LESSON 1-2

• Being modern means up to date and technologically advanced
• In everyday parlance, the terms "modern" and "contemporary" are interchangeable
• Guillermo Tolentino: 'Grand old man of Philippines arts'
• Contemporary Art mirrors contemporary culture and society, offering a rich resource for considering current ideas and rethinking the familiar
• Everyday expressions were integrated within rituals that marked significant moments in a community's life
• Partitioning what they hunted and gathered and feasting on what they caught was a form of ritual
• Pre-conquest ritual KASHAWING (LAK
• Pre-conquest art refers to art before the coming of the first colonizers
• Contemporary Art

  Art produced by artists living today
• Pre-conquest art is also described as "pre-colonial" to refer to the general way of life before colonization
• Our ancestors were hunter-gatherers
• Contemporary Art is different from modern art but shares some characteristics
• Fernando Amorsolo: 'Father of Philippine arts'
• Contemporary Art

  Art made and produced by artists living today
• Telling stories about the hunt marked the beginnings of literature
• Being modern is often equated with being contemporary
• Modern Art

  Referred to as "traditional" today; Contemporary Art is the "art of the present"
• Imitation of the movements of animals and prey evolved into ritual, music, dance, theater, and literature
• Art that is new and current is often referred to as "modern" as opposed to "traditional" or "conservative"
• Contemporary Art provides an opportunity to reflect on contemporary society and relevant issues
• It is possible to integrate and transform elements from modern art into contemporary art
• The arts of the ancient Filipinos were woven into the fabric of everyday life
• Imitating the movements of the animals they hunted marked the early beginnings of theater or play acting
• General Characteristics of Contemporary Art

  • Site-specific
  • Integrative
  • Process-based/Process oriented
  • Collaborative/Participative
  • Interactive
• Pre-conquest weaving

  • Textiles: MALONG, LANGKIT, TEPO, NITO
  • Fibers: cotton, abaca, pineapple leaves
  • Pigments: clay, roots, leaves of plants
  • Looms: back strap loom, pedal loom
• KASHAWING (LAKE LANA0, MINDANAO)

  Ritual dance to ensure abundance during rice planting and harvesting
• When they told stories about the hunt


  Marked the beginnings of LITERATURE
• Pre-conquest dance forms

  • Sulu archipelago’s pangalay
  • Mandaya’s kinabua
  • Higaonon’s & B’laan communities’ banog-banog
  • Bagobos’ man-manok
  • Ifugaos’ talip
  • Matigsalugs’ inamong
  • T’bolis’ kadaliwas
  • TINIKLING
• TAGBANWA (PALAWAN)

  Believe that every thirteenth moon, three goddesses descend from heaven to bless the planting of rice
• Pre-conquest sculptures

  • Bulul – people of the Cordilleras; granary god
  • Hagabi – “socioeconomic status of the owner”
  • Santos – sculptures of saints
  • Okir / Ukkil – curvilinear decorations
  • Sunduk – grave marks; marking for ceremonial boats
• Imitating the movements of the animals they hunted

  Marked the early beginnings of THEATER or PLAY ACTING
• Pre-conquest music instruments

  • Various string instruments: Kudyapi
  • Percussion instruments: Kulintang, Gangsa, Agong
• Pre-conquest rituals

  • KASHAWING (LAKE LANA0, MINDANAO)
  • TAGBANWA (PALAWAN)
• Pre-conquest others

  • Filipinos’ body adornments or inscriptions (tattoo)
  • Boxer Codex
  • Kalinga, Kankanay, Ibaloy, and Ifugao
  • Jewelry: to attract the opposite sex
  • T’boli - wear brass chains, bells, colorful beads
  • Lotoans
  • Lost wax or cire perdue
  • Brass kendi and gadur
• Pre-conquest pottery

  • Manunggul Burial Jar (Neolithic-890-710 BC) – buried and exhumed bones are placed
  • Palayok – cooking
  • Banga & tapayan – containers for fermenting food or keeping liquids
  • Pagbuburnay (Vigan)