CPAR2

• Order of the National Artists

  Highest national recognition given to Filipino individuals who have made significant contributions to the development of Philippine arts
• Order of the National Artists

  • Established under Proclamation No. 1001, s. 1972
  • Administered by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP)
  • The president of the Philippines grants this award to a person that is recommended by both institutions every three (3) years
• National Artists


  Filipino individuals who have made significant contributions to the development of Philippine arts
• National Artists by Field

  • Architecture
  • Visual Arts
• Pablo S. Antonio


  • Pioneered modern Philippine architecture, emphasizing function before elegance and the maximum use of natural light and cross ventilation in his design
  • Major works include Far Eastern University Administration and Science buildings, Manila Polo Club, Ideal Theater, Galaxy Theater, Capitan Luis Gonzaga Building, Boulevard-Alhambra apartments, and Ramon Roces Publications Building
• Juan F. Nakpil


  • Known as the "Dean of Filipino Architects", espoused architecture reflective of Philippine traditions and culture
  • Major works include Geronimo de los Reyes Building, Magsaysay Building, Rizal Theater, Capitol Theater, Captain Pepe Building, Manila Jockey Club, Rufino Building, Philippine Village Hotel, University of the Philippines Administration and University Library, and the reconstructed Rizal house in Calamba, Laguna
• Ildefonso P. Santos


  • Considered as the "Father of Philippine Landscape Architecture"
  • Works include Tagaytay Highland resort, Mt. Malarayat Golf and Country Club in Lipa, Batangas, and Orchard Gold and Country Club in Imus, Cavite
• Jose Maria V. Zaragoza

  • Name became almost synonymous with modern ecclesiastical architecture
  • Major works include Meralco Building, Philbanking Building, Sto. Domingo Church and Convent, Metropolitan Cathedral of Cebu City, Villa San Miguel Church in Mandaluyong
• Leandro V. Locsin


  • Believes that the true Philippine Architecture is "the product of two great streams of culture, the oriental and the occidental… to produce a new object of harmony"
  • Used themes of floating volume, the duality of light and heavy, and buoyant and massive in his major works
  • Largest single work is the Istana Nurul Iman, the palace of the Sultan of Brunei
  • Designed the five buildings of the CCP Complex – the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Folk Arts Theater, Philippine International Convention Center, Philcite, and The Westin Hotel
• Fernando Amorsolo


  • The "Grand Old Man of Philippine Art", first to be awarded as National Artist
  • Trademark was the backlighting technique where the figures are seen aglow on canvas
  • Major works include Maiden in a Stream, El Ciego, Dalagang Bukid, The Meztiza, Planting Rice, and Sunday Morning Going to Town
• Cesar Legaspi


  • Pioneer "Neo-Realist" of the country, refined cubism in the Philippine context
  • Made use of geometric fragmentation technique, weaving social comment and juxtaposing the mythical and modern into his overlapping, interacting forms with disturbing power and intensity
  • Major works include Gadgets I, Gadgets II, Diggers, Idols of the Third Eye, Facade, Ovary, Flora and Fauna, Triptych, Flight, Bayanihan, Struggle, Avenging Figure, Turning Point, Peace, The Survivor, and The Ritual
• Hernando Ocampo


  • Self-taught painter, canvases evoked the lush Philippine landscape, its flora and fauna, under the sun and rain in fierce and bold colors
  • Played a pivotal role in sustaining the Philippine Art Gallery, the country's first
  • Major works include Genesis, Ina ng Balon, Calvary, Slum Dwellers, Nude with Candle and Flower, Man and Carabao, Angel's Kiss, Palayok at Kalan, Ancestors, Isda at Mangga, The Resurrection, Fifty-three "Q", Backdrop, and Fiesta
• Arturo Luz


  • Established the Luz Gallery that professionalized the art gallery as an institution
  • Major paintings include Bagong Taon, Vendador de Flores, Skipping Rope, Candle Vendors, Procession, Self-Portrait, Night Glows, Grand Finale, Cities of the Past, and Imaginary Landscapes
  • Mural painting Black and White is displayed in the lobby of the CCP's Bulwagang Carlos V. Francisco (Little Theater)
  • Sculpture of a stainless steel cube is located in front of the Benguet Mining Corporation Building in Pasig
• Jose T. Joya


  • Pioneered abstract expressionism in the Philippines, created an authentic Filipino abstract idiom that transcended foreign influences
  • Most of his paintings of harmonious colors were inspired by Philippine landscapes and his use of rice paper in collages placed value on transparency, a common characteristic of folk art
• Benedicto Cabrera


  • Best-selling painter of his generation of Filipino artist
  • Christened the emblematic scavenger figure "Sabel" who is a melancholic symbol of dislocation, despair, and isolation – the personification of human dignity threatened by life's ups and downs, and vast inequities of Philippine society
• Federico Aguilar Alcuaz


  • Painter and sculptor, known mainly for his gestural paintings in acrylic and oil, as well as sketches in ink, watercolor, and pencil
  • After his exhibit at Philippine Art Gallery, received a fellowship from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Spain and proceeded to study at the Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in Madrid
• Francisco Coching


  • Acknowledged as the "King of Komiks" and "Dean of Filipino Illustrators", central force in the formation of the popular art form of comics
  • Part of the golden age of the Filipino comics in the 50's and 60's, mesmerized the comics-reading public as well as his fellow artists, cartoonists, and writers
• Victorio Edades


  • The "Father of Modern Philippine Painting", unlike Amorsolo's cheerful hues, Edades' colors were dark and somber
  • Favorite subject matter are laborers, factory workers or the simple fold in all their dirt, sweat and grime
  • Major works include The Sketch, The Artist and the Model, Portrait of the Professor, Japanese Girl, Mother and Daughter, The Wrestlers, and Poinsettia Girl
• Guillermo Tolentino


  • Hailed as the "Father of Philippine Arts", famous works include the Bonifacio Monument in Caloocan, and the UP Oblation in Diliman, Quezon City
  • Also designed the gold and bronze medals for the Ramon Magsaysay Award and did the seal of the Republic of the Philippines
• Vicente Manansala


  • Cubist painter and illustrator, his paintings are described as "visions of reality teetering on the edge of abstraction"
• Edades' favorite subject matter

  Laborers, factory workers or the simple folk in all their dirt, sweat and grime
• Guillermo Tolentino


  Hailed as the "Father of Philippine Arts"
• Tolentino's famous works


  • Bonifacio Monument in Caloocan
  • UP Oblation in Diliman, Quezon City
• Other works by Tolentino

  • Gold and bronze medals for the Ramon Magsaysay Award
  • Seal of the Republic of the Philippines
• Vicente Manansala


  Cubist painter and illustrator from Macabebe, Pampanga
• Manansala's paintings


  Visions of reality teetering on the edge of abstraction
• Manansala's view on art

  The beauty of art is in the process, in the moment of doing a particular painting, closely associating it with the act of making love. "The climax is just when it's really finished."
• Manansala's works


  • A Cluster of Nipa Hut
  • San Francisco Del Monte
  • Banaklaot
  • I Believe in God
  • Market Venders
  • Madonna of the Slums
  • Still Life with Green Guitar
  • Via Crucis
  • Whirr
  • Nude
• Carlos "Botong" Francisco


  A poet from Angono who single-handedly revived the forgotten art of mural and was best known for his historical pieces
• J. Elizalde Navarro


  A versatile artist, being both a proficient painter and sculptor, devotion to the visual arts spans 40 years of drawing, printmaking, graphic designing, painting, and sculpting
• Navarro's major mixed media works

  • I'm Sorry Jesus, I Can't Attend Christmas This Year (1965)
  • Homage to Dodjie Laurel (1969: Ateneo Art Gallery collection)
  • A Flying Contraption for Mr. Icarus (1984: Lopez Museum)
• Napoleon Abueva


  The "Father of Modern Philippine Sculpture", the youngest awardee (only 46 when given the title)
• Abueva's artistic style


  • Adept in either academic representational style or modern abstract
  • Utilized almost all kinds of materials from hard wood (molave, acacia, langka wood, ipil, kamagong, palm wood and bamboo) to adobe, metal, stainless steel, cement, marble, bronze, iron, alabaster, coral and brass
• Abueva's major works


  • Kaganapan (1953)
  • Kiss of Judas (1955)
  • Thirty Pieces of Silver
  • The Transfiguration (1979)
  • Eternal Garden Memorial Park
  • UP Gateway (1967)
  • Nine Muses (1994)
  • UP Faculty Center
  • Sunburst (1994)-Peninsula Manila Hotel
  • Bronze figure of Teodoro M. Kalaw in front of National Library
  • Murals in marble at the National Heroes Shrine, Mt. Samat, Bataan
• Ang Kiukok


  A painter from Davao City who fused influences from cubism, surrealism, and expressionism in his style
• Ang Kiukok's favored subjects

  Fighting cocks, rabid dogs, and people enraptured by rage, as well as multiple depictions of the crucified Christ
• Ang Kiukok's works


  • Geometric Landscape (1969)
  • Pieta, which won the bronze medal in the 1st International Art Exhibition held in Saigon (1962)
  • Seated Figure (1979), auctioned at Sotheby's in Singapore
• Abdulmari Asia Imao


  A sculptor, painter, photographer, ceramist, documentary film maker, cultural researcher, writer, and articulator of Philippine Muslim art and culture
• Imao's contribution


  The indigenous ukkil, sarimanok and naga motifs have been popularized and instilled in the consciousness of the Filipino nation and other peoples as original Filipino creations
• Ramon Valera


  A fashion designer from Abra known for his tradition of excellence in his works and commitment to his profession, performing magical seminal innovations on the Philippine terno