1Fernando Amorsolo (detail of a self-portrait)

FERNANDO CUETO AMORSOLO (Philippine, b. May 30, 1892 - d. February 26, 1972)

Styles: Impressionism, Luminism, Realism

Subjects: Philippine genre and historical, nudes, society portraits

The paintings of Fernando C. Amorsolo “…overflow with sweetness and optimism,” says art historian Eric Torres. Amorsolo, Torres asserts, managed to “capture on canvas the vibrant tropical Philippine sunlight.” A shy man, whose only real genius was in painting, Fernando Amorsolo also helped shape and stylize the image of the ideal Filipina.

Fernando Amorsolo’s enormous popularity, both during his lifetime and after, resulted from his luminous and idealized treatment of Philippine genre and landscape subjects. His best known paintings feature peasants in colorful costumes, scenes of rice planting and harvesting, genre and society portraits, and sensual female bathers. Amorsolo’s painterly technique, and his skill in rendering the figure, is said to have peaked during the era known as his “Golden Period” between 1915 and 1940.

Fernando Amorsolo was born on May 30, 1892 in Paco, Manila to Pedro Amorsolo, a bookkeeper, and his wife Bonifacia Cueto. One of five brothers, Fernando grew up in Daet, Camarines Norte, until moving to Manila upon the death of his father. Before he passed away, Amorsolo’s father Pedro had made his wife promise to give Fernando a proper art education.

The family moved in with his mother’s first cousin, Fabian de la Rosa, a genre painter who had been trained at Manila’s Escuela de Bellas Artes y Dibujo (School of Fine Arts and Design) and who had also traveled in Europe. In 1905 Fernando Amorsolo, aged 13, was apprenticed to de la Rosa. The young man’s first commercial success came when he sold watercolor postcards for 10 centavos each.

In 1908, Amorsolo won the second prize for the painting Levendo Periodico at the Bazar Escolta, a competition sponsored by the Asociacion Internacional de Artistas. The following year, Amorsolo enrolled at the Art School of the Liceo de Manila where a genre scene of figures in a garden would earn him a first prize in his graduation year. In 1909 he began attending the University of the Philippines School of Fine art, where his uncle Fabian de la Rosa was serving as an instructor. During his university years Amorsolo supported himself by doing illustration work that appeared in novels and religious publications. He graduated with honors in 1916 and began a dual career as an art instructor and commercial artist.

In 1916 Enrique Zobel de Ayala, a Spanish citizen who was a leading businessman in the Philippines, sponsored Amorsolo to study at the Adademia de San Fernando in Madrid. While in Spain, Amorsolo became widely exposed to the works of key European modern artists including French Realists, Impressionists and Post-Impressionists. He also discovered the works of the Spanish luminist Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida, and the great Baroque master Diego Velasquez, who became the artists he most greatly admired and emulated.The 7 months that Amorsolo spent in Spain, and the brief visit he made afterwards to New York, gave him the stylistic tools he needed to transform himself from a provincial artist to an international figure. “Informed by Western Impressionism,” states art historian Floriana Capistrano-Baker, “Amorsolo used swift, broken brushwork and thick impasto, with emphasis on landscapes and daily scenes.”

After returning to Manila, Amorsolo set up a studio and began an enormously productive period. Using subject matter that he had borrowed from Fabian de la Rosa – scenes of rice planting and harvesting -- he created a series of paintings that captured the popular imagination. His 1922 painting Rice Planting soon appeared on calendars, posters, and travel brochures. Amorsolo also created powerful images of Philippine colonial history including “The First Mass in the Philippines.” During the long span of his career, Amorsolo’s paintings would continue to be reproduced in textbooks, commercial images, magazines and newspapers, and became the accepted standard for historical imagery.

Above: A rice harvesting scene by Fernando Amorsolo

Commercially successful from his thirties on, Amorsolo was the subject of international exhibitions including a one-man show in New York City held in 1925. He was very much in demand for portraits of society figures, including foreigners, and was willing to make copies of his own works, always slightly altered, on a commissioned basis. He would sometimes bring out a photo album of his better known paintings and ask a client which subject matter they would like.

Amorsolo continued to teach at the University of the Philippines, and served as the Director of the school’s Art Department between 1938 and 1952. After the 1931 death of his first wife – with whom he had 6 children – he remarried and fathered 8 more children. In total, 5 of his children also became painters.

During the Japanese occupation of the Philippines Amorsolo sketched war scenes from the window or roof of his rented apartment, while his wife and family lived separately in a safer location. His drawings and paintings from this grim period document wartime suffering and atrocities. In particular, Amorsolo depicted the sufferings of mothers and children. During the war, Amorsolo’s younger brother Pablo, also an accomplished artist, was branded a Japanese sympathizer and was executed by Filipino guerillas. His wartime paintings are considered among his finest work and were exhibited at Malacanang Palace in 1948.

Above: A 1954 Amorsolo oil painting depicts Philippine village life.

From the 1950s onward, Amorsolo created an average of 10 paintings per month. His popularity was so great that the first generation of Philippine modernists generally cited his work as an academy that needed to be rebelled against. In a sense, this was a kind of compliment to the aging artist.

In Amorsolo’s waning years health problems, including diabetes and cataracts, created obstacles, but he continued to paint productively to support his large family. The deaths of two of his sons, Fernando Jr. in 1964, and Milo in 1971, affected him deeply. Fernando Amorsolo died of heart failure on August 24, 1972.

In 2003, Amorsolo's children founded the Fernando C. Amorsolo Art Foundation, which is dedicated to preserving Fernando Amorsolo's legacy, promoting his style and vision, and preserving a national heritage through the conservation and promotion of his works.

Museums and Public Collections:

The Ayala Museum, Manila

The Central Bank of the Philippines, Manila

The Lopez Museum, Manila

The National Museum of the Philippines, Manila

Sources:

“100 Years of Philippine Painting,” Essay by Emmanuel Torres, copyright the Pacific Asia Museum, 1984

Fernando C. Amorsolo Art Foundation, 39 Cordillera St. Quezon City, The PhilippinesBiography by Edwin A. Martinez, www.fernandocamorsolo.com

“Pioneers of Philippine Art,” Essay by Floriana H. Capistrano-Baker, copyright the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, 2006

Above: Artist Fernando Amorsolo's Signature

2Life and Works of Guillermo Tolentino - "The Father of Philippine Arts"

Guillermo Estrella Tolentino (1890-1976) represents the National Artist Awards forSculpture in 1973. He is consider as the "Father of Philippine Arts" because of his great works like the famous "Bonifacio Monument" symbolizing Filipinos cry for freedom located in intersection of EDSA and Rizal Avenue and "The Oblation" in UP signifying academic freedom . 

Guillermo Tolentino was born in Malolos, Bulacan. He attend School of Fine Arts in University of the Philippines under Vicente Rivera for painting and later for sculpture under Vicente Francisco. Sooner he became more interested in sculpture than painting. He graduated in painting and sculpture in 1915 with prizes in all subjects. 

By year 1919 he decided to go to America and work as a waiter. Bernard Baruch saw his small statue "Freedom" and granted him scholarship in Ecole de Beaux Arts. This small statue made him to meet and talked personally to President Wilson at the White House. After graduating with honor in Ecole de Beux Arts, Guillermo Tolentino travelled Europe and study in Regge Instituto Superiore di Belle Arti di Roma in Rome. During his stay he created the Saluto Romano and won 2nd prize. He graduated with highest honor in 1923 and held one-man exhibition in Rome. 

Guillermo Tolentino returned home in 1923, then he opened his own studio in Manila. In 1926, he was appointed as instructor for sculpture in School of Fine Arts in University of the Philippines. He won the design and commissioning of "The Bonifacio Monument" in 1930 and finish its installation in 1933. The "Oblation" was made the same time with "Bonifacio Monument". After that UP President Rafael Palma commissioned the "Oblation" in UP Manila and later transfer to UP Diliman. Later part of his service, he was appointed as Director for School of Fine Arts and in 1955 after resignation he was named as Professor Emeritus. He obtained also Sculptor of the Year from Philippine Institute of Architecs. He received various awards and citations such as UNESCO Cultural Award in Sculpture in 1959, Araw ng Maynila Award in Sculpture in 1963, Republic Cultural Heritage Award in 1967, President's Medal of Merit in 1973, Diwa ng Lahi Award in 1972, and National Artist Award in 1973. 

Other works of Tolentino are bronze figures of President Quezon at Quezon Memorial, life-size busts of Jose Rizal at UP and UE, marble statue of Ramon Magsaysay in GSIS Building, bronze medals for the Ramon Magsaysay Award and seal of the Republic of the Philippines, Venus, Alma Mater statue of the University of the East and Filipinas in Bondage.

WorksBonifacio Monument

UP Dilimans Oblation Statue

The original UP Oblation

Medal for Ramon Magsaysay Award

Venus, 1951

Filipinas on Bondage

Bust of Monsignor Gregorio Aglipay

A small bust of Jose Rizal

UP Los Banos Alumni Plaza,1967

The News Boy

"Filipinos Illustres" paint by Guillermo Tolentino

"The Lady" (Teodora Valenzuela Tiglao)

Guillermo Tolentino's works in Pasig City Museum

Guillermo Tolentino's works in Pasig City Museum

Guillermo Tolentino's works in Pasig City Museum

4 SNapoleon Abueva

Napoleon Isabelo Veloso-Abueva (born January 26, 1930), more popularly known as

Napoleon Abueva, is a Filipino artist. He is a sculptor given the distinction as the Philippines

National Artist for Sculpture. He is also entitled as the "Father of Modern Philippine

Sculpture". He is the first and only Boholano given the distinction as National Artist of the

Philippines in the field of Visual Arts.

Napoleon Abueva, nicknamed Billy, was born on January 26, 1930 in Tagbilaran, Bohol to

Teodoro Abueva, a Bohol congressman and Purification Veloso, president of the Women’s

Auxiliary Service. His father was a friend and contemporary of former Philippine President

Manuel Roxas and Ambassador Narciso Ramos. He was a member of the Provincial Board,

and later became the Provincial Governor of Bohol. He ended his career as a Congressman

in 1934. Both of Abueva's parents died serving their country.

Abueva has six other brothers and sisters: Teodoro, Jr., now based in New York, USA; Purificacion, married to Atty. Ramon

Binamira of Tagbilaran City; Jose Abueva, former president of the University of the Philippines; Amelia Martinez, now living in

Chicago; Teresita Floro, now living in Sydney, Australia; and Antonio, a landscape artist who met a tragic fate aboard Princess of

the Orient; his body has not been found.

A home-grown talent, he was given a break in 1951 when he won the Pura Villanueva-Kalaw Scholarship. He then took up a

Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts at the University of the Philippines where he graduated in 1953. This was followed by a Fulbright-

Smith Mundt Scholarship in 1954-55, after which he got a foreign Students Scholarship at the University of Kansas (1955-56). At the

same time, he won another scholarship at the Instituto de Allende in Mexico City which he did not avail due to conflict in schedule. It

was also in 1955 that he finished his Masters in Fine Arts at the Cranbook Academy of Arts, USA. In 1956, he attended Harvard

University for another scholarship grant.

At U.P, one of his mentors was Guillermo Tolentino, also a national artist, who created the oblation at the university entrance.

Abueva has helped shape the local sculpture scene in the Philippines. Being adept in both academic representational style and

modern abstract, he has 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.

In 1976, he was awarded the status of National Artist of the Philippines by then President Ferdinand Marcos. He was the youngest

recipient of the title at age 46.

Some of his major works include Kaganapan (1953), Kiss of Judas (1955), Thirty Pieces of Silver, The Transfiguration, Eternal

Gardens Memorial Park (1979), UP Gateway (1967), Nine Muses (1994), UP Faculty Center, Sunburst (1994)-Peninsula Manila

Hotel, the bronze figure of Teodoro M. Kalaw in front of National Library, and murals in marble at the National Heroes Shrine, Mt.

Samat, Bataan. One masterpiece he dedicates to the Boholanos is the Sandugo or Blood Compact shrine in Bool, Tagbilaran City, a

landmark at the site of the first international treaty of friendship between Spaniards and Filipinos. This is now a tourist attraction in

Bohol province. This shrine is an expression of Abueva's awareness of his roots, and a manifestation of his artistic talents.

Abueva also performed the death mask procedure of the late Fernando Poe Jr. in 2004.

3tatue

Victorio Edades Edades, "The Sketch," 1928, oil on canvas

VICTORIO EDADES EDADES (b. Dagupan, Pangasinan, Dec. 23, 1895, d. March 7, 1985)

 

Victorio Edades Edades was the son of Hilario Edades and Cecilia Edades. He was the youngest of 10 children, 6 of

whom died of smallpox. He received his early education in barrio schools. By 7th grade he was considered the

"apprentice teacher" in art class due to his talent.

 

After high school, Edades and his friends traveled to the United States. Before enrolling in Seattle, Edades incidentally

made a detour to Alaska and experienced working in salmon canneries. Nonetheless, he moved on to Seattle and

enrolled at the University of Washington where he took up architecture and later earned a Master of Fine Arts in

Painting.

 

He married Jean Garrott, an American who also later taught English and drama at the University of the Philippines.

 

In 1922 the travelling exhibit of the Armory show opened his eyes and that of the American public to the artistic

ferment in Europe led by Cezanne, Gauguin, Matisse, Picasso', Duchamp, the surrealists, and the Dadaists. While it

drew outcries from the conservative public, it gave Edades the artistic direction he was looking for. Deviating from the

academic style, while retaining some of its characteristics, he executed two paintings in 1928: "The Sketch," (also

called "The Artist and His Model") and "The Builders."

 

When Edades returned to the Philippines in 1928, he embarked on his crusade to change the course of Philippine

art which was then dominated by painter Fernando Amorsolo and sculptor Guillermo Tolentino.

 

Barely a month after his return he had a one person show in December at the Philippine Columbian Club. It was met

with shock and disdain by a public accustomed to Amorsolo's rural idylls. Edades decided to shift strategies: it was

through teaching that he would conduct his campaign for advanced art.

 

Edades helped organized the University of Sto. Tomas Department of Architecture in 1930 and was its acting head. In

1935, he was appointed as Director of the UST College of Architecture and Fine Arts, which he organized under the

Architecture Department.

 

The year 1934 provided him with a new opportunity to reach the public through art when he was commissioned by

the architect Juan Nakpil to do a mural for the lobby of the Capitol Theater on Escolta Street. For his assistant Edades

chose Carlos (Botong) Francisco, an illustrator for the Philippine Herald, who in turn brought Galo B. Ocampo to the

project. Together, they formed the first triumvirate in Philippine modern art.

 

In the 1930's the famous press battle between the modernists and conservatives erupted. In an interview with

A. B. Saulo for an article in the Monday Mail, Edades fired the first shot by bewailing the conservative

orientation of art and its insistence on the bright aspects of life while excluding the dark side of reality as a

valid artistic subject. In addition to Edades, those who spoke for the modernists included Salvador P. Lopez and

Jose Garcia Villa; the conservatives had Ariston Estrada, Ignacio Manlapaz, and Fermin Sanchez on their side. The

The debate was interrupted by WWII, but resumed in 1948, this time with Edades and Tolentino on opposite poles,

debating the pros and cons of modern art on the pages of The Sunday Times Magazine and later in "This Week"

of the Manila Chronicle.

 

In 1937, Edades, Ocampo, and Diosdado Lorenzo organized the Atelier of Modern Art, which led to the formation of

fthe "Thirteen Moderns," thus boosting the cause of modernism with new talents. The support system for modernism

was further strengthened with the founding of the Art Association of the Philippines (AAP) and the Philippine Art Gallery

(PAG) in 1951. The modernists included Edades, Carlos Francisco, Galo Ocampo, Lorenzo, Vicente Manansala, HR

Ocampo, Anita Magasaysay, Cesar Legaspi, Demetrio Diego, Ricarte Purugganan, Jose Pardo, Bonifacio Cristobal and

Arsenio Capili.

 

The struggle between modernists and conservatives came to a head in the AAP annual exhibition of 1955, which was

marked by the walkout of the conservatives after the modernists won significant prizes.

 

 

Modernism opened the way to new artistic idioms, as well as enlarged the subject of art to span the entire range of

human experience. Edades not only introduced modernism into the Philippines but also gave it his guidance and

related it to the issue of national identity. He envisioned an art in, which the artist was to pursue an individual vision,

while also discovering his identity as a Filipino.

 

Edades received the Pro Patria Award during the Rizal Centennial Celebration in 1961 and the Patnubay ng

sinsing at Kalinangan award from the City of Manila in 1964. He was proclaimed National Artist in painting in

1976.

 

Edades retired to Davao City with his family. He taught at the Philippine Women's college, and continued making art.

Edades died on March 7, 1985

5Carlos "Botong" FranciscoPainting (1973)

Carlos "Botong" Francisco, the poet of Angono, single-handedly revived the forgotten art of mural and remained its most distinguished practitioner for nearly three decades. In panels such as those that grace the City Hall of Manila, Francisco turned fragments of the historic past into vivid records of the legendary courage of the ancestors of his race. He was invariably linked with the "modernist" artists, forming with Victorio C. Edades and Galo Ocampo what was then known in the local art circles as "The Triumvirate". Botong's unerring eye for composition, the lush tropical sense of color and an abiding faith in the folk values typified by the townspeople of Angono became the hallmark of his art.

His other major works include the following: Portrait of Purita, The Invasion of Limahong, Serenade, Muslim Betrothal, Blood Compact, First Mass at Limasawa, The Martyrdom of Rizal, Bayanihan, Magpupukot, Fiesta,Bayanihan sa Bukid, Sandugo.

66Vicente S. Manansala (1910-1981)

Honored as National Artist in Painting in 1981, Vicente S. Manansala is considered the country’s pioneer in Cubism. He was one of the Thirteen Moderns led by Victorio C. Edades, and was one of the Big Three in the modernist movement, along with Cesar Legaspi and H. R. Ocampo. In addition, he formed the group of Neo-Realists together with Romeo Tabuena and Anita Magsaysay-Ho. Manansala developed transparent cubism and his works were done mostly in the figurative mode, reflecting the society and the local environment. He favored the styles of Picasso and Cezanne, and believed that the true beauty of art lay in the process of creating it.

Manansala was born in Macabebe, Pampanga on January 22, 1910. He was the second of the eight children of Perfecto Q. Manansala and Engracia Silva. At the

age of 15, he studied under painter Ramon Peralta while doing work painting movie posters at a shop in Manila. He entered the University of the Philippines School of Fine Arts in 1926 and graduated in 1930. He continued his studies under a UNESCO grant at the École de Beaux Arts in Banff and Montreal, Canada in 1949, and under a French government scholarship at the École de Beaux Arts in Paris in 1950. His training did not end there. In 1960, he received a grant from the United States to study stained glass techniques in New York. He also trained at the Otis Art Institute in 1967, and received another grant in 1970, this time from Germany, to study in Zurich.

Manansala worked as an illustrator for the Philippines Herald and Liwayway and as a layout artist for Photonews and Saturday Evening News Magazine in the 1930’s. He held his first one-man show at the Manila Hotel in 1951, and then went on to work as a professor at the University of Santo Tomas School of Fine Arts from 1951 to 1958.

Vicente C. Manansala died in Makati in 1981.

His major works include:

1940 Bangkusay Seascape 1948 Banaklaot 1950 Madonna of the Slums 1951 Jeepneys 1967 Reclining Mother and Child

He also painted several historical murals including:

Stations of the Cross for UP Diliman Chapel Mural for Philippine Heart Center Fresco mural for the National Press Club

Achievements:

1941 1st Prize National Art Exhibition, UST, for Pounding Rice 1950 1st Prize Manila Grand Opera House Exhibition, for Barong-Barong #1 1950 1st Prize Art Association of the Philippines First Annual Art Competition, for

Banaklaot 1953 2nd Prize Art Association of the Philippines, for Kahig (Scratch) 1955 2nd Prize Art Association of the Philippines, for Fish Vendors 1955 3rd Prize Art Association of the Philippines, for Best-Served, Well-Gained 1957 Outstanding UP Alumnus 1962 2nd Prize Art Association of the Philippines, for Give Us This Day 1962 Best in Show Art Association of the Philippines, for Give Us This Day 1963 Republic Cultural Heritage Award 1970 Patnubay ng Sining at Kalinangan Award from the City of Manila

7Painting by Romeo Tabuena

ROMEO V. TABUENA

 

TABUENA, ROMEO V. b. Iloilo city 22 Aug 1921. Painter. Tabuena studied fine arts at the University of the

Philippines (UP). He also studied at the Art Student League in New York, USA, in 1952 and at the Academie

de la Grande Chaumiere in France in 1954.

 

One of the neorealist, he began his career with several exhibits of drawings and watercolors at the Philippine

Art Gallery in 1949. He is best known for his Watercolors, at times in a vertical format influenced by Chinese

Painting. These near-monochromatic watercolor landscapes of nipa huts, farmers, and carabaos are done in an

exquisite style, with attenuated figures spread out in large tonal areas suggesting early morning fog.

 

Tabuena had another side to his art, and this was expressed in dark oil paintings, some of which seemed to

reflect the "proletarian" concerns of the period, as in Coal Gatherers. Here the figures are short, and and squat,

with expressionist distortion and no bright colors to relieve the heavy atmosphere. He approaches

expressionism, especially in such a work as Childbirth, in which the pangs of childbirth are expressed in

elongated figures and dramatic lighting which hints of fears of mythological beings. A later series consists of

heads done in a monochromatic style with cubist influence, their jagged, angular features suggesting years of

toil and arduous struggle.

 

When Tabuena settled in Mexico, he developed a colorful, prismatic style with folk subjects, including street

sweepers, candle vendors, guards, and laundry women.

 

Tabuena won awards from the Art Association of the Philippines: second prize, Agnus Dei (Lamb of God),

1949, and honorable mention, Black Christ, 1952.

Above: Artist Romeo Tabuena's Signature

8JOSE TANIG JOYA (b. Manila, June 3, 1931 d. 1996)

 

Jose Joya

National artist Jose Joya was a pioneer modern and abstract artist who was active as a painter, printmaker, mixed-media artist and ceramicist. It has been said that it was Joya who "spearheaded the birth, growth and flowering of absract expressionism" in the Philippines. His mature abstract works have been said to be "characterized by calligraphic gestures and linear forces, and a sense of color vibrancy emanating from an Oriental sensibility." Joya's sense of color has been said to have come from the hues of the Philippine landscape, and his use of rice paper in collages demonstrated an interest in transparency.

Jose Tanig Joya was born on June 3, 1931, the son of Jose Joya Sr. and Asuncion Tanig. He began sketching at the age of eleven. At a young age, he became interested in studying architecture, but found that he did not have the aptitude for the math and science that architecture would require. While attending the University of the Philippines he was introduced to the paintings of Fernando Amorsolo, and began his study of painting. He was initially schooled in the traditional tradition -- in which the standards had been set by Amorsolo and Tolentino -- but gradually was influenced by American abstraction and by the emerging trends in Philippine modernism. He was mentored by Guillermo Tolentino, Ireneo Miranda, Domindaor Castaneda and Virginia Agbayani.

Joya graduated from the University of the Philippines (UP) in 1953 with a Bachelor's Degree in Fine Art, earning the distinction of being the university's first Magna cum Laude. In 1954 the Instituto de Cultura Hispanica of the Spanish government awarded him a one year grant to study painting in Madrid. Travel/study scholarships to Madrid -- which came about through the influence of PAG member Fernando Zobel de Ayala -- were also given to other PAG artists including Arturo Luz, Nena Saguil and Larry Tronco. After returning from Spain, Joya finished his Master's Degree in Painting in 1956 at the Cranbrook School of Art in Michigan, with the assistance of a Fulbright Smith-Mundt grant.

Above: The opening of a Jose Joya exhibit, featuring religious paintings, at the Philippine Art Gallery

Jose Joya (indicated in white) is 4th from the left.

His early works were representational paintings that showed the influence of Vincente Manansala and Anita Magsaysay-Ho. During the late 1950's, as he became involved in the Philippine Art Gallery -- founded in 1950 by a group of women writers led by Lyn Arguilla -- he became one of the "new wave" of artists who developed abstract paintings. His first one make show appeared at the Philippine Art Gallery in 1954, and in March of 1958 he won first prize for his non-objective "Painting" in the 11th Annual PAG Art Exhibition, held at the Northern Motors Showroom. He won more prizes in 1959 (Second place for "Space Transfiguration), 1960 (Third place for "Horse of Life) and 1962 (Third place for "Cathedral).

Jose Joya, "Untitled," 1960, approx. 16 x 24 inches, oil on canvas

Joya was often present a the "Saturday Group" which met for weekly art discussions at the Taxa de Oro Restaurant in Manila. In 1962, when Joya was serving as the President of the Art Association of the Philippines, he and Napolean Abueva represented the Philippines in the prestigious Venice Biennale: it was the first time that the Philippines had participated. He displayed a 1958 horizontal abstraction titled "Granadian Arabesque," a painting which features powerful swipes of impasto mixed with sand, and which is now in the collection of the Ateneo Art Gallery. Joya later wrote about participating in the Biennale, and reported on the novelty, desire to shock and "dazzle" of the work on view.

Side view of the impasto of Joya's "Granadian Arabesque"

In the late 60s received grants from the John D. Rockefeller III Fund and the Ford Foundation, which allowed him to paint and study at the Pratt Institute in New York between 1967 and 1969. Among the positions he held were:

- President of the Art Association of the Philippines (AAP) 1962-65

- Dean of the UP College of Fine Arts 1970-78, where he modernized curriculum and established scholarships.

- Chairperson of Philippine Delegations to China, 1961 and 1972

In the 1970s Joya executed two large murals, "Lanterns of Enlightenment" and "Mariveles" which display vivid interplays of shape and tone. When traveling overseas he often made rapid, on the spot sketches in pencil, charcoal or pastel.

Joya was also a holder of the Amorsolo Professorial Chair in UP in 1985. He served as chairperson of the National Committee on Visual Arts, of the National Commission on Culture and the Arts from 1987 until his death.

In 1981 a retrospective of some 200 of Joya's works was held at the Museum of Philippine Art. In1987 the French government awarded him membership in the "Order of Chevalier des Arts et Lettres."

Jose Joya, "Makiling Interlude," 1984, Acrylic and Collage on Paper, approx. 22 x 15 inches

“In creating an art work,” Joya once stated “the artist is concretizing his need for communication. He has an irresistible urge to reach that level of spiritual satisfaction and to project what he is and what he thinks through his work.”

Joya died in May of 1995 at the age of 63 after complications from a prostate operation.

In 2003, eight years after his death, he was conferred the title of National Artist for his pioneering efforts in developing Filipino abstract art. A retrospective of his work was held in August of 2011 at the National Museum.

9In his 55-year art career, Alcuaz is one of the most awarded and acclaimed artists internationally. He has held exhibits at leading galleries in the Philippines, Spain, Portugal, Singapore, United States, Germany and Poland. Among his numerous awards are the first prize at thePremio Moncada (1957) and thePrix Francisco Goya (1958) in Barcelona. In Paris, he was awarded the Diploma of Honor at the International Exhibition of Art Libre in 1961, the Decoration of Arts, Letters and Sciences award from the French government in 1964 and the Order of French Genius in 1964. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Merit by the President of the Philippines in 2006. (more...)

10ANG KIUKOK (b. Davao City, March 1, 1931 d. May 9, 2005)

 

Ang Kiukok, "Thinking Man," 1979, Watercolor on Paper

 

Ang Kiukok, an ethnic Chinese painter who studied under Vincente Manansala, attained prominence for an

Expressionist style that fused Cubist, Surrealist and Expressionist aspects into a unique personal aesthetic. Kiukok

has been called "one of the most dynamic figures in contemporary Philippine arts." It has also been said that he

"opened eyes with his violent Cubist paintings of fighting cocks, stray dogs and tormented lovers," and that his

Expresionist works "sustained a hard-edged evocation of fortitude and indignation in a hostile setting of screaming

men, crucifixions and junk."

 

Painter Ang Kiukok was born to immigrant Chinese parents, Vicente Ang and Chin Lim. He was an only son with five

sisters, born to Chinese immigrants from Fukien; Vicente Ang and Chin Lim. His father wanted to name him Hua

Shing, meaning "Chinese-born", but decided to look for another name when he learned that his cousin's son had been

given the same name. Worried about China's fate against the invading Manchurians at that time, his father named him

Kiukok, which means "save the country."

 

As a young man, Kiukok did comical sketches and also studied Chinese ink and brush painting methods. His first

traditional brush paintings were influenced by those of the Chinese master Qi Baishi. Kiukok also copied movie ads

from newspapers while tending his father's sari-sari store, a business that he was expected to someday run.

 

Against his father's wishes, Kiukok began his formal art studies at Manila's University of Santa Tomas from 1952 to

1954. At Santa Tomas, Vicente Manansala was his primary mentor, and also became a lifelong friend. Kiukok also

studied with other prominent professors including Victorio Edades, Diosdado Lorenzo, Jose Garcia Llamas, Carlos

"Botong" Francisco, Galo Ocampo, Virginia Ty, and sculptor Francesco Monti. At the conclusion of his studies, Kiukok

taught art in a school of overseas Chinese for five years.

 

Kiukok's first formal recongntion came in the form of a third prize award in the Shell National Students Art Competition

for Calesa in 1953. Then, st the urging of Vicente Manansala, Kiukpk launched his first one-man show at the

Contemporary Arts Gallery in 1954. After that he earned numerous awards from the Art Association of the Philippines

for his works: Honorable Mention, "Still Life" (1951), First Prize, "The Bird" (1959), Third Prize, "Still Life in Red" (1963),

Second Prize, "Fish" (1963), and Second Prize on "Geometric Still-Life Fish" (1963).

 

The turning point of his career as an artist came in 1965 when he and the late Vicente Manansala traveled to New York.

There, he was surprised at the urban squalor and alienation he found, and also influenced by American abstract art.

Upon his return to the Philippines, his style took a turn towards a new vivid Expressionist that including themes of

agony, sorrow and madness. The difficulty of these themes caused a temporary loss of interest on the part of art

dealers and collectors.

 

In 1976 Kiukok received the Patmabay ng Kilinangan Award from the City of Manila. In 1978 he as given an

"Outstanding Alumnus" award by the University of Santo Tomas. In 1980 his painting "Modern Angst" was a finalist in

the Mobil Art Awards. In 1990, he was featured with Onib Olmedo, and Solomon Saprid in a show entitled Three

Figurative Expressionists held at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP.)

 

Ang Kiukok, "Cockerel," 1976, Watercolor on Paper

 

During the Marcos Regime, and the period of martial law in the Philippines, Kiukok returned to painting violent and

gruesome imagery that some interpreted as a commentary on the political atmosphere of the era. Once, when asked

about the anger in his art he replied "Look around you. So much anger, ugliness. And also madness."

 

Towards the end of his life Ang Kiukok became internationally known, and his works appeared in exhibits in Manila,

Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, as well as in the Netherlands, Canada and the United States. His works are displayed in

various collections, such as the Philippine National Museum, the Ateneo Art Gallery, the Cultural Center of

the Philippines and the National Historical Commission in Taipei. Over time, his art gradually lost its harsh

edge and he near the end of his life he created paintings of clowns and richly dressed harlequins juggling and

clowning. In 2001 President Gloria Macapaganal-Arroyo named him a National Artist for visual arts.

 

Ang Kiukok died of prostate cancer at the age of 74 in Quezon City, Philippines. He was survived by his wife, Mary de

Jesus and four children.

11Gaston Ramon (1886-1963) 

version française    

French biologist and veterinarian, born on Sept. 30, 1886 in Bellechaume (Yonne, France). His father was a baker. He attended the local public school, then the high school in Sens (Yonne, France). 1906-1910 Graduated from the Veterinary School in Alfort (Val de Marne, France), following a four-year training. 1911-1920 His schoolmaster H. Vallée introduced him to E. Roux, who assigned him a position of veterinarian

in the service of serum production, in the annexe of the Institut Pasteur in Garches, near Paris. Under the direction of veterinarian A. Prévôt, was in charge of immunizing thousands of horses in order to collect anti-tetanus, anti-diphtheria, anti-gangrene sera, intended for the treatment of the diseases. 1915 During First World War, at E. Roux's request, searched for antiseptic agents for the preservation of protective immune sera, that turned out to be contaminated during the processes of harvesting, bottling and transport. He opted for formalin, that revealed to be effective. Improved his bacteriological practice by training in M. Nicolle 's laboratory. 1917 Married Marthe Momont, who was grand-niece of Emile Roux. 1920 Obtained authorization from E. Roux and L. Martin to establish a small laboratory near his house in the annexe of the Institut Pasteur in Garches. 1921 Developed an antitoxic serum purification method, in order to minimize the risks of accidental side-effects of serum treatment. 1922 Carried out experiments on the diphteria toxin : G. Ramon observed that the mixture of the diphteria toxin and its corresponding anti-toxin can generate the formation of a precipitate ; he noticed that the precipitation is all the more intense since toxin reach saturation point with anti-toxin. That was at the root of his development of an in vitro titration method for determining the potency of the diphteria anti-toxin, which no more required experiments in laboratory animals. 1923 Showed that the toxicity of the diphteria toxin can be suppressed by both chemical (small doses of formalin) and heat treatments, while other properties, typically immunogenicity, are maintained. This harmless toxoid was called "anatoxine diphtérique" by G. Ramon. Following a testing period, the toxoid "anatoxine diphtérique" were used in vaccine. At the same time, Ramon had the idea that the tetanus toxin could be similarly inactivated and turned into toxoid "anatoxine tétanique". 1924 Showed that venom toxoid "anavenin" can be obtained from venom. 1925 Theorized that adjuvant substances may stimulate the immune response and that the simultaneous use of a tissue irritating substance and a toxin allows the development of anti-toxin rich vaccines. 1925-1926 Used tetanus toxoid "anatoxine tétanique" as a prophylactic tool in order to prevent the tetanus disease in pets (with P. Descombey) and in humans (with Ch. Zoeller). 1926 With Ch. Zoeller, developed the method of combined vaccine, which was designed to prevent several infections by using only one injection. It consisted in a mixed vaccine, made up of a bacterial vaccine associated with one or two toxoids. 1926-1944 After A. Prévôt's death, named director of the annexe of the Institut

Pasteur in Garches. 1929-1934 In collaboration with R. Debré, conducted biological and immunological researches on diphteria and scarlet fever. 1932 Established the service for the scientific film, directed by J. Comandon, in Garches. 1934 Elected member of the French Academy of Medicine ; prize obtained from the Academy : Clotilde Liard (1924) ; named member of the newly created serum committee (ministry of public health) along with : Ch. Broquet, Cruveilhier, Ch. Dopter, R. Debré, R. Dujarric de la Rivière, L. Martin, G. Roussy. 1934 Became an active member of the French Society of Biology ( Société de biologie ). 1934-1940 Succeeded A. Calmette as assistant director of the Institut Pasteur in Paris, while L. Martin became director. 1935 Named member of the BCG vaccine committee at the Institut Pasteur, with Marfan as chairman, along with : A. Boquet, R. Debré, C. Guérin, L. Martin, L. Nègre, B. Weill-Hallé. 1937-1940 In charge of supervising the whole of the services for serum and toxoid production. Between 1939 and 1940, the Institut Pasteur provided seven million doses of serum and vaccine for the Army. 1940 On Dec. 5, named director of the Institut Pasteur in Paris, with A. Boivin and N. Bernard as assistant directors. The financial and administrative reforms he wished to implement for the Institut Pasteur were rejected by the board of directors ; he then resigned from the directorship and J. Tréfouël succeeded him. 1941 Named honorary director of the Institut Pasteur ; became head of the whole of the services in immunology and as such, belonged to the scientific advisory board of the Institut Pasteur. 1943 Elected member of the French Academy of Sciences ; prizes obtained from the Academy : Bréant (1925), Général Muteau (1937). 1944 Left the management of the annexe of the Institut Pasteur in Garches to Ed. Lemétayer. 1947 Named research director at the French Health Institute. 1948 Left office at the Institut Pasteur and became director of the International Epizootic Office ("Office International des Epizooties") in Paris. 1959 Retired. 1962 On May 3, gave the Academician's sword to R. Debré, during an awards ceremony held at the International Children's Center, in the presence of well-known personalities, among which L. Rajchman. 1963 Died on Jun. 8, in Paris. 

Collaborators : G. Amoureux, A. Berthelot, A. Bessemans, S. Bilal, R. Debré, P. Descombey, M. Djourichitch, J. Dumas, B. Kolochine-Erber, E. Grasset, A. Hamedy, G. Illingworth, A. Lafaille, R. Legroux, E. Lemétayer, P. Lépine R. Martin, G. Mozer, L. Nattan-Larrier, P. Nélis, O. Nouredine, Marcelle Nicolle, Ch. Pérard, G. Pichot, F. de Potter,J. Prieur, V. Robin, R. Richou, Russel, M. Schoen, A. Staub, P. Urhy, P. Thiroloix, G. Timbal, P. Valot, Ch. Zoeller. 

Biographical reference tools : - Ramon (Gaston), Notice des titres et travaux scientifiques de G. Ramon, Paris, Ancienne imprimerie de la Cour d'Appel, 1934, 109 p. 

12

Painting by Macario Vitalis

MACARIO CRUZ VITALIS (Filippino, 1898-1990)

Macario Vitalis was a painter of visionary paintings influenced by French Post-Impressionism.

Born in Lapog, Ilocos Sur, a town with no art galleries, he was a "peasant teenager" when left the Philippines for the United States in 1917, where he attended art school in San Francisco and worked as an elevator boy at night. In 1924 he studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts.

He left the US in late 1926 and then settled in France. There he studied at the Academie de Montmartre and set up his studio in the Paris suburb of Puteaux. There he met important modernist painters including Pablo Picasso, and created works that depicted the pleasures and mood of pre-war Parisian life.

In the 1950's he was living in Brittany where he created a series of Breton seascapes that featured Post-Impressionist color schemes. Returning to the Philippines in 1963 his work was shown at the National Library. While there, Vitalis painted works with spiritual and religious themes.

In 1975, he was declared "the only honorary citizen" of Ple'stin-les-Gre'ves, Brittany where he had originally settled.

In 1981 his works, along with works by Nena Saguil, and Ofelia Gelvezon-Tequiwere shown in an exhibition Six Artistes Contemporains Philippins en Europe at the Academie Diplomatique Internationale in Paris. in 1984, he was honored with the medal of excellence from the Institut Academique de Paris. He was also the subject of a retrospective at the CCP Main Gallery in 1986, where works from as far back as 1936 were shown. Vitalis died in 1990 during his last trip to the Philippines.

His works can be found in the collection of the Lopez Museum, Pasig City, The Philippines.

13 Benjamin D. Cabrera was born on March 18th 1920 in the Philippines.

He is a physician who has focused his research on public health and parasitology. He made a few contributions to the science world over the course of his life. He helped to develop innovations in drug treatments against disease caused by mosquitoes and agricultural soil.Cabrera has more than a hundred scientific publications concerning medical parasitology and public vigour, for his work on filariasis.