Art Appreciation

• Artist


  Art practitioner who produces or creates indirectly-functional arts with aesthetic value using imagination
• Artists


  • Work in the fine arts, including painting, illustration, and sculpture
  • First learn to sketch, and begin with a pencil and sketchpad to work with an idea on paper
  • Transfer their vision to canvases or other medium, working in oil, watercolor or pastel
  • Sculptors take their sketches and create 3D products from clay, marble or other material
  • Illustrators might work for a publishing or animation company, or create original comic books
  • All artists' work aims to create an overall reaction from a viewer
• Famous artists


  • Fernando Amorsolo
  • Juan Luna
• Artisan


  Craftsmen who produce directly functional and or decorative arts
• Artisans


  • Work in textiles, pottery, glass and other areas
  • Gain their knowledge by studying under master craftsmen and then practicing with continued study
  • Work to create something new, original, and at times, provocative
  • Spend a good portion of their time selling and promoting their items in various marketplaces
• Filipino artisans


  • Tina Maristela-Ocampo
  • Dumagat artisans
• Filipinos are known for being creative and resourceful, trying to maximize whatever resources they have just to earn and sustain their basic needs
• GAMABA


  Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan Awards, an award that acknowledges folk and indigenous artists who remain true to their traditions
• How GAMABA originated


  1. Began as a project of the Philippine Rotary Club Makati-Ayala

  2. Adopted by the government and institutionalized through Republic Act No. 7355 in 1992

  3. Aims to support and motivate artists to preserve their artistic heritage
• Manlilikha ng Bayan


  • Filipino traditional craftsmen or artisans whose skills have reached a high level of technical and artistic excellence and who are tasked to pass on to the present generation knowledge threatened with extinction
  • Recognized as the country's National Living Treasures
• Criteria to become a Manlilikha ng Bayan


  • Inhabitant of an indigenous/traditional cultural community
  • Engaged in a folk art tradition that has been in existence and documented for at least 50 years
  • Consistently performed or produced works of superior and distinctive quality
  • Possess mastery of tools and materials, and established reputation as master and maker of extraordinary technical quality
  • Passed on or will pass on skills in the folk art to other community members
• Manlilikha ng Bayan (due to age or infirmity)


  • Created a significant body of works and/or consistently displayed excellence, thus achieving important contributions for its development
  • Instrumental in the revitalization of their community's artistic tradition
  • Passed on skills in the folk art to other community members
  • Recognized by their community as master and teacher of their craft
• Incentives for Manlilikha ng Bayan awardees


  • Specially designed medallion
  • Initial grant of P100,000
  • P14,000 monthly stipend for life
  • Maximum cumulative amount of P750,000 medical and hospitalization benefit annually
  • Funeral assistance/tribute fit for a National Living Treasure
• GAMABA awardees


  • Ginaw Bilog (poet, Hanunuo Mangyan)
  • Samaon Sulaiman (musician, Magindanao)
  • Masino Intaray (musician and storyteller, Pala'wan)
  • Lang Dulay (textile weaver, T'boli)
  • Salinta Monon (textile weaver, Tagabawa Bagobo)
  • Alonzo Saclag (musician and dancer, Kalinga)
  • Uwang Ahadas (musician, Yakan)
  • Federico Caballero (epic chanter, Sulod-Bukidnon)
  • Darhata Sawabi (textile weaver, Tausug)
  • Eduardo Mutuc (metalsmith, Kapampangan)
  • Haja Amina Appi (mat weaver, Sama)
  • Teofilo Garcia (casque maker, Ilocano)
  • Yabing Masalon Dulo (ikat weaver)
  • Magdalena Gamayo (textile weaver, Ilocano)
  • Ambalang Ausalin (textile weaver, Yakan)
  • Estelita Bantilan (mat weaver, Sarangani)
• National Artist


  A Filipino citizen who has been given the rank and title in recognition of their significant contributions to the development of Philippine arts
• Estelita Bantilan


  Mat Weaver, Sarangani, 2016, (born 17 October 1940)
• Labnai


  Precocious in mat weaving, took on the name Estelita in the 1960s
• Estelita married


  Became Mrs. Bantilan, raised a family in the foreign faith, but kept to her mat weaving
• Estelita persisted in mat weaving where other women could not because her husband Tuwada was atypically supportive
• National Artist


  A Filipino citizen who has been given the rank and title of National Artist in recognition of his or her significant contributions to the development of Philippine arts and letters
• Order of National Artists

  • A rank, a title, and a wearable award that represents the highest national recognition given to Filipinos who have made distinct contributions in the field of arts and letters
  • Jointly administered by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP)
  • Conferred by the President of the Philippines upon recommendation by both institutions
• Fields recognized by the Order of National Artists

  • Music
  • Dance
  • Theater
  • Visual Arts
  • Literature
  • Film and Broadcast Arts
  • Architecture or Allied Arts
• The very first recipient of the National Artist award was painter Fernando Amorsolo, who was touted as the "Grand Old Man of Philippine Art"
• Recipients of the National Artist award are given a Grand Collar symbolizing their status
• Criteria for the Order of National Artists

  • Living artists who are Filipino citizens at the time of nomination, as well as those who died after the establishment of the award in 1972 but were Filipino citizens at the time of their death
  • Artists who, through the content and form of their works, have contributed in building a Filipino sense of nationhood
  • Artists who have pioneered in a mode of creative expression or style, thus earning distinction and making an impact on succeeding generations of artists
  • Artists who have created a substantial and significant body of work and/or consistently displayed excellence in the practice of their art form thus enriching artistic expression or style
  • Artists who enjoy broad acceptance through: (a) prestigious national and/or international recognition, (b) critical acclaim and/or reviews of their works, and (c) respect and esteem from peers
• Incentives received by National Artist awardees

  • Rank and title of National Artist, as proclaimed by the President of the Philippines
  • Insignia of a National Artist and a citation
  • Cash awards, monthly life pension, medical, and hospitalization benefits, life insurance coverage, state funeral and burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani (Heroes' Cemetery), and a place of honor at national state functions along with recognition at cultural events
• There are 66 recognized National Artists to date, with the fields of Visual Arts, Literature, and Music having the most number of recognized National Artists
• Leandro V. Locsin


  National Artist for Architecture, 1990, responsible for designing the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Folk Arts Theatre, Philippine International Convention Center, Philcite, and The Westin Hotel (now Sofitel Philippine Plaza)
• Lino Brocka


  National Artist for Cinema, 1997, known as one of the greatest Filipino directors of all time, espoused "freedom of expression" in his films with a social activist spirit
• Carlos "Botong" Francisco


  National Artist for Visual Arts, 1973, known for single-handedly reviving the modern art of murals through works that showed slices of the past
• Levi Celerio


  National Artist for Literature and Music, 1997, a prolific lyricist and composer known for effortlessly translating or rewriting lyrics of traditional Filipino melodies
• Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero


  National Artist for Theater, 1997, a teacher and theater artist who mentored some of the country's best Filipino performing artists and founded the UP Mobile Theater
• Leonor Orosa Goquingco


  Pioneer Filipino choreographer known as "The Trailblazer," "The Mother of Philippine Theater Dance," and "Dean of Filipino Performing Arts Critics"
• F. Sionil Jose


  National Artist for Literature, 2001, best known for creating the five-novel masterpiece known as the Rosales saga
• Lucrecia R. Kasilag


  National Artist for Music, 1989, seen as the pioneering figure for fusing Filipino ethnic and Western music, helping elevate Filipino's appreciation for music
• Larry Alcala


  National Artist for Visual Arts, editorial cartoonist and illustrator known for cartoon series like Slice of Life, Mang Ambo, and Kalabog en Bosyo
• Amelia Lapeña Bonifacio


  National Artist for Theater, known for writing plays, promoting children's theater, and puppetry, called the "Grande Dame of Southeast Asian Children's Theater"
• Ryan Cayabyab


  National Artist for Music, perhaps the most famous Filipino composer in recent history, known for composing musical scores, full-length Filipino musicals, ballets, an opera, and many beloved songs
• National Artist for Theater

  Bonifacio has been called the "Grande Dame of Southeast Asian Children's Theater" for her work in writing plays, promoting children's theater, and puppetry
• Bonifacio has penned 40 plays, 20 books, and 30 stories, according to panitikan.ph, and was chairperson of the University of the Philippines' Creative Writing Program