SPANISH COLONIZATION (1521-1898)

LOWLAND CHRISTIANS – inhabitants of the central part of the island. Religious orders
were dispatched to convert the natives the larger project of colonization.

• the art forms during this period is referred to as: stylistically and culturally as religious
arts, lowland Christian arts or folk art.

• to carry out the project, the NATIVES were forcibly resettled in towns structured
according to the PLAZA COMPLEX (this relocating became a means and gaining
control of organizing the native populace).

• the complex was designated as the town center and consisted of MUNICIPIO or
LOCAL GOV OFFICE and THE CHURCH. During this time, CRUCIFORM churches
following the shape of the Latin cross were built.

• The BAROQUE STYLE was predominantly employed; they characterized by grandeur,

drama and elaborate details that purposely appealed to the emotion.
Example:

- SAN AGUSTIN CHURCH IN MANILA

- MORONG CHURCH IN RIZAL

- STO TOMAS DE VILLANUEVA CHURCH IN ILOILO

- PAOAY CHURCH IN ILOCOS NORTE

• The facade of Miag-ao Church features St. Christopher surrounded by reliefs or

revelles having tropical motifs like palm fronds and papaya trees.

• The use of ADOBE, LIMESTONE, or BRICK and the construction of thick buttresses or
wing like projections reinforce the church structure to make it resistant to earthquakes.
• COLONIAL BAROQUE OR PHILIPPINE OR TROPICAL BAROQUE – the result of
fusion of both native and European elements.

• Images of saints and interpretations of biblical narratives were considered essential to

worship.

• Under strict watch and patronage of the church, images were produced through:
PAINTING, SCULPTING AND ENGRAVING.
• Friars brought western models for local artist to copy.

• The imagery of the Saint or Santo would be based on classical and baroque models
usually made of IVORY or WOOD.
CHINESE INFLUENCE:

• Chinese artisants, under Spanish supervision were engaged in making icons or santos
or saints in wood and ivory, building churches and houses, as well as making furnitures.

• Production areas includes: Cebu, Batangas, Manila and Ilocos.

• Works resulted in Chinese features and technique.

Example: Nuestra Senora del Rosario in Bohol, image was inspired from Kuanyin, the
deity of Mercy in East Asian Buddhism.

GREEK AND ROMAN CLASSICAL INFLUENCE:

• Can be seen in proportion employed as well as the formality of expression while the
trace of Baroque is evident in the expressive and emotional characteristics of the
SANTO.

• SANTO’S are displayed in a decorative altar niche called the RETABLO, which
integrates architecture and sculpture and is often embellished with rosettes, scrolls,
pediments and Solomonic columns which maybe guilded or polychromed.

• Via Crucis – presented either as a series of 14 paintings or relief sculptures depicting

Christ crucifixion and resurrection.

• Church altars are sometimes decorated with carved figurative protrusions on the
surface called the relleves; or with the organic designs of hammered silver or the
plateria.

WESTERN MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS AND INFLUENCE:

• Pipe Organ, Violin, Guitar, Piano

• Philippine musical forms also took on a very European flavor – with new rhythm,
melodies and musical forms, they proceeded to adopt them and make their own.

• 1742 - catholic liturgical music was introduced by then Archbishop of Manila, JUAN
RODRIGUEZ ANGEL, who also established a singing school in the Manila Cathedral
that taught western music.

- The curriculum was pattered after that of the MADRID CONSERVATORY OF

MUSIC.
 - Santo Domingo and San Agustin convents soon teach choral music to young
boys and would soon create Filipino composers like: MARCELO ADONAY (1848-
1928)

OUTSIDE OF MANILA:

• PASYON OR PABASA

- a musical form based on the Catholic faith.

- biblical narration of Christ’s passion chanted in an improvised melody.

SECULAR FORM OF MUSIC

AWIT AND CORRIDO – were musical forms that were chanted stories based on
European Literature and history and were popular even among the peasantry who
learned verses purely by rote.

- Pampanga, Ilocos, Bicol, Ilo-ilo

KUNDIMAN AND BALITAO

• Balitao - a sentimental love songs and lullabies.

• Kundiman – usually spoke of resignation and fatalism, became a vehicle form

resistance.

• KUNDIMAN NI ABDON – a kundiman which became a feature of protest actions

against Martial Law during the seventies, and the still popular “BAYAN KO” — which
experienced renewed popularity during the EDSA in 1986.

LOCAL THEATER:

Pomp and pageantry of religious processions that were introduced by the Spanish
colonizers, complete with highly embellished carrozas containing religious tableus of
Catholic saints and scenes from the bible.

ZARZUELA OR SARSUWELA

• 19th Century.

• An operetta which features SINGING and DANCING interspersed with spose dialogue
which allowed the story to be carried out in song.
• 1st Zarsuelas that was staged in the Philippine were entirely in Spanish and a
European cast.

Local playwrights later wrote librettos in the local language, hence the term Sarsuwela.

• Severino Reyes and Hermogenes Ilagan – wrote Sarsuwela in Tagalog were the most
distinguished playwrights of their day with Honorata “Atang” dela Rama (National Artist
for theater and Music, awarded 1987) as their most celebrated leading actress.

BAYBAYIN – a script used to compose short poems that tell of courtship and other
emotional concerns, etched in bamboo poles that are cut into small nodes.
• Mangyans who inhabit the island province of Mindoro.

• Town of TICAO in southern part of LEYTE (a huge stone was discovered, invocation
for a safe journey by sea.)

• Spanish brought with it printing technology. Printed literature came in the form of
CATECHISM and prayer books in Spanish that were used not only to teach the local
inhabitants to read and write, but more so to evangele.

SENAKULO

- A passion play that was written in 1704 by Gaspar Aquino de Belen.

- Its narrative was culled entirely from the biblical account of Christ’s passion and death
on the cross, adapted into verse form and translated into the local language.

- Performed during LENT and in some cases may last for 3 days.

In some areas, the senakulo was tweaked to convey Christ’s suffering as a metaphor for
suffering of Filipinos under Spanish colonial rule.
- In Nueva Ecija it is called ARAGUIO or ARAKYO and is performed all throughout the 7
days of holy week.

KOMEDYA

- another local theater form that emerged during this period.

- depicts the conflict between Muslim and Christians.

TYPES OF KOMEDYA
• Komedya de Santo or Religious Komedya

- centers on the life of Christ or of any saint.

- usually seen during church celebrations

- actors move in a stylized way, have extravagant costumes and elaborately

choreographed war scenes. Comedia de San Miguel is still very much performed as
San Miguel or Saint Michael is the patron saint of the city.

• Secular Komedya

- Example of which is Moro-moro

- ‘moro’ derived from Spanish word means MOOR or the North African Arabs who ruled
parts of Spain from the eight to the 15th century.

- A moro-moro story would usually involve a love story between a Christian hero and an
Islamic heroine or vice versa.

• Dialog would be done in Verse, in the vernacular language and clashes between
Christians and Muslims were done in DANCE, ultimately resulting in the conversion and
baptism of the leading Muslim character and ending with a Christian wedding and the
protagonists living happily ever after.

FOLK MUSIC AND DANCE

• CARIÑOSA

• PANDANGGO OR FANDANGO

• POLKA

• DANSA AND
• RIGODON carry traces of the Habanera, jota and tango dances from Spain an its
colonies.

VISUAL ARTS

• Heaven, Earth and Hell (1850)

- a mural by Jose Dans in Paete Church, Laguna

- a map of the universe features a terrifying depictions of hell.

- seems to warn that a sinful life on earth would lead to torment and eternal damnation.
• Image making during the period generally conformed to the preferences of the patrons
and not just salely the interest and preferences of the artist’s.

• Such relations are at work in the BASI REVOLT, a series of 14 paintings by Esteban
Villanueva.

• It chronicles the defeat of Ilocos who rebelled against the Spanish government.

• The paintings illustrate the bloody consequences of insurgent actions, an overt

reminder of the might of Spain over its colony.

Reprographic Art of Printmaking was introduced in the Phil. As early as the 16th
century.
• DOCTRINA CHRISTIANA (teachings of Christianity) was printed in 1593, in Spanish
and in Tagalog by Dominican priests.

DOCTRINA – is the first printed book in the Philippines compiling song lyrics,
commandments, sacraments and other catechetical material.

ESTAMPAS/ESTAMPITAS – printmaking, particularly engraving was developed to

produce secular or non religious works.

Although religious art predominated during the Spanish colonial period, some of the
other best forms of art that flourished were non-religious or secular.

In 1734 Jesuit priest FR. PEDRO MURILLO VELARDE collaborated with homegrown
talents, the artist FRANCISCO SUAREZ and the engrave NICOLAS de la Cruz Bagay
to produce CARTA HYDROGRAPHICA Y CHOROGRAPHICA de las YSLAS
FILIPINAS — the first scientific map of the Philippines.

- Surrounding the map are vignettes of everyday life that focus on the different
“types” of people and their surrounding called TIPOS DEL PAIS.
• SUARES and DE LA CRUZ BAGAY
- were among the 1st to acknowledge their roles as artist by signing their names at the
bottom of the map.

- Other known engravers include Laureano Atlas and Felipe Sevilla, who also produced
religious images.

LITHOGRAPHY

- Facilitated the production of color plates a well as the mass printing of newspaper and
periodicals.
- Augustinian botanist FR. MANUEL BLANCO produced an extensive compilation of
Philippine plants in FLORA DE FILIPINAS in 1878.

- Covered in exquisite leather, the contents consist of lithographic reproduction of

remarkable watercolor illustrations by Filipino artists, and these images are as scientific
as they are aesthetic.

• 1834 – opening of the Manila trade.

• 1869 – opening of the Suez Canal.

- gained economic benefits for the native elites.

- trade and commercial ventures presented opportunity for them to study in Europe.

- from this class rose the “ILLUSTRADO” or enlightened one.

-among those that occupied the plaza complex were the BAHAY NA BATO which
housed rich and prominent families.

- Filling up the spacious interior were commissioned portrait paintings in the miniaturist
style that allowed the artist to reveal meticulous details that signify the wealth and
refinement of the sitter or he, the one posing for the portrait

• PORTRAIT OF THE QUIAZON FAMILY by Simon Flores – 1800 documents the family
affluence

- magnificent interior of the family’s home

- the mother’s jewelry

- the delicate fabric and embroidery of the clothing

- and their dignified poses

OTHER RENOWNED MINIATURIST:

• ΑΝΤΟΝΙΟ MALANTIC
• ISIDRO ARCEO

• DIONISIO DE CASTRO

• JUSTINIANO ASUNCION

ACADEMIC PAINTERS

- Gained ground as they received their art studies in local schools or abroad in the
case of JUAN LUNA and FELIX HIDALGO.
• In 1821, DAMIAN DOMINGO – the painter known for his watercolor albums of tipos
del pais established the ACADEMIA DE DIBUJO (FIRST ART SCHOOL in the country
right at his studio in BINONDO, MANILA.)

- Academia de Dibujo was eventually absorbed by the school put up by the REAL
SOCIEDAD ECONOMICA FILIPINA DE AMIGOS DEL PAIS where Domingo served as
director.

- Closing down in 1834 after Domingo’s death, the school reopened in the 1850’s.

- The professors were predominantly Spanish peninsulares - a term used particularly

during the colonial period to refer to Spanish born residents of the Philippines.

- Academia trained LORENZO GUERRERO painted THE WATER CARRIER, which

exemplifies the use of CHIAROSCURO in genre of the late 19 th century.

Chiaroscuro - the play of light and dark and the contrast between them to heighten the
composition’s sense of drama.

Philippine Art History

1884 – the expatriates JUAN LUNA and FELIX RESURRECTION HIDALGO won
medals in the Madrid Exposition.

• LUNA won gold for SPOLARIUM.

• HIDALGO garnered a silver medal for VIRGENES CHRISTIANAS EXPUERTAS AL

PAPULACHO

- Both works testify to Filipino artistic excellence which proved to be at par with the
standards set by the European academy.

• Jose Rizal made a toast before a group of ilustrados lauding the efforts of the two
artist, articulating one of his famous sayings “GENIUS KNOWS NO COUNTRY”.
• It was during this occasion that Rizal spoke of the importance of the paintings as the
propagandists campaigned for reforms in the Philippines.

• LUNA’s alignment with the ilustrados’ Propaganda Movement is evident in the painting
ESPAÑA Y FILIPINAS in 1889 featuring two women ascending a flight of stairs.

• SPOLARIUM may be viewed at the National Art Gallery of the Philippines and
ESPAÑA Y FILIPINAS at the Lopez Museum.