CONTEMPORARY PHILIPPINE ARTS FROM THE REGIONS

LESSON 1: WHAT IS CONTEMPORARY ARTS?

(CAR11/121AC-0a-1)
Week 1: Session 1 & 2
LESSON OUTLINE
Introduction Objectives
Motivation Individual Activity
Instruction/Delivery Module submission online; Discuss the Contemporary Arts
Enrichment Individual Activity
Evaluation Assignment
Materials Social Media platform (Messenger) or e-mail; paper and pen
Time Allotment 4 hours (2 sessions)
Resources Contemporary Philippine Arts from the Regions (Flaudette May Datuin, Robert Paulino, Eileen
Legaspi-Ramirez, Louise Marcelino)

OBJECTIVES
At the end of the lesson, the learner will be able to:
1. Define the term “contemporary art” in art historical, cultural, and stylistic terms.
2. Explain the difference between contemporary art and modern art in the context of the Philippines’ various histories,
cultures, and identities.

MOTIVATION
Directions: Do the activity below in ¼ sheet of paper.
Define Me! What is Art?

Art

LESSON PROPER
CONTEMPORARY ART
What is Contemporary? Is it the same as being modern?
 Is a common tendency to describe the present as “modern”. Being modern means being up to date and
technologically advanced. Often, being modern is equated with being contemporary. Art that is new or current is also
often referred to as “modern” as opposed to “traditional” or “conservative.” In other words, in everyday parlance, the
terms are interchangeable.
HISTORICAL OVERVIEW PHILIPPINE ART
Form Pre-Conquest Spanish Period American Japanese Postwar Republic 70’s Contemporary
1521 – 1898 Period 1941 - Period 1941-45 1946 - 1969
1945
Painting Potter; Body Religious (icon Landscape, Wartime scene
adornment, and portraiture, (aggression,
ornament ecclesiastical), genre, interior, nationalism,
secular still life atrocities,
(portraiture) symbolic,
protest, Modern, conservative, Figurative, non-
Sculpture Pottery, carving Santos, furniture, Free standing, aspiration for abstract experimental, figurative, art for art
and woodwork, reliefs, altar, relief, public peace) public art sake, multimedia,
metalwork and pieces, jewelry,
mixed media,
expression pieta, metalwork,
transmedia
ornamentation. Propaganda

Indigenizing
and orientilizing
works, genre,
idyllis
(Amorsolo
Francisco
Ocampo)
Architecture Dwellings and Church, plaza City planning
houses, shelters, complex; town parks,
worship areas, planning, waterfronts,
Real estate, safe housing, accessories,
official fortification, civic civic/gov’t.
tenements, squatters, convention arch,
residences, buildings and structures,
commercial/business, condos, malls,
mosque, masjid, installations, public works, Public works
subdivisions, development, low cost housing
state edifices private health and
residences, public
commercial education,
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structures,
cemeteries,
bridges,
lighthouse

What is Contemporary Art? What is Modern Art?

 If we talk in terms of art history (refer to the aforementioned matrix), contemporary art can be defined as art produced
by artists living today.
 HR Ocampo’s painting was painted in the early 1960’s. At that time, the painting was considered contemporary.
Today, we refer to these works as examples of Modern Art, produced between the American colonial period to the
Post-war period. Some modern artist continue to produce work till today. In that sense, their works can be described
as contemporary, by virtue of being “of the present”.
For example, the National Artist Arturo Luz continued to produce paintings in his 90s and well into the 21 st.
However, as seen in table of “Historical Overview” his paintings’ hard-edged and minimalist abstract style is
associated with the Modern style of the late 20 th century. The “contemporary” is therefore a fluid term, and its
use can change depending on the contexts, in this case historical and stylistic. At times, the Modern and
Contemporary can be used simultaneously or interchangeably; however, there is also danger of using them
carelessly or loosely. Thus, it is important to know the historical, and stylistic contexts of the terms.
 At that time, Modern Art was considered new and shocking; Neoclassic art was familiar and comfortable. Neoclassic
Art is also described by art historians like Guillermo as “academic” along with other established styles imported from
Europe via Spanish colonization.
 Today, Modern Art is referred to as “traditional”, compared to contemporary Art. Contemporary Art is the art of the
present, which is continuously in process and in flux. What is contemporary today might become “academic” or
“traditional” at some point. The styles of Modern Art for example are now part of art school curricula and have
become academic. Thus, the distinction between Modern Art and Contemporary Art could be a matter of perception
and reception depending on the contexts, which will be discussed in detail in the succeeding lessons.
 Social Realism continues contemporary artists. For example, Imelda Cajipe-Endaya’s Filipina DH (1995) is social
realist, but the style and medium of the installation is markedly different. Refer to “The Stylic Overview” for an idea
of the difference in style and medium between Modern Art and Contemporary Art.

STYLISTIC OVERVIEW
Form Precolonial Spanish/Islamic American Modern Postmodern/
Colonial Colonial Contemporary
Painting Incipient Collaborative, hyper-realist,
triumvirate 13 new painting
moderns, abstract,
Religious/devotional neorealist, surreal,
Religious Secular expressionist
Sculpture (animist or Formal Abstract Junk/Scrap,
Islamic) Naturalistic Classical, Expressionism duchampian, arte covera,
Community- (homegrown, idyllic, neo-indigenous. Site-
based miniaturismo, guild) nostalgic specific, performance art,
Inter-Ethic Academic hybrid
relations,
Architecture Worship-related Neoclassic, art Filipino architecture, urban
Collective
and residential deco (Juan International planning, economic zone,
historu\y
Earthquake Arellano, Juan industrializing, neovernacular, prefab,
baroque Hispanic Nakpil, Pablo electric regionalist, cosmopolitan
revivalist Antonio) art
(neogothic, Nouveau,
neoromanesque, California
Islamic) Mission Style

Aside from style, it is also very useful to know where the artists are coming from and the circumstances of making
and disseminating their art. With the table tittled “Cultural Overview”, we can see that Contemporary Artist Bacani and
Cajipe-Endaya belong to different contexts. The latter has been exhibited in galleries and museums, just like the Modern
Artists, or Moderns, for short. Bacani, on the other attention of photographers. She soon became very popular in social, print,
and broadcast media. Now that she is exhibited in museum and gallery space, her work has now crossed over to the domain
of the Fine Arts

CULTURAL OVERVIEW
Form Indigenous Islamic or Folk or lowland Fine or world- Popular or urban and mass
Southeast Philippine based based
Asian Muslim
Painting Museum-
Sculpture Ritual and governance Colonial and circulated, artist Mass produced, market oriented
Architect post-colonial centered gallery-
distributed

What are the general characteristics of Contemporary Art?

 Although contemporary artists like Saudi Ahmad continue to use traditional media such as watercolor and oil canvas,
others like Cajipe-Endaya use mixed media. Some works are also site-specific, meaning they cannot be experienced
in the same way if removed from their original places of exhibit whether in the gallery, out on the streets, in the forest,
 CONTEMPORARY PHILIPPINE ARTS FROM THE REGIONS

on the internet, etc. They are generally process-based and integrate various mediums and art forms. For example,
the band Sleepyheads integrate performance art, theatrically, and indie music in their gigs.
 A lot of contemporary art may be collaborative/participative, interactive and process-oriented, meaning that there is
less emphasis on the finished product and a single “author” or creator. This is not always the case for other works,
however. There is a wide range of strategies, media and techniques under the term “Contemporary Art”.
For example that are done alone by artists in their studios (such as Ahmad, for example) and are therefore not
working in collaboration with others; there are works that are too fragile for direct handling and are not exactly
“interactive”.
 Process-based – a characteristics of Contemporary Art that emphasizes on how the artist starts not with a final
product in mind, but instead begins with the development of a concept and then subsequently proceeds with realizing
the idea.
 Interactive - Integrative - refers to the characteristic of Contemporary Art in which the artist is free to integrate any
medium and any art form or style in order to express their artistic intention, without being limited to conform to a
stylistic trend in order to be called Contemporary
 Collaborative - a characteristic of Contemporary art wherein the end product is created with the involvement of two
or more artists. Collaborative artworks often present multiple perspectives on one main idea, factored with-
spontaneous results, and thus possess more complex avenues for analysis. See subsection in Lesson 5 - B.
Translations and Collaborative Works of National Artists.

ENRICHMENT
Directions: Do the activities below in one whole sheet of paper.
Find all the words that are related to arts. 😊

A U T H O R H W A T E R C O L O R
G E E C A N V A S H I S T O R Y S
N P C A R V I N G A R T I F A C T
I O H F M E D I U M F H Y N M O H
T T N C O N T E M P O R A R Y N E
N T I R D A C R Y L I C G H M C M
I E Q T E F E X H I B I T F F E E
A R U T R S C U L P T U R E D P T
P Y E I N D I G E N O U S D H T T

Answer the question in 10-15 sentences.

In terms of history, how do you define the contemporary? How is it different from the “traditional” or “modern”?

ASSIGNMENT
Create your own artwork in any medium you prefer: painting, poetry, photo fiction, dance, music or a mix such as a
photo essay. (short bond paper)