belfry to the original design.

Among others, Nakpil’s major works are the Geronimo de los Reyes

Building,Magsaysay Building, Rizal Theater, Capitol Theater, Captain Pepe

Building, Manila Jockey Club, Rufino Building, Philippine Village

Hotel, University of the Philippines Administration and University Library, and

the reconstructed Rizal house in Calamba, Laguna.

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 ILDEFONSO P. SANTOS, JR.
National Artist for Architecture, 2006
(September 5, 1929 – January 29, 2014)

Ildefonso Paez Santos, Jr., distinguished himself

by pioneering the practice of landscape architecture–an allied

field of architecture–in the Philippines and then producing four

decades of exemplary and engaging work that Tagaytay Highland Resort by

Ildefonso P. Santos, Jr.
has included hundreds of parks, plazas,

gardens, and a wide range of outdoor settings

that have enhanced contemporary Filipino life.

Santos, Jr., who grew up in Malabon,

made his first mark with the Makati Commercial Center where he introduced a new

concept of outdoor shopping with landscaped walks, fountains and sculptures as

accents. Santos, Jr.’s contribution to modern Filipino landscape architecture was the

seminal public landscape in Paco Park.

Santos, Jr.’s most recent projects were the Tagaytay Highland Resort,

the Mt. Malarayat Golf and Country Club in Lipa, Batangas, and the Orchard Golf

and Country Club in Imus, Cavite.

JOSÉ MARÍA V. ZARAGOZA

National Artist for Architecture (2014)
(December 6, 1912 – November 26, 1994)

José María V. Zaragoza’s place in Philippine

architecture history is defined by a significant body of modern

edifices that address spiritual and secular requirements.

Zaragoza’s name is synonymous to modern ecclesiastical architecture.

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Notwithstanding his affinity to liturgical structures, he greatly excelled in secular

works: 36 office buildings, 4 hotels, 2, hospitals, 5 low-cost and middle-income

housing projects; and more than 270 residences – all demonstrating his typological

versatility and his mastery of modernist architectural vocabulary.

Zaragoza graduated from the University of Santo

Tomas in Manila in 1936, passing the licensure examinations

in 1938 to become the 82nd architect of the Philippines. With

growing interest in specializing in religious architecture,

Zaragoza also studied at International Institute of Liturgical Art

(IILA) in Rome in the late 1950s, where he obtained a diploma 1Santo Domingo Church by
Jose Maria V. Zaragoza

in liturgical art and architecture. His training in Rome resulted

in innovative approaches, setting new standards for the design of mid-century

Catholic churches in the Philippines. His prolificacy in designing religious edifices

was reflected in his body of work that was predominated by about 45 churches and

religious centers, including the Santo Domingo Church, Our Lady of Rosary in Tala,

Don Bosco Church, the Convent of the Pink Sisters, the San Beda Convent, Villa

San Miguel, Pius XII Center, the Union Church, and the controversial restoration of

the Quiapo Church, among others.

Zaragoza is a pillar of modern architecture in the Philippines buttressed by a

half-century career that produced ecclesiastical edifices and structures of modernity

in the service of God and humanity.

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 Francisco T. Mañosa
National Artist for Architecture and Allied Arts (2018)
Birthday: 12 February 1931

For all of his more than 60 years of architecture life, Ar.

Bobby Mañosa designed Filipino. From the 1960s in his

landmark design of the Sulo Hotel until his retirement about

2015, he courageously and passionately created original Filipino forms, spaces with

intricate and refined details. But what is most valuable is that Mañosa was in the

heart and soul of a Philippine architectural movement. He has developed a legacy of

Philippine architecture, which is essential to our Filipino identity and at the same

time, deeply appreciated and shared in our world today.

Major Works:

• San Miguel Building, Ortigas Center, Pasig City (designed with the Mañosa

Brothers)

• Chapel of the Risen Lord, Las Piñas City

• Our Lady of Peace Shrine, EDSA, Quezon City

• World Youth Day Papal Altar, Quirino

Grandstand, Manila, 1995

• Metrorail Transit System Stations for LRT 1,

Pearl Farm Resort by Francisco T. Mañosa
circa 1980s

• Quezon Memorial Circle Development Plan

• Lanao del Norte Provincial Capitol, Tubod, Lanao del Norte

• Tahanang Pilipino (Coconut Palace), CCP Complex, Manila

• Amanpulo Resort, Palawan

• Pearl Farm Resort, Samal Island, Davao, completed 1994

• La Mesa Watershed Resort and Ecological Park, La Mesa Dam, Quezon City

29
 This time, challenge
yourself to take a higher
task.

Good luck!

Fictional Dialogue

Instruction: Write down a FICTIONAL DIALOGUE of you and a national artist. It

could be an interview script or an ambush interview during an exhibit or a tour to

one of his great artworks. Imagine that it occurred during the time of the life of the

national artist.

Sample Questions:

1. What motivates you to do your art? What does it represent?

2. Who were your inspiration and why?

3. How do you hone your skills towards achieving a goal in a certain project?

4. Do you think you leave a legacy to the country for its contemporary art? How?

30
 Rubric
4 3 2 1
Organization Dialogue is very Dialogue is well The dialogue is Ideas are
and clarity well organized organized and a little hard to randomly
and with logical with logical follow. arranged.
sequence. sequence.
Characters It is always clear It is clear which Characters are It is hard to tell
which character character is named but no who the main
is speaking. speaking. development. character is.
Story and It contains many Contains Contains few No
creativity creative details creative details creative details imagination/
and descriptions of the dialogue. of the dialogue. Creativity in
of the dialogue. the dialogue.
Conventions Correct grammar Few grammar More than a few Many grammar
and punctuation. and punctuation grammar and and
errors. punctuation punctuation
errors. errors.

Learning is so fun. Isn’t it? How was the

activity? Did you enjoy it? I hope you learn

something about the given exercise. Were you

able to internalize the situation if you had the

chance to meet an artist? I hope you do!

31
1. National artists opened the doors for people to express ideas and emotions

despite the roughest of time and season of the country.

2. The artists’ devotion to their craft was evident in expanding their foundations

both in the country and abroad, thus inspiring the younger artists.

3. Filipino masters were able to mentor fellow artists bringing the best in the

artist’s life and significantly created superior work of arts with technological

advances.

4. Filipino artists curved the pieces of history into colorful records of a

courageous attempt of the ancestors of this land for peace and freedom, as

seen in their works.

5. They have successfully delivered to the world the Philippines’ contribution to

creating treasures for one’s country.

6. With paintings, sculptures, and monuments, Christian or Muslim, the masters

had helped develop among cultural groups trust and confidence towards a fair

and humane society through their arts.

32
Direction: Encircle the letter of the correct answer.

1. The Istana Nurul Iman, the palace of the Sultan of Brunei, is the largest single

work of which architect?

a. Juan Nakpil

b. Leandro V. Locsin

c. Pablo Antonio

d. Ramon Valera

2. He is known as the “Father of Modern Philippine Painting”.

a. Victorio C. Edades

b. Larry Alcala

c. Hernando Ocampo

d. Federico Aguilar Alcuaz

3. He is a pioneer “Neo-Realist” of the country and is remembered for his singular

achievement of refining cubism in the Philippine context.

a. Larry Alcala

b. Hernando Ocampo

c. Cesar Legaspi

d. Ang Kiukok

33
4. The training of this architect in Rome resulted in innovative approaches. It set

new standards for the design of mid-century Catholic churches in the Philippines.

a. Pablo Antonio

b. Jose Maria Zaragoza

c. Ildefonso P. Santos, Jr.

d. Juan Nakpil

5. Which of the following is not a work of a national artist for sculpture Guillermo

Tolentino?

a. UP Oblation

b. Bonifacio Monument

c. Pearl Farm

d. Seal of the Republic of the Philippines

Congratulations! You have

accomplished this lesson and did a great job!

I hope you will continue it throughout

the whole module.

34
Answer Key:

Let’s Try This:

1. Carlos “Botong” Francisco
2. Napoleon Abueva
3. Ang Kiukok
4. Vicente Manansala
5. Abdulmari Asia Imao
6. Arturo Luz
7. Fernando Amorsolo
8. Leandro V. Locsin
9. Francisco Mañosa
10. Benedicto “Bencab” Cabrera

Let’s Test Ourselves:

1. B
2. A
3. C
4. B
5. C

35
References:

Bhandari, Shirin. (2018). The 10 Most Famous Filipino Artists and their Masterworks.
Retrieved from
https://www.google.com/amp/s/theculturetrip.com/asia/philippines/articles/
the- 10-most- famous-filipino-artists-and-their-masterworks/%3famp=1 on May 12,
2020.

Christina123. (n.d.). Gadgets. Retrieved from https://pin.it/3eZkaXvon May 12, 2020.

Cloma, Leo. (2018). Dalagang Bukid. Retrieved from

https://www.flickr.com/photos/28098727@N00/29320744457 on May 12,
2020.
Davis, Terri. (n.d.) Bonifacio Monument. Retrieved from
https://pin.it/2bUtxZ8on May 28, 2020.

Gameness til the End. (2013.) Sarimanok and National Artist Abdulmari Asia Imao.
Retrieved from
https://www.google.com/amp/s/gtte.wordpress.com/2013/09/25/sarimanok-
and- national-artist-abdulmari-asia-imao/amp/on May 12, 2020.

Hidalgo, Tony. (n.d.) Pearl Farm Beach Resort. Retrieved from

https://www.flickr.com/photos/ton70/8209794589 on May 12, 2020.

Kalaw Ledesma Foundation. (2015). Man and Carabao. Retrieved from

http://klfi.ph/gallery/man-and-carabao-by-hernando-ocampo/ on May 28,
2020.

N.A. (2013). Manila Polo Club: Early Years. Retrieved from

http://www.lougopal.com/manila/?p=1517on May 28, 2020.

N.A. (2018). Cultural Center of the Philippines. Retrieved from

https://alchetron.com/Cultural-Center-of-the-Philippines on May 12, 2020.

N.A. (2020) Tagaytay Highlands Resort. Retrieved from

https://bilyonaryo.com.ph/2020/02/11/back-in-business-tagaytay-highlands-
reopens-lodge-after-volcano-eruptionon May 28, 2020.

N.A. Alcuaz, Federico. Retrieved from

http://www.gallerybig.com/gallerybigalcuaz.html on May 28, 2020.

N.A. Ang Kiukok. Retrieved from http://www.artnet.com/artists/ang-kiukok/seated-

figure- YaL8UmUPLcemqx4R1mNA9g2 on May 12, 2020.

N.A. Bagong Taon. Retrieved from https://www.mutualart.com/Artwork/Bagong-

Taon/B048F36F133CED43 on May 12, 2020.

N.A. Federico Aguilar Alcuaz. Retrieved from http://gwhs-

stg02.i.gov.ph/~s2govnccaph/about-culture-and-arts/culture-profile/national-
artists-of-the-philippines/federico-aguilar-y-alcuaz/ on May 11, 2020.

36
N.A. Jose Maria Zaragoza. Retrieved from https://pin.it/7BRGv92 on May 28, 2020.

N.A. Kiss of Judas. Retrieved from http://www.artnet.com/artists/napoleon-

abueva/kiss- of-judas-eWWIk08LWr5hMrliX0OQmA2on May 12, 2020.

N.A. Larry Alcala. Retrieved from https://www.lambiek.net/artists/a/alcala_l.htmon

May 28, 2020.

N.A. Magpupukot. Retrieved from http://www.artnet.com/artists/carlos-villaluz-

francisco/magpupukot-pulling-in-the-net-xlK8qwiJPtFE20vzV0ciHg2 on May
12, 2020.

N.A. Market Vendors. Retrieved from https://www.wikiart.org/en/vicente-

manansala/market-vendors-1949on May 12, 2020.

N.A. The Sketch. Retrieved from

http://masterpieces.asemus.museum/masterpiece/detail.nhn?objectId=11092
on May 28, 2020.

N.A. Waiting for the Monsoon. Retrieved from

http://www.artnet.com/artists/benedicto- cabrera/waiting-for-the-monsoon-
9SjqQWKB1fXljbDOQGqPdQ2 on May 12, 2020.

National Commission for Culture and the Arts. (n.d). Guillermo Tolentino. Retrieved
from http://gwhs-stg02.i.gov.ph/~s2govnccaph/about-culture-and-arts/culture-
profile/natinal-artists-of-the-philippines/guillermo-tolentino/ on May11,
2020.

National Commission for Culture and the Arts. (n.d).Order of National Artists.
Retrieved from https://ncca.gov.ph/about-culture-and-arts/culture profile/national-
artists-of- the-philippines/ on May11, 2020.

Tejada, Coni. (2016). Architect Heroes: 4 Famous Buildings by Juan Nakpil.

Retrieved from https://www.realliving.com.ph/lifestyle/arts-culture/architect-
heroes-4- famous-buildings-by-juan-nakpil-a40-20160811on May 28, 2020.

37
For inquiries or feedback, please write or call:

Department of Education – Region XI Davao City Division

DepEd Davao City, Elpidio Quirino Ave., Davao City

Telefax: 224-3274

Email Address: davaocity.division@deped.gov.ph

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