1920-1930 American Colonial Period

Artist: Juan M. Arellano

Art: Manila Metropolitan Theater (1930) (Filipino: Tanghalang Pangkalakhan ng Maynila)
Art Style: Art Deco
Description: Largest and most famous Art Deco Theater in Manila. Designed by the prolific Juan M.
Arellano and became a focal point for Manila’s high society.

Artist: Fernando Amorsolo

Art: The Palay Maiden (1920)
Art Style: Impressionism
Description: Palay is Tagalog for grain, which is symbolic of the Philippines’ most staple crop. Maiden
bears significance to Amorsolo’s preference for beauty.
Artist: Romualdo Ramos
Art: Kenkoy (1929)
Art Style: Pop Art
Description: Kenkoy as a "ludicrous portrait of the
Filipino pathetically trying but barely succeeding in
keeping up with his American mentors.
Artist: Raoul Hausmann
Art: The Art Critic (1920)
Art Style: Dada movement
Description: The Art Critic is Hausmann’s ardent criticism
of the superficiality of the art world. The piece is a photo
collage made up of a series of magazine and newspaper
photographs and includes some drawn elements.

Artist: Victorio Edades

Art: The Builders
Art Style: Neo-Impressionism
Description: of muddy earth colors, yellows and blacks were what set him and his work apart from his
contemporaries. The Builders uses structural and linear composition to bring forward the essence of the
painting and the human bodies in the paintings successfully depict the hard labor of the men.

1940-1950
Title: The Bombing of the Intendencia (1942)
Artist: Fernando Amorsolo
Art: Realism
Description: 10 hours after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the Japanese attacked the Philippines and the
bombing of the Intendencia was part of that attack. Despite being repaired during the Japanese
occupation (1941-1945), the Intendencia was destroyed by the Americans again during the Battl of
Manila in 1945.From then on, Intendencia is a place that reminds us the horrors of war.

Title: San Sebastian Church through Quiapo Ruins (1945)

Artist: Fernando Amorsolo
Art: Realism
Description: The Battle of Manila (February 3, 1945 – March 3, 1945) was a bloody disaster that left at
least 100,000 civilians dead, and much of the City of Manila was destroyed. It is because of the month
long siege of American and Filipino forces. The other buildings that not hit by Americans were bombed
by Japanese as they fled to the city. People hiding in shelters like San Sebastian Church were killed by
the explosives, which were perpetrated by both Americans and Japanese.
Title: Rape and Massacre in Ermita (1947)
Artist: Diosdado M. Lorenzo
Art: Romanticism
Description: The painting portraying two Japanese soldiers raping and killing familiy members in an
Ermita home showed a prevalent nightmare not only in Manila but across the country.
Title: Doomed Family (1945)
Artist: Dominador Castañeda
Art: Romanticism
Description: The painting intends to convey the idea of what the Japanese did to the Filipino family, as
many citizens have died during the Japanese Occupation.
Title: Reconstruction and Rehabilitation (1943)
Artist: Gregorio Sibug
Art: Realism
Description: Manila and other cities affected by the war was
long and arduous road. Yet slowly the people saw this as a
means to shrug off the vestiges of the past and continue to live
their life. The working class continued rebuilding and
reconstructing in order to recover from the ravage.

1960-1970 Post Colonial Period

Artist: Fernando Zobel

Art: Virevia II (1960)
Art Style: Minimalist
Description: Zóbel’s artwork has been mostly done in blacks, whites, blues, and greys. Evokes a calming
feeling with its soft brushstrokes. It talks about emotion.

Artist: Isidro Ancheta

Art: The Cross at Mt. Sabat Bataan (1970)
Art Style: Modern Abstract form of Sculpture
Description: Second highest cross in the world and the tallest in Asia.
Abueva collaborated with designer Lorenzo del Castillo to create a
shrine that commemorates the thousands of Filipino and American
soldiers who lost their lives during the Japanese-led Bataan Death
March in 1942.
Artist: Hernando Ocampo
Art: Genesis (1969)
Art Style: Modernist Tradition
Description: A self-taught artist, Hernando Ruiz Ocampo, followed modernist traditions throughout his
art career and highlighted his work by using extremely bold color palettes. His art is an amalgamation of
life and the abstract features of the world.

Artist: Alfonso A. Ossorio

Art: Abstract
Art Style: Blue Dancer (1962)
Description: Abstract can take a life of its own can most clearly be seen in his assemblages which he calls
“congregations”. Alfonso Ossorio said of abstraction: “You have to have something to abstract.”
Artist: René Magritte
Art: The Son of
Man
Art Style:
Surrealism
Description: The Son of Man is a self-portrait depicting Magritte in front of the sea wearing a suit and
bowler hat. The obscured face theme occurs in two of Magritte’s other paintings done during the same
period, The Great War (1964) and The Taste of the Invisible (1964). It is one of Magritte’s most well-
recognized paintings and has been continuously reiterated in modern pop culture.
1980-1990

Title: Justice Under Martial Law (1980)

Artist: Orlando Castillo
Style of Art: Social Protest
Description: It focuses on the lives of the Filipinos during martial law. Many families have lost their loved
ones, Filipino citizens are being oppressed, and many individuals are fighting for justice while risking
their lives.
Title: Bondage (1990)
Artist: Papo de Asis
Style of Art: Social Protest
Description: The painting depicts a man trapped inside of a concrete structure with a large eagle on top,
and teetering on rocks at the bottom. The eagle symbolizes democracy and imperialism.
Title: Screaming Figures (1985)
Artist: Ang Kiukok
Style of Art: Expressionism
Description: The painting represents an existential cry, an assertion of defiance, and a release
from suffering.
Title: Martsa ng Bayan para sa Kalayaan, Katarungan, at Kapayapaan (1984)
Artist: Edgar Fernandez
Style of Art: Social Realism
Description: It’s the protest movement after the death of Benigno Aquino, Jr. A tribute to an episode in
history that changed the course of Philippine politics.
Title: After the EDSA Revolution (1985)
Artist: Gene de Loyola
Style of Art: Social Realism
Description: It is a bloodless revolution in EDSA because the people wanted to remove Ferdinand
Marcos and wanted to put Corazon Aquino as the new president.
2000-2020

Title: Lockdown (2020)

Artist: Anton Del Castillo
Art Style: Visual Art
Description: Lockdown is an exposition on isolation. It captures in a very telling image the experience of
the everyday person during this pandemic: bottled up. Everything is bottled up.

Artist: Bryan Teves

Art: Rest to Ration (2020)
Art Style: Realistic
Description: As nature breathes, humanity’s breathing is stifled, with humankind forced to wear a face
mask in order to survive.
Artist: Pongbayong and Rose Marrie Saplad
Art: Laban and A Mask Have
Art Style: Realistic and Symbolism
Description: Symbols enduring pandemic. Husband
and wife artists have shown in their works are also
powerful symbols of how humanity has been
struggling to get back up.
Title: Wala Akong Choice Kundi Magdasal (2020)
Artist: Rianne Abucejo
Art Style: Digital Art
Description: a powerful expression of the power of prayer as a source of strength as the
world attempts to make sense of the uncertainties surrounding them. Although there are
often more questions than answers, faith and a spiritual connection in the grand scheme of
the universe can be a lifeline of hope. 
Title: One by One, Whole Body (2020)
Artist: Victor Nadera
Style of Art: Digital Art
Description: The piece references the quintessential 1x1 ID photos taken for school admission,
but it also reflects how the educational system has had to adapt in the wake of the pandemic,
which has robbed many students of the opportunity to share this time of their lives with their
friends, classmates, and teachers. Despite this, many students around the country continue to
pursue their education in the hope of having a better lives and improving the nation.
References:

https://www.thecollector.com/surrealism-art-and-their-artists/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manila_Metropolitan_Theater

https://arim101.wordpress.com/2020/04/06/the-palay-maiden/

https://ph.asiatatler.com/life/exploring-the-trademarks-of-some-of-the-philippines-most-significant-
artists

https://www.thecollector.com/dadaism-art-of-dada/

https://theculturetrip.com/asia/philippines/articles/the-10-most-famous-filipino-artists-and-their-
masterworks/

https://learnodo-newtonic.com/famous-filipino-paintings

https://www.artsy.net/artist/alfonso-ossorio/works-for-sale

https://lakansining.wordpress.com/2016/09/12/university-of-the-philippines-quezon-city-the-art-of-
world-war-ii-the-u-p-vargas-museum-collection/

https://www.coursehero.com/file/25666199/National-Museum-Paintingsdocx/

https://mandiwa.wordpress.com/2012/06/10/mirroring-the-self/

https://mandiwa.wordpress.com/2012/06/10/mirroring-the-self/

https://studymoose.com/a-glimpse-of-the-japanese-era-through-filipino-paintings-essay