Contemporary

• Contemporary Art is prominent in the Philippines and has been appreciated by many people
• Contemporary Philippine artworks have earned the admiration and respect of viewers from both local and international audiences
• Many viewers may not be aware that they are looking at fine examples of Contemporary Art
• Viewers can appreciate contemporary Philippine art more by employing all of their senses and experiencing a deep personal connection with the artist’s mind and heart
• Expressions of Contemporary Philippine Art are influenced by social, historical, geographical, ideational, personal, and technical factors
• Contemporary Philippine artworks are expressions of the artist’s thoughts and feelings based on their experience of the present, including current events, issues, and social concerns
• Contemporary Philippine artists come from different regions of the country and use a wide variety of art media in their creations, often using materials readily available in their localities
• Integrative Art combines different art elements in distinct expressions, often a fusion of different art forms for specific groups of viewers
• Integrative Art employs different art disciplines, styles, and media in creating art, often found in urban areas where artists have access to various art forms and media
• Elements of Contemporary Art

  • Appropriation
  • Hybridity
  • Technology
  • Performance
  • Space
• Examples of Integrative Art

  • Use of computer applications combined with other media
  • Use of non-traditional art materials in creating artworks with mixed art forms
• Artworks from the seventeen regions of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao have been exhibited in different exhibition halls and museums, showcasing the diverse art expressions of Filipino artists
• With modern technology and easy access to far-flung areas of the country, many artworks have become known and created by present-day artists from different regions of the Philippines
• Criteria for the Order of National Artists

  • Filipino artists who have made significant contributions to the cultural heritage of the country
  • Filipino artistic accomplishment at its highest level and to promote creative expression as significant to the development of a national cultural identity
  • Filipino artists who have dedicated their lives to their works to forge new paths and directions for future generations of Filipino artists
• The Order of the National Artists Award

  Is concurrently administered by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) and conferred by the President of the Philippines upon recommendation by both institutions
• The award is one of the Honors conferred by the Republic of the Philippines that represents the nation’s highest ideals in the humanities and aesthetic expression through the recognizable achievements of individual citizens
• The said achievements are measured in terms of vision, unusual insight, creativity and imagination, technical proficiency of the highest order in expressing Filipino culture and traditions, history, way of life, and aspirations
• The Order of the National Artists Award is the highest national recognition given to Filipino individuals who have made significant contributions to the development of Philippine arts
• Under Proclamation No.1001, the Order of the National Artist Award was established

  April 27, 1072
• The Order of the National Artist Award gives appropriate recognition and prestige to Filipinos who have acclaimed themselves and made a remarkable contribution to Philippine arts and letters
• The first award was given to Fernando Amorsolo
• Under Proclamation No. 1144, CCP Board of Trustees was named as the National Artist Awards Committee

  May 15, 1973
• Presidential Decree No.28 reiterated the mandate of CCP to administer the National Awards as well as the privileges and honors to National Artist

  June 7, 1973
• Insignia of the Order of the National Artists

  • The insignia is formed from a Grand Collar featuring circular links depicting the arts and an eight-pointed sunburst suspended from a sampaguita wreath in green and white enamel
  • The center of the badge is divided into three equal portions, in red, white and blue representing the Philippine Flag with three stylized letter K’s that stands for the CCP’s motto “Katotohanan, Kabutihan at Kagandahan“ (The true, the good and the beautiful)
  • The Grand Collar is made from silver gilt bronze
• Categories under which National Artists can be recognized

  • Literature – poetry, fiction, essay, playwriting, journalism and/or literary criticism
  • Film and Broadcasting / Broadcast Arts – direction, writing, production design, cinematography, editing, camera work, and/or performance
  • Architecture, Design and Allied Arts – architecture design, interior design, industrial arts design, landscape architecture and fashion design
  • Music - singing, composition, direction, and/or performance
  • Dance - choreography, direction and/or performance
  • Theater – direction, performance and/or production design
  • Visual Arts – painting, sculpture, printmaking, photography, installation art, mixed media works, illustration, graphic arts, performance art and/or imaging
• Qualifications for the National Artist Award

  • Living artists who are natural-born Filipino citizens
  • The content and form of their work have procured in building a Filipino sense of nationhood
  • An artist who have developed a mode of creative expression or style and living a legend on succeeding generations of artists
  • An artist who manifest excellence in the practice of their art form
  • The artwork made has attained an international and national recognition
• Guillermo Tolentino


  A pioneer of academic tradition in sculpture
• Oblation


  A work of art depicting a male nude with arms outstretched that represents a gesture of sacrifice and freedom
• Fernando Amorsolo's works can be seen at the National Museum
• Fernando Amorsolo


  Known for romantic paintings of bucolic landscapes and idealized portraits of well-known individuals from the Commonwealth Period and the Second World War
• Napoleon Abueva was awarded in 1976 and contributed to the University’s Visual Arts Heritage
• Works of National Artist can be found in different University Campuses
• Jose Tanig Joya’s mural entitled Barter of Panay (1978)


  Rendered in the Abstract expressionist style with soft, overlapping planes of black, white, orange, brown, and golden yellow
• The Church of the Holy Sacrifice in UP Diliman was inaugurated in 1955 and credited as the First Catholic Church in the country to employ circular architecture with a fine thin shell dome
• University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City is one example where the works of National Artists can be found
• Intricate mathematical computations with the increasing popularity of concrete enabled the smooth rounded church construction
• Jose Maceda’s Pagsamba


  Involved a hundred mixed voices and indigenous musical instruments like bamboo buzzers, clappers, etc.
• The Church of the Holy Sacrifice is recognized as a National Historical Landmark and a Cultural Treasure by the National Historical Institute
• Jose Maceda founded the UP Center for Ethnomusicology and donated valuable collections of sound recordings and field notes in Ethnomusicology in the Philippines and South East Asia
• Jose Maceda was recognized by the UNESCO Memory of the World