📚 Philippine Traditional Arts
Brief Overview
This note covers Traditional Arts and was created from an uploaded document. It offers
a panoramic look at Philippine cultural practices, from healing arts and folk architecture to
weaving, basketry, carving, and performing arts, highlighting regional diversity and
historical layers.
Key Points
Ethnomedicine and folk healing techniques across the archipelago
Regional folk architecture, materials, and UNESCO heritage sites
Traditional weaving, basketry, and textile patterns with cultural significance
Overview of maritime transport, carving, performing arts, and culinary
traditions
Insights into film, architecture, conservation, and the transition from modern to
contemporary arts
🎭 Traditional Arts
Ethnomedicine
Ethnomedicine refers to the art of albularyo, manghihilot, and babaylan,
encompassing physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual healing techniques
complemented by herbal remedies.
Originates from pre‑colonial indigenous knowledge and ancient science.
Notable practice: psycho‑spiritual healing.
Folk Architecture
Folk architecture varies by ethnic group, using materials such as wood, bamboo, coral,
stone, rattan, and grass.
Structure Material(s) Regional Example Notable Feature
Bahay‑kubo Bamboo, nipa palm Nationwide Elevated, open‑air
design
Bale Wood, thatch Highlands 4–8 sides, suited
for cooler climates
Corral houses Stone, wood Batanes Resistant to strong
winds
Torogan Wood, okir carvings Maranao (Lanao) Intricate okir motif,
status symbol
Daru‑Jambangan Wood, ornamental Sulu “Palace of Flowers,”
pre‑colonial royalty
Bahay na bato Stone, wood, tiles Vigan Fusion of
indigenous and
Hispanic motifs;
UNESCO World
Heritage Site
Rice‑terrace clusters (e.g., Batad, Mayoyao) are also UNESCO sites.
Maritime Transport
Maritime transport includes traditional boat‑making and boathouses, vital for
inter‑island travel.
Earliest evidence: balangay remains dated to 320 AD (Butuan).
The restored balangay illustrates early Austronesian seafaring that enabled
settlement across the archipelago.
🧵
🧵 Weaving & Textile Arts
Overview
Weaving is an ancient practice producing headgear, fishnets, baskets, and cloths via
techniques such as back‑strap loom.
Materials: cotton, abaca, grass, banana, palm fiber.
Regional specialties:
Ethnic Group Textile Distinctive Pattern/Use
Ilocano Pinilian Cotton woven on
pangablan
Kalinga Inata‑ata Geometric motifs
Aklan Piña Finest silk‑pineapple blend;
used for barong Tagalog
Hiligaynon / Karay‑a Hablon Used for panuelo or
patadyong
Piña‑Seda (pineapple silk) combines silk yarns from Negros with hand‑scraped
pineapple fibers from Aklan; regarded as the “Queen of Philippine Textile.”
🧺 Basketry
Basketry serves functional purposes—rice storage, harvesting, sword cases, travel
packs.
Common materials: bamboo, pandan, rattan, nito, abaca, beeswax, bark,
buri.
Typical products: bukug, uppig, bay’ung, tupil, binga.
Modern basketry adapts to contemporary market demands.
🪵 Carving
Wood Carving
Wood carving includes religious statues (e.g., bulul) and secular folk sculptures.
Notable region: Paete, Laguna, renowned for intricate post‑colonial religious
carvings.
Stone, Ivory, and Other Carvings
Stone carving predates colonization, often representing deities or ancestors.
Butuan Ivory Seal (9th–12th c.) exemplifies early ivory work; now in the
National Museum.
Butuan Ivory Seal
The seal bears the inscription “Butban,” likely referring to Butuan.
San Agustin Church doors showcase Rococo‑style wooden carvings.
San Agustin Church Door
Richly carved portal with Augustinian symbols, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
🎶 Folk Performing Arts
Dances
Folk dances blend indigenous movement with Spanish and American influences.
Tinikling – inspired by the Tikling bird’s dodging of bamboo traps; originates
from Leyte during Spanish colonization.
Tinikling folk dance
Visayan farmers imitated the bird’s movements, creating the dance.
Other notable dances: singkil, manmanok, sagayan, ragrasakan, kapa
malong, tarektek, pagdiwata, kuratsa, binaylan, maglalatik, cariñosa, subli,
pandanggo sa ilaw.
Folk Drama & Oral Literature
Hinilawod, Ibalong – non‑Hispanic epics.
Senakulo – Spanish‑influenced Passion Play; reenacts the crucifixion.
Poetry forms:
Form Syllables per line Notes
Tanaga 7 Fixed rhyme schemes
Awit 12 Example: Pasyon
Dalit 8 Four lines
Ambahan 7 Rhythmic end‑syllables,
allegorical
Balagtasan — Verse debate, e.g., A la
Juventud Filipina
✍️ Folk Graphic & Plastic Arts
Writing (Calligraphy)
Indigenous scripts include Hanunoo, Buid, Tagbanua, Pala’wan, plus revived scripts
like Baybayin.
UNESCO inscribed the four surviving scripts in 1999.
Baybayin script
An alpha‑syllabary used pre‑colonially, now preserved in the University of
Santo Tomas archives.
Drawing & Painting
Earliest rock art (6000–2000 BC) found in Angono, Rizal; served ritualistic
purposes.
Traditional pigments: yellow, green, reddish‑purple, blue‑green, blue, white,
gold.
Yakan skin painting persists today.
Tattooing
Tattooing dates back millennia, signifying status, protection, and spiritual beliefs.
Prominent groups: Pintados (Visayas), Igorot (Luzon), T’boli (Mindanao).
Whang‑od of Kalinga remains the last traditional mambabatok.
Whang‑od tattooing
She prepares ink from pine soot and water for hand‑tapped tattoos.
🥋 Martial Arts
Arnis / Eskrima – weapon‑based (sticks, knives, bladed weapons) and
open‑hand techniques.
Unarmed styles: suntukan (Tagalog), pangamot (Bisaya), buno (Igorot),
dumog (Karay‑a).
Flexible weapons: buntot pagi, lubid, latigo, sarong, tabak‑toyok, cadena.
Projectile weapons: sibat, sumpit, pana, bagakay, tirador, luthang, kana,
lantaka.
Regional parallels: silat, kuntaw (Austronesian influence).
🍽️ Culinary Arts
Philippine cuisine reflects Austronesian roots blended with Chinese, Spanish, Indian,
and American influences.
Core dishes: lechon, adobo, longganisa, torta, tapa, puchero, caldereta,
mechado, kare‑kare.
Adobo: meat/seafood marinated in vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, bay leaves,
peppercorns; simmered in the same mixture.
🎵 Non‑Traditional Arts
Music
Foundations: musical direction, composition, performance.
Genres: Harana (serenade), Pinoy rock, Pinoy reggae, Pinoy pop, Kundiman,
Kapanirong, Kulintang ensemble, Tagonggo, Bisrock, Pinoy hip‑hop.
Dance (Contemporary)
Hispanic‑derived dances (e.g., maglalatik, subli) form the basis of modern
choreography.
Early 20th‑century ballet gained popularity.
Hip‑hop and break‑dance styles integrate global influences.
Visual Arts
Painting
Pre‑Neolithic petroglyphs → 16th‑century religious works (e.g., Nuestra Señora
de la Soledad de Porta Vaga, Camarin de la Virgen).
19th‑century secular themes: landscapes, fashion, daily life.
Post‑WWII: battle scenes, suffering, nationalism (e.g., Manila Mural, Rice
Research Institute).
Protest art addresses authoritarianism and human rights.
Sculpture
Prominent monuments: Rizal Monument, Oblation, Mactan Shrine, Filipina
Comfort Women, People Power Monument, Bonifacio Monument.
📚 Literature
Colonial periods: Spanish (1593–1800) → religious texts (Doctrina Christiana,
Pasyon).
17th‑century Ilocano epic Biag ni Lam‑ang.
19th‑century novels: Ninay, Noli Me Tangere, El Filibusterismo.
20th‑century English works: The Child of Sorrow (1921).
Key Takeaway: Philippine art is a tapestry woven from indigenous traditions, colonial
encounters, and modern innovations across visual, performing, literary, and culinary
domains. Understanding each form’s origins, materials, and cultural significance equips
learners to appreciate the nation’s rich artistic heritage.
🎬
🎬 Film and Broadcast Arts
Film and broadcast arts encompass direction, screenplay writing, production design,
cinematography, editing, animation, performance, and new‑media practices.
First Filipino film (1919): Dalagang Bukid (Country Maiden) by
José Nepomuceno.
Key historical phases
Period Social Context Notable Trends Representative
Films
1897 – 1910s Introduction of Experimentation —
motion pictures; with narrative form
Filipinos assist
American crews
1930s Theater‑driven Sound films, genre —
boom diversification
1940s World War II impact Documentary‑style —
realism, wartime
narratives
1950s – 1960s Post‑war recovery Mature, artistic —
cinema; emergence
of “art films”
1970s – 1980s Political repression, Social‑critical Himala (religious
(Martial Law) insurgency cinema, soft‑porn, fanaticism)
action, western
spin‑offs
1990s Rise of Focus on poverty, The
independent western cultural Flor Contemplacion
filmmaking influence Story,
Manila in the Claws of L
Oro, Plata, Mata,
Sa Pusod ng Dagat
2000s – present Globalization, Themes of poverty, Caregiver,
digital tech equality, self‑love, Thy Womb,
historical narratives Blossoming of Maximo
The Woman Who Left,
That Thing Called Tadh
Smaller and Smaller Ci
Iconic Visual
The Mactan Shrine in Lapu‑Lapu City, Cebu
The Mactan Shrine marks the historic Battle of Mactan (1521), where Lapu‑Lapu defeated
Ferdinand Magellan. Its presence underscores how historic sites inspire Philippine
cinematic storytelling about resistance and identity.
🏛️ Architecture and Allied Arts
🏢 Non‑folk Architecture
Non‑folk architecture refers to built works derived from foreign (mainly European)
styles adapted to local conditions, often reflecting colonial influence and seismic
considerations.
Spanish Baroque → Earthquake Baroque (thick buttresses, low‑spanning
walls).
Key examples
Building Style Distinctive Feature
Manila Cathedral Baroque Twin spires, ornate façade
Bolijon Church Baroque Colonial façade
Daraga Church Earthquake Baroque Massive stone buttresses
Binondo Church Earthquake Baroque Facade blends Chinese
motifs
Miag‑ao Church (UNESCO) Earthquake Baroque Frontal relief of
St. Christopher
Santa Maria Church Earthquake Baroque Tall bell tower, buttressed
(UNESCO) walls
Paoay Church (UNESCO) Earthquake Baroque Massive buttresses; see
image below
San Agustin Church Earthquake Baroque Intricate Rococo interior
(UNESCO)
Sebastian Church Modern Only all‑steel church in
Asia
Fort Santiago Spanish‑Italian Military bastion layout
The Ruins (Talisay, Italian‑Spanish Neo‑Gothic mansion ruins
Batangas)
Saint Andrew the Apostle Brutalist Concrete massing, minimal
Church (post‑independence) ornament
Manila Hotel Modernist Streamlined façade,
colonial‑modern blend
Paoay Church Image
Paoay Church, Ilocos Norte
Completed in 1710, the massive buttresses on Paoay Church exemplify the Earthquake
Baroque response to the Philippines’ seismic activity.
🖼️ Architecturally Allied Arts
Allied arts include interior design, landscape architecture, and urban planning, each
reflecting a blend of indigenous, colonial, and contemporary influences.
Interior design influences: Filipino, Tropical, Mediterranean, Japanese,
Moorish, Chinese, Baroque, Victorian; contemporary trends: Tech‑savvy,
Industrial, Rustic Luxe, Metallic Glam, Organic Opulence, Eclectic Elegance,
Deconstructed Design.
Landscape architecture: Shift from wealth‑driven estates to
sustainability‑focused ecosystems.
Urban planning challenges: High population density, infrastructure strain,
cultural preservation.
Betis Church Interior
Betis Church interior
The baroque interior of Betis (Apostle Parish) Church showcases intricate stucco work,
linking religious architecture to local artistic expression.
🏺 Conservation of Filipino Arts
Conservation involves protecting, documenting, and restoring artworks designated as
National Treasures or Cultural Heritage.
Key institutions
National Museum of the Philippines (Manila) – primary repository
of national treasures.
Negros Museum, Museo Sugbo, Lopez Museum, Avala Museum,
Metropolitan Museum of Manila – regional collections.
University museums (e.g., UP Diliman, Ateneo) – academic
repositories.
Archives & libraries: National Library of the Philippines, National Archives of
the Philippines.
Legislation:
R.A. 10066 – National Cultural Heritage Act establishes the
Philippine Registry of Cultural Property (PRECUP).
National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) –
governmental cultural policy and funding body.
🕰️ Modern vs. Contemporary Art
📚 Definitions
Modern Art – works created roughly between the 1860s/1880s and the
1950s/late 1960s, characterized by a break from academic tradition and an emphasis
on innovation, often reflecting social, economic, and political concerns.
Contemporary Art – art produced after World War II up to the present, usually by
living artists, focused on current global issues (racism, globalization, feminism, etc.) and
employing any medium imaginable, from digital video to performance.
🖼️ Key Differences at a Glance
Aspect Modern Art Contemporary Art
Timeframe 1860s – 1960s Post‑WWII – today
Primary focus Formal experimentation, Societal commentary,
anti‑Romanticism interdisciplinary media
Typical media Canvas, sculpture, print Video, installation, digital,
performance, mixed media
Representative Impressionism, Cubism, Conceptual Art, Installation
movements Surrealism, Abstract Art, Graffiti, Hyperrealism
Expressionism
Artist status Often historic figures (e.g., Living artists (e.g., Banksy,
Courbet, Picasso) Kobra)
🎨 Influential Modern Artists
Gustave Courbet – A Burial at Ornans (1849) exemplifies Realist rejection of
Romantic idealism.
Pablo Picasso – pioneered Cubism, deconstructing three‑dimensional forms on
a two‑dimensional plane.
Claude Monet – Impression, Sunrise (1872) gave its movement its name
through fleeting light effects.
📌 Representative Contemporary Movements
Movement Period & Locale Core Idea Notable
Practitioners
Conceptual Art Late 1960s – 1970s, Idea over object; Joseph Kosuth,
USA/UK/Italy use of text, Marina Abramović
photography
Graffiti Late 1960s, USA Public, often illicit Banksy,
visual Eduardo Kobra
communication;
social critique
Installation Art Late 1970s, Site‑specific Damien Hirst,
Japan/USA three‑dimensional Nam June Paik
works engaging
space
Hyperrealism Early 1970s, Photographic Ron Mueck,
USA/UK precision in Roberto Bernardi
painting/sculpture
Neo‑Expressionism Late 1970s – 1980s, Emotive, gestural Anselm Kiefer,
International painting recalling Georg Baselitz
early Expressionism
📽️ Film as a Bridge
Modern and contemporary visual art converge in Philippine cinema:
Modern‑era films like Himala (1982) echo realist concerns of the 1970s.
Contemporary titles (Smaller and Smaller Circles, The Woman Who Left)
employ narrative techniques akin to conceptual art, foregrounding social
inequities and personal identity.
📚 What to Remember
The evolution from Modern to Contemporary art mirrors the Philippines’ own journey:
from colonial‑imposed styles to a vibrant, pluralistic creative landscape that
interrogates present‑day realities through ever‑expanding media.
End of Section 2 (to be combined with preceding and forthcoming sections).
🎨 Modern & Early 20th‑Century Movements
Post‑Impressionism (1880s‑1890s – France)
A blanket term for art that both learned from and rejected certain Impressionist
principles.
Key artists: Paul Cézanne, Paul Gauguin, Georges Seurat, Vincent van Gogh.
Cézanne’s shift (1870):
1. Relocated to L’Estaque;
2. Friendship with Camille Pissarro prompted direct‑from‑nature
painting;
3. Adopted lighter brushstrokes and sun‑washed colors, moving toward
structural order.
Gauguin: pursued imagination and spirituality.
Seurat: scientific pointillism.
Van Gogh: conveyed elemental emotions.
Reference: Cézanne, P. (1885). The Bay of Marseilles – Jacky Gallery
Pop Art (Late 1950s‑1960s – USA & Great Britain) 🌟
Celebration of western consumerism after wartime austerity, drawing on advertising,
comics, and popular entertainment.
Aspect Details
Leading figures Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol,
David Hockney, Robert Rauschenberg,
Claes Oldenburg, James Rosenquist,
David Blake
Visual hallmarks Bold primary colors, flat imagery,
repetition of mass‑media icons, speech
balloons
Iconic work Lichtenstein – “Drowning Girl” (1963) –
sourced from Secret Hearts #83 (1962) by
Tony Abruzzo; the original included a
background boyfriend, omitted in
Lichtenstein’s version.
Source Lichtenstein, R. (1963). Drowning Girl –
Musart Boutique
Social Realism (1930s‑1950s – USSR) 🚩
State‑sanctioned art used as propaganda by the Stalinist regime, presenting an
idealized Soviet society.
Stylistic note: realistic yet often melodramatic; supplanted earlier
Constructivist ideas by the early 1930s.
Key artists: Isaak Brodsky, Alexander Deineka, Aleksandr Moor.
Example: Brodsky’s Speech by Lenin before the Red Army (1920) – Source
De Stijl (1917‑early 1930s – Netherlands) 🟦
Geometric abstraction employing primary colors and universal harmony; extended to
architecture and design.
Founder(s) Core Principles Notable Members
Theo van Doesburg, Vertical/horizontal lines, Bart van der Leck,
Piet Mondrian primary colors (red, blue, Gerrit Rietveld,
yellow) plus black/white Vilmos Vantongerloo,
J.J.P. Oud
Publication De Stijl magazine —
(1917‑1931)
Reference: Van der Leck, B. (1917). Leaving the factory – Kløller Müller
Suprematism (1913‑early 1920s – Russia) ⬛
Geometric abstraction independent of the visible world, aimed at expressing pure
artistic feeling.
Founder: Kazimir Malevich – articulated theory in The Non‑Objective World.
Signature work: Suprematism: Non‑Objective Composition (1915) – Artsy
Evolution: by 1917‑1918 the movement took a more mystical turn, later
influencing Constructivists.
Surrealism (1924‑1940s – Paris) 🌙
Art that frees the viewer and artist by probing the unconscious, inspired by Dada and
Freud.
Technique Example
Automatism, frottage Max Ernst’s Fireside Angel (1937) –
political response to the Spanish Civil
War; portrays chaos of fascism.
Dreamlike juxtapositions Works by Dalí, Miro, Klee, Chagall,
de Chirico, Masson, Matta.
Source Ernst, M. (1937). The Fireside Angel –
AliExpress
Symbolism (1890s – International) ✨
A reaction against Realism and Impressionism that foregrounds imagination, ideas,
dreams, and emotion.
Principal artists: Gauguin, Gustave Moreau, Edvard Munch,
Puvis de Chavannes, Odilon Redon.
Vorticism (1910‑1914 – England) ⚙️
London avant‑garde movement merging Cubist fragmentation with Futurist dynamism,
glorifying the machine age.
Magazine: Blast (1914).
Key members: David Bomberg, William Lewis, Harold Roberts,
Edward Wadsworth.
Demise: dissolved after the First World War’s brutality.
Reference: Wadsworth, E. (1928). Regalia – Tate
Additional Contextual Notes
McLean (1963‑1966): While studying at St Martin’s School of Art, McLean’s
work ironizes the dogmatic rejection of a certain sculptural base championed
by Anthony Caro and peers.
Paul Signac (Antibes period): Late works focus on harbor scenes and river
banks, rendered in radiant color; he abandoned the strict Neo‑Impressionist
restraint described by historian John Leighton as “an art renunciation and
restraint.”
Reference: Signac, P. (1916). The pink clouds, Antibes – The Art Story
📋 Practice Activity: “Design Your Own Movement”
Task: On your worksheet, answer the prompts below.
1. Future Outlook: Based on the movements reviewed, predict what art
production might look like in the next 20