PERIODICAL REVIEW

• Contemporary Art


  Art produced by artists living today
• Modern Art


  Referred to as "traditional"
• Contemporary Art


  The "art of the present"
• Being modern means up to date and technologically advanced
• Often, being modern is equated with being contemporary
• Art that is new and current is also often referred to as "modern" as opposed to "traditional" or "conservative"
• In everyday parlance, the terms "modern" and "contemporary" are interchangeable
• Contemporary Art


  Art made and produced by artists living today
• Contemporary Art


  • Provides an opportunity to reflect on contemporary society and the issues relevant to ourselves, and the world around us
  • Mirrors contemporary culture and society, offering teachers, students, and general audiences a rich resource through which to consider current ideas and rethink the familiar
• Contemporary Art is different from modern art but shares some characteristics
• It's possible to integrate and transform elements from modern art into contemporary
• General Characteristics of Contemporary Art

  • Site-specific
  • Integrative
  • Process-based/Process oriented
  • Collaborative/Participative
  • Interactive
• In historical terms, we refer to art before the coming of the first colonizers as "pre conquest"
• In stylistic terms, we refer to pre-conquest art as "indigenous" to emphasize the idea that our ancestors have been making art even before colonization
• In cultural terms, pre-conquest art is also described as "pre-colonial" as a term to use for the general way of life before colonization
• The arts of the ancient Filipinos were woven into the fabric of everyday life
• Everyday expressions were all integrated within RITUALS that marked significant moments in a community's life
• Our ancestors were hunter-gatherers
• Imitation of the movements of animals and prey and the sounds made – evolved ritual, music, dance, theater, and even literature
• When they partitioned what they hunted and gathered and feasted on what they caught, this too was a form of RITUAL
• When they told stories about the hunt, this form of oral storytelling marked the beginnings of LITERATURE
• When they imitated the movements of the animals that they hunted, this marked the early beginnings of THEATER or PLAY ACTING
• Kashawing


  A ritual dance to ensure abundance during rice planting and harvesting (Lake Lanao, Mindanao)
• Tagbanwa


  They believe that every thirteenth moon, three goddesses descend from heaven to bless the planting of rice (Palawan)
• Pre-conquest musical instruments


  • Kudyapi (string)
  • Kulintang (percussion)
  • Gangsa (percussion)
  • Agong (percussion)
• The wealth of ethnic musical instruments is further complimented by native dance forms – imitation of the animals', humans', and nature's elements' movements
• Pre-conquest dance forms

  • Pangalay (Sulu archipelago)
  • Kinabua (Mandaya)
  • Banog-banog (Higaonon & B'laan communities)
  • Man-manok (Bagobos)
  • Talip (Ifugaos)
  • Inamong (Matigsalugs)
  • Kadaliwas (T'bolis)
  • Tinikling
• 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)
• Manunggul Burial Jar


  Neolithic-890-710 BC, buried and exhumed bones are placed
• Pre-conquest pottery


  • Palayok (cooking)
  • Banga & tapayan (containers for fermenting food or keeping liquids)
  • Pagbuburnay (Vigan)
• Textiles are not only functional, they also impart knowledge about people's belief systems, the reverence for spirits and nature, criteria for the beautiful, and societies' sociopolitical issues
• Pre-conquest textiles


  • Malong
  • Langkit
  • Tepo
  • Nito
• Other pre-conquest art forms

  • 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, and colorful beads
  • Lotoans
  • Lost wax or cire perdue
  • Brass kendi and gadur
• Art that flourished during the Spanish colonial period conformed to the demands of the church and the colonial state
• Religious orders were dispatched to convert natives to Catholicism as part of the larger project of colonization
• Religious art, lowland Christian art or folk art


  The art forms from the Spanish colonial period
• Architectural styles during the Spanish colonial period

  • Cruciform churches (cross shaped)
  • Baroque style (detailed)
• Examples of churches from the Spanish colonial period

  • San Agustin
  • Paoay Church
  • Morong Church (Rizal) Sto. Tomas de Villanueva Church in Miag-ao, Iloilo
• Images of saints and interpretations of biblical narratives were considered essential to worship
• Under the strict watch and patronage of the church, images were produced through painting, sculpting, and engraving