Topic 4: Art from the Region

Summary

This pre-recorded lecture for English 103 discusses regional Filipino art and its significance. The lecturer explores the works of prominent artists like Fernando Amorsolo, Carlos Francisco, and Hernando Ocampo, examining what makes their art distinctively Filipino. The discussion also touches on the concepts of genre and style, the importance of recognizing regional art, and the influence of both tangible and intangible cultural heritage. The lecture ends with reflective questions on the role of regional art in fostering nationalism and challenging Manila-centric views on Filipino art.

Takeaways

• 🎨 The lecture focuses on Philippine art, particularly regional art, and its significance.
• 📚 The objectives include understanding what makes certain art pieces Filipino and the role of genre and style in defining art.
• 🇵🇭 The paintings of Fernando Amorsolo, Carlos Francisco, and Hernando Ocampo are examined as examples of Filipino art.
• 🖼️ Genre refers to the category of art defined by similarities in form, style, and subject matter, while style refers to the distinctive way an artist expresses their ideas.
• 🌾 Amorsolo’s work is celebrated for its depictions of Filipino culture, countryside, and farming practices.
• 🏛️ Carlos Francisco is known for his focus on heroic, epic themes, often portraying historical and mythological events.
• 🌀 Ocampo’s style, influenced by Western movements like cubism and surrealism, is considered Filipino because it was adapted to reflect Filipino identity.
• 🌍 Regional art is described as a reflection of local identity, traditions, and geography, contributing to cultural heritage.
• 🛖 The Torogan, a traditional Maranao house, is highlighted as an example of regional architecture and cultural heritage.
• 🎭 The lecture emphasizes that both tangible (e.g., paintings, sculptures) and intangible (e.g., music, dance) cultural heritage play crucial roles in preserving Filipino identity.

Q & A

What is the main topic of this lecture?

The main topic of the lecture is art from the region, specifically exploring what makes certain works of art Filipino.

What are the two key concepts discussed in relation to Filipino art?

The two key concepts discussed are 'genre,' which refers to the category of artistic composition, and 'style,' which is the distinctive manner in which an artist portrays their subject matter.

Who are the three Filipino artists mentioned in the lecture, and what do their works represent?

The three Filipino artists mentioned are Fernando Amorsolo, Carlos Francisco, and Hernando Ocampo. Amorsolo's work focuses on Filipino culture and countryside, Francisco's work highlights history and legends, and Ocampo's work incorporates western styles like cubism and surrealism but still maintains a Filipino essence.

How is 'Filipino-ness' determined in a work of art according to the lecture?

'Filipino-ness' in a work of art can be determined through the genre, style, and subject matter, such as depictions of Filipino culture, history, and identity. Even if influenced by western styles, the art is considered Filipino if the artist is Filipino and it reflects Filipino elements.

What is 'regional art,' and why is it important?

Regional art refers to art produced within a specific region, reflecting the unique geographical, social, political, and cultural circumstances of that area. It is important because it helps preserve and highlight local traditions, reducing prejudice against local and regional art and questioning the dominance of metropolitan art.

What are the two types of cultural heritage discussed, and how are they defined?

The two types of cultural heritage discussed are 'tangible heritage' and 'intangible heritage.' Tangible heritage includes physical objects like paintings and sculptures, while intangible heritage refers to practices such as music, dance, and theater that must be performed to be preserved.

Who is Abdulmari Imao, and what is significant about his artwork 'Sarimano'?

Abdulmari Imao is the first Muslim national artist of the Philippines. His artwork 'Sarimano,' made of pounded brass and carved wood, combines Mindanaoan motifs and Filipino spirit, reflecting both modern and traditional elements.

What is the 'Torogan,' and why is it unique to Maranao culture?

The 'Torogan' is an architectural structure built by the Maranao people of Lanao, made primarily of wood and featuring swirling 'okir' designs. It is unique because it serves as a common living space with no separate rooms, representing a key element of Maranao culture.

How does Onib Olmedo’s painting 'Thinking Man' reflect Philippine figurative expressionism?

Onib Olmedo’s 'Thinking Man' reflects Philippine figurative expressionism through its depiction of a seated human figure deep in thought, set against a vibrant crimson background. The painting showcases Olmedo's style, which is a significant part of the expressionist movement in the Philippines.

Why is studying local and regional arts significant according to the lecture?

Studying local and regional arts is significant because it promotes a sense of pride in one's cultural heritage, challenges the dominance of metropolitan art, and encourages the preservation and appreciation of unique cultural expressions from different regions of the Philippines.

Outlines

00:00

🎨 Introduction to Filipino Art and Genre

The lecture begins with an introduction to the topic of Filipino art, asking what makes certain paintings distinctly Filipino. The instructor prompts students to consider elements that reflect Filipino identity in art. The lecture references the article 'What is Philippine about Philippine Art?' by Leo Vanessa, discussing how artists like Fernando Amorsolo, Carlos Francisco, and Hernando Ocampo exemplify Filipino traits in their work. The terms 'genre' and 'style' are introduced, explaining how they categorize art based on shared characteristics and distinctive artist techniques.

05:03

🖌️ Style and Filipino Influence in Ocampo's Art

This section focuses on Hernando Ocampo's style, which, despite Western influences like cubism and surrealism, is considered Filipino. The argument is made that any artwork produced by a Filipino artist carries Filipino identity. Ocampo is credited with creating a uniquely Filipino version of these Western styles, reflecting the nation's culture and identity. The concept of regional art is introduced, emphasizing how regional culture and identity influence artistic expression, challenging the dominance of Manila-centric art forms.

10:07

🌍 Regional Art and Cultural Heritage

The discussion shifts to regional art, highlighting its importance in celebrating local traditions and identities. Regional art, tied to geographic and cultural contexts, challenges the notion of metropolitan superiority in art. Examples of regional art in Mindanao and Visayas are discussed, stressing how normalization of regional art can combat biases and promote appreciation for local works. The concepts of tangible and intangible cultural heritage are introduced, with tangible heritage including physical objects like paintings, and intangible heritage involving practices like music, theater, and literature.

🏛️ Showcasing Southern Philippine Artworks

The final section showcases specific artworks from Southern Philippine regions. Notable works include Abdulmari Imao’s 'Sarimano,' a testament to fusing Mindanaoan motifs with modern mediums, and the 'Torogan,' a traditional Maranao structure exemplifying cultural heritage with its unique swirling oker design. The architectural and communal aspects of the Torogan are highlighted. The painting 'Thinking Man' by Ang Kiukok is also featured, representing Filipino figurative expressionism. The lecture ends with reflective questions on what defines Philippine art and the significance of studying local and regional art.

Keywords

💡Genre

Genre refers to a category of artistic composition characterized by similarities in form, style, and subject matter. In the video, genre is highlighted as a key factor in identifying the 'Filipino-ness' of an artwork, by recognizing the common elements and themes within a cultural context, such as Fernando Amorsolo’s portrayal of Filipino rural life.

💡Style

Style is the distinctive manner in which an artist portrays their subject matter, which often makes their work recognizable. In the video, it is discussed in relation to how artists like Van Gogh or Juan Luna have unique traits that make their work identifiable. Style is also used to show how Filipino artists blend Western influences with local techniques to create something distinctly Filipino, as seen in Hernando Ocampo's cubism.

💡Filipino-ness

Filipino-ness refers to the qualities that make a work of art distinctly Filipino, despite the presence of foreign influences. The video discusses how works by artists like Amorsolo, Francisco, and Ocampo exhibit this concept through their depiction of Filipino culture, history, and everyday life, making their art culturally relevant and Filipino.

💡Regionalism in Art

Regionalism in art focuses on the expression of local culture, traditions, and identities within a specific geographical region. The video emphasizes the importance of recognizing and celebrating regional art to combat 'Manila-centrism,' giving examples like the Torugan architecture of the Maranao people as a representation of regional identity in the Philippines.

💡Tangible Heritage

Tangible heritage refers to physical objects or artifacts that are passed down through generations, representing a group’s cultural legacy. In the video, examples like paintings, sculptures, and the Torugan architectural structure illustrate how tangible heritage preserves and reflects Filipino identity, especially in regional contexts.

💡Intangible Heritage

Intangible heritage consists of non-physical aspects of culture, such as practices, traditions, or expressions. The video refers to forms like dance, music, and theater as examples of intangible heritage that need to be continuously practiced and passed down to preserve Filipino culture and identity.

💡Manila-centrism

Manila-centrism refers to the dominance and perceived superiority of art and culture from the capital, Manila, over regional expressions. The video challenges this by promoting the value of regional art forms and their ability to reflect the diversity of Filipino culture, with the hope of diminishing the biases against regional art.

💡Cultural Heritage

Cultural heritage refers to both tangible and intangible elements that are passed down through generations, representing the identity and values of a society. In the video, it is mentioned as an important concept when discussing Filipino art, as it encompasses not only physical artifacts but also cultural practices that shape national and regional identities.

💡Fernando Amorsolo

Fernando Amorsolo is a prominent Filipino painter known for his depictions of rural landscapes and everyday Filipino life, particularly agricultural scenes. The video references him as an example of how Filipino artists use genre and style to portray the culture and beauty of the Philippines, making his work a symbol of Filipino identity in art.

💡Surrealism and Cubism

Surrealism and Cubism are Western art movements that emphasize abstract forms and unconventional representations. The video discusses how Filipino artist Hernando Ocampo used these styles but incorporated Filipino elements, thus 'Filipinizing' the techniques to create distinctly Filipino works of art, despite their foreign origins.

Highlights

Introduction to art from the region and its cultural significance.

Objective of the lecture: Understanding what makes Filipino art distinct.

Introduction of the three major Filipino artists: Fernando Amorsolo, Carlos Francisco, and Hernando Ocampo.

Explanation of two key concepts: Genre and Style, and their importance in identifying Filipino-ness in art.

Genre in art is defined as a category characterized by similarities in form, style, and subject matter.

Style is the distinctive manner an artist uses to portray their subject matter.

Amorsolo's work focuses on Filipino culture, especially the beauty of the countryside and farming practices.

Carlos Francisco emphasizes Filipino history, myths, and legends in his paintings, giving them a heroic epic feel.

Ocampo, influenced by Western styles like cubism and surrealism, created uniquely Filipino works by adding local elements.

Regional art and its connection to the homeland are critical in shaping contemporary artistic expression.

Studying regional art can help eradicate Manila-centrism and highlight the importance of local and regional identity.

Cultural heritage is divided into two types: tangible (e.g., paintings, sculptures) and intangible (e.g., music, dance).

Examples of regional art include Abdulmari Imao's 'Sarimano,' a fusion of Mindanao motifs and modern mediums.

The Maranao architectural structure 'Torugan' is highlighted for its unique cultural design.

Ankyl's 'Thinking Man,' an example of Philippine figurative expressionism, is discussed for its powerful emotional expression.

Transcripts

[Music]

hello everyone welcome to another

pre-recorded lecture for english 103 and

our topic for this week will be

art from the region

before we start just allow me to present

to you the objectives for the week it is

expected that at the end of the lecture

at the end of the activities that we are

going to have

we will be able to achieve

these objectives

let's examine these paintings and let's

drop the big question

what makes these paintings filipino

[Music]

on top of your head you may want to list

down

the things that made you consider

this painting as filipino

or not

and let's try to discover in the course

of our discussion as to why

and why not

these things or these paintings are

considered filipino

according to the article what is

philippine about philippine art by leo

vanessa

these three artists namely fernando

mursolo carlos francisco and hernando

campo

these painters showed filipino-ness

quote unquote filipino

in their work

before we discuss each of these artists

as to how their works are considered

filipino let's discuss first these two

concepts

that will be used or these are terms

that will be used along the way in the

discussion

and first and foremost is we have genre

now when we talk of genre this is a

category of artistic composition

characterized by similarities in form

style and subject matter so let's take

for example music you would know that

the kind of music that you're listening

to is rock because there are components

that match

the song with the genre of rock for

example how it's sung

or the kind of instruments that is

needed to be played so that

you would be able to play the song

so that is how

we

we

understand what the genre is so it's a

these are like collective

characteristics

that will make you say that this

particular artwork belongs to this kind

of collective outputs

so that is for genre and let's talk

about

style now when we talk about style this

is the distinctive manner of how artists

portray

their

their subject matter or the topic at

hand or their message or this

distinctive manner of how they are able

to visualize or concretize the idea that

they have so for example you would know

that it's van gogh because of

a particular thing that he always does

every time he creates an artwork or you

would know that it's one luna because he

does this and that

and

that is how you would pinpoint you would

pinpoint

who the artist is because of the style

so take note we have genre and we have

style and these are the things that will

be discussed as we go along in

discussing these three artists and how

their works are considered filipino

the genre used in an artwork is

considered to be a major consideration

in determining the quote unquote

filipinoness of a work of art

so for example when we look at the work

of art we take a look at into its form

its style or the topic at hand that the

artist is trying to show us or trying to

communicate with us for example we have

amur solo

amar solo's paintings would always show

the culture of the race and at the same

time he would always show

how

beautiful the countryside is in our

country and at the same time he would

always show the practices that we have

in terms of forming

whereas we have

carlos francisco wherein he would always

have this heroic epic feeling for

history and myth thus depicting history

legends and myths in his paintings

now let's talk about style and let's

focus on ocampo's works

although

ocampo's works are very influenced by

the western styles like cubism and

surrealism he is considered to be most

filipino

this is basically because whatever is

produced by this filipino artist

it will be considered filipino because

that

filipino citizen is the one doing it

and take note that he has filipinized

he has made his own version of

surrealism and cubism thus making it our

own

so therefore

therefore his works are still considered

filipino

so let's settle through the fact that

even if

we have western influences

as long as

it is filipino or the one who made that

particular artwork is filipino then

therefore whatever they produce is

considered filipino because

it will

one way or another

show our own identity as asians and at

the same time as filipinos

now let's focus on

the study of art in the regional context

and let's highlight

region first

region is a social system that mirrors

relations among people bound by

shared and distinct identity

language culture and tradition

and it is also said that region is a key

identity marker

when we talk about

regional art

the idea of homeland is anchored within

this regional location

studying and appreciating art that is

produced in one's own region and

recognizing its regional context that

takes into account the unique

geographical

social political and cultural

circumstances that shape its

contemporary artistic expression

would bring its status to the limelight

and would become

part of the cultural mainstream

we have efforts already in mindanao like

for example the exhibits that are shown

in moss or we are soft that is part of

of our efforts in mindanao or we also

have efforts in visayas like for example

vispa

[Music]

every year

a musical festival would be

would be conducted and artists in the

region

would submit their works

so in short

when we normalize this one

it is likely

that

people a lot more people would subscribe

to this kind of art

thus

it would

it would eradicate

the prejudice against local and regional

art

the view of it being inferior and less

sophisticated is removed

thus the dominance and superiority of

art produced in much metropolitan

centers

as in manila's context would come into

question

or in short manila centrism would be

eradicated along the way the more people

who would subscribe to regional art

and regionalism in art is a celebration

of local tradition in pride of place

and when we study regional art we also

consider the fact that whatever our

artists produce

they are considered cultural heritage

now when we talk about heritage this is

the legacy of physical artifacts and

intangible attributes of a group or

society that are passed on

maintained and bestowed from generation

to generation

[Music]

there are two types of cultural heritage

we have tangible heritage and we have

intangible heritage

now when we talk about tangible heritage

these are physical things that we can

see we can touch thus we have examples

like

paintings sculptures

tools instruments and etc etc

meanwhile we have intangible heritage

wherein this is something that needs to

be practiced in order for it to be in to

be preserved so for example we have

dances we have theater we have music

we have poetry

or we have literature and etc etc

so these are the things

that we consider as heritage we have

tangible and we have intangible

[Music]

now let's try to browse through

the works

that were made by our artists in

southern philippine regions

so first is we have the artwork sarimano

it was made by abdulmari mao by the way

you can correct my pronunciation for

those

who knows the right pronunciation

it is made in pounded brass

and carved wood

it exhibits distinct qualities that

merited him to be the first

muslim national artist

the work is a testament to how imaw

effortlessly fuses mindanao and motifs

modern mediums and forms and victorious

filipino spirit into one

[Music]

next one is an architectural structure

we call torugan

no torogan taurogan is

built by the maranao people of lanao

it is built

as early as 1740s it is made out of wood

and it's mostly found in lanao del sur

now if you take a look at the design of

torugan it has this swirling design

called oker

and it is one of the

features

that we would see in their culture

and

if you try take a tour on on

this shelter you would see

that it's just one big space inside

there are no rooms so they're

there

their salah is also their bedroom their

dining room

and it's just a common space for

everyone

so that is one main feature of toragan

and it's unique to their own culture

the last artwork that we are going to

discuss

is thinking man by ankyl

this powerful painting showing a seated

human figure engrossed in thought and

set against an energetic crimson

background is quintessential on kyoko

one of the leading lights of philippine

figurative expressionism

so that is for our discussion on art

from the region as a form of reflection

i'd like us to

answer one of the three questions

and the questions are if most philippine

art forms are western broad what makes

philippine art filipino

second one what makes studying local and

regional arts significant

and last one is in what way does

studying philippine arts specifically

from the region establish a sense of

nationalism

i'd like to see your answers in the

comment section to where this is posted

and i'll be expecting your answers by

the end of the week

so that would be it for our discussion

for this lecture

if you have questions or concerns please

feel free to message me in our

ms teams

or you can always type down your

concerns

to where this is posted in ms teams so

that would be it everyone

see you soonest

bye