The country had its first National Artist in Fernando C.
Tolentino, dubbed as the “Father of
Amorsolo. The official title “Grand Old Man of
Philippine Art” was bestowed on Amorsolo when the
Manila Hilton inaugurated its art center on January 23,
1969 with an exhibit of a selection of his works. Returning
from his studies abroad in the 1920s, Amorsolo developed
the backlighting technique that became his trademark
where figures, a cluster of leaves, spill of hair, the swell of
breast, are seen aglow on canvas. This light, Nick Joaquin
opines, is the rapture of a sensualist utterly in love with the
earth, with the Philippine sun, and is an accurate
expression of Amorsolo’s own exuberance. His citation
underscores all his years of creative activity which have
“defined and perpetuated a distinct element of the nation’s
artistic and cultural heritage”.
A pioneer “Neo-Realist” of the country, Cesar T. Legaspi
is remembered for his singular achievement of refining
cubism in the Philippine context. Legaspi belonged to the
socalled “Thirteen Moderns” and later, the “Neo-realists”.
His distinctive style and daring themes contributed
significantly to the advent and eventual acceptance of
modern art in the Philippines. Legaspi made use of the
geometric fragmentation technique, weaving social
comment and juxtaposing the mythical and modern into
his overlapping, interacting forms with disturbing power
and intensity.
At 46 then, Napoleon V. Abueva, a native of Bohol, was
the youngest National Artist awardee. Considered as the
“Father of Modern Philippine Sculpture”, Abueva has
helped shape the local sculpture scene to what it is now.
Being adept in either academic representational style or
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. Among the early innovations Abueva
introduced in 1951 was what he referred to as “buoyant
sculpture” — sculpture meant to be appreciated from the
surface of a placid pool. In the 80’s, Abueva put up a one-
man show at the Philippine Center, New York. His works
have been installed in different museums here and abroad,
such as The Sculpture at the United Nations headquarters
in New York City.
Guillermo E.
Philippine Arts”, is a product of the Revival period in
Philippine art. Returning from Europe (where he was
enrolled at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Rome) in
1925, he was appointed as professor at the UP School of
Fine Arts where the idea also of executing a monument for
national heroes struck him. The result was the UP Oblation
that became the symbol of freedom at the campus.
Acknowledged as his masterpiece and completed in 1933,
The Bonifacio Monument in Caloocan stands as an
enduring symbol of the Filipinos’ cry for freedom. Other
works include the 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;
granolithics of heroic statues representing education,
medicine, forestry, veterinary science, fine arts and music
at UP. He also designed the gold and bronze medals for the
Ramon Magsaysay Award and did the seal of the Republic
of the Philippines.
Painting distorted human figures in rough, bold impasto
strokes, and standing tall and singular in his advocacy and
practice of what he believes is the creative art, Victorio C.
Edades emerged as the “Father of Modern Philippine
Painting”. Unlike, Amorsolo’s bright, sunny, cheerful
hues, Edades’ colors were dark and somber with subject
matter or themes depicting laborers, factory workers or the
simple folk in all their dirt, sweat and grime. In the 1930s,
Edades taught at the University of Santos Tomas and
became dean of its Department of Architecture where he
stayed for three full decades. It was during this time that he
introduced a liberal arts program that offers subjects as art
history and foreign languages that will lead to a Bachelor’s
degree in Fine Arts. This development brought about a
first in Philippine education since art schools then were
vocational schools.
 El Ciego (1929) Lady with Banga (1933) Dalagang Bukid (1958)
(1929)

Ritual (1951) Three Nudes (1979) Soldiers

Oblation (1930) Bonifacio Monument (1933) Filipinas on Bondage

WORKS WORKS RECOGNITIONS

WORKS WORKS RECOGNITIONS
WORKS RECOGNITIONS
AMORSOLO, Fernando Cueto

LEGASPI, Cesar Torrente

TOLENTINO, Guillermo Estrella

ABUEVA, Napoleon Veloso

EDADES, Victorio

Nine Muses (1994) The Flag Weavers The Pegaraw

The Sketch (1928) Two Profiles (1965) Mother and Daughter (1926)
(1928)
RECOGNITIONS RECOGNITIONS