ART Philippines, the brainchild of The Crucible Workshop, presents a wide range of Philippine fine art. This epic work comprises some of the finest art in the Archipelago.
Readers will see glimpses into Filipino life in each historical period and trace the entire history of painting, drawing, sculpture, and printmaking from colonial times to the end of the 20th century.
"The Loom of Colonial History" presents art during the Spanish period. Filled with paintings of the Holy Trinity, the Virgin Mary, and saints, the section features intricate woodcarvings on altar pieces.
Justiniano Asuncion's 1860 "Portrait of Filomena Villafranca," Antonio Malantic's 1876 "Portrait of Inocencia Francia," and Juan Arzeo's 1830 oil "Magdalena" shine with skill and artistry. Damian Domingo's self-portrait shows the artist as a young man in military uniform.
"The Leap to Modernism" covers the turbulent historical period when Filipinos cast off the yoke of colonial Spain, the Philippine-American War, and the creation of an independent country. This section, with more than fifty illustrations, highlights works by modern masters Juan Luna, Francisco Suarez, Adelaida Paterno, Fabian De La Rosa, and Fernando Amorsolo.
"The Fifties-The Rise of Neo-Realism" shows the sheer variety of styles and techniques that give Philippine painting its uniqueness. Avant-garde painters wanted to paint their world as it was, and not as others wished it to be.
Philippine art came into its own during the sixties. This sections overflows with illustrations and histories of the emerging artists of that period. Society lionized artists—the buying, selling, and showing of art made counter-culture the "in thing."
The seventies show a country in pain. Endless "brush fire wars," Viet Nam, the Cold War, the authoritarian regime of Ferdinand Marcos, and spiraling poverty marked Philippine art during the 1970's. The oil on canvases of a crumpled flag by Benedicto Cabreras' "Imaginary Patriot," and Ank Kiukok's "Dogfight" are both alive with color and realism.
The religious art of this era made holy subjects approachable, human, lovable, native, warm, and real as opposed to the stiff, Europeanized, distant, fantasized Spanish approach of the colonial era. Impressionism, Realism, Abstractionism, Classicism—every school and style came alive during the seventies.
In the eighties, art became revolution. Painters' new artistic hardness was reflected in their works. Renato Habulan's oil on canvas "Haplit Sa Mga Supling" (1989) depicts Christ being taking down from the cross by his mother as two contemporary women sit nearby, embracing photos of starving and beaten Filipinos. There are many other revolutionary works presented during this period. This section reflects the awful loneliness of the 1980's.
The section on sculpture covers the entire gambit of three-dimensional art—metal smithing, woodwork, engraving, glasswork, installation art, and public sculptures. A recent addition to the Philippine art scene is printmaking. While some of the greats dabbled with it, printmaking gathered momentum shortly after Boyd Compton, a Rockefeller Foundation representative, recruited visionary artist Manuel Rodriguez and sent him to New York to study the 'new' medium. Upon his return home in 1960, he set up the Contemporary Art Gallery in the Malate District. Virgilio Aviado's "Hiroshima Con Amor" (1989), Orlando Castillo's "Pansamantalang Walang Pamagat" elevated Filipino print art to world-class stature.
For its efforts, the Manila-based Crucible Workshop received the Philippine National Book Award for Art. It is divided into eight sections, replete with 400 years of Philippine art history, artists, and some of the most magnificent full-color prints that true art aficionados can appreciate.
ART Philippines, A History: 1521-Present by The Crucible Workshop of Manila, Philippines is available from Ms. Ruth Roa, The Crucible Workshop, 3B, Strata 200-Emerald Avenue, Ortigas Complex, Pasig-Metro Manila.
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