GEC-AA

Artists and
Artisans
Lesson 5
Learning Outcomes
01. Outline the history of the emergence of artists and
artisans;

Recognize and critically discuss the function of state

02. sponsorship in the field of arts and culture through the
National Artists Award and the Gawad sa Manlilikha
ng Bayan (GAMABA):

03. Identify and define the different individuals and

groups who take on varied roles in the world
of art and culture; and

04. Classify the practices of artists in terms of

form, medium, and technique.
Introduction
In the advent of technology, it is remarkable what has
now been made possible. With a click of a button, an
array of overwhelming information is made available,
informing every aspect of human life. In the fast-paced
and highly complex twenty- first century, there is a real
and nagging fear that soon, everything may very well be
replaced by computers and robots that can arguably do
things with more precision, at a shorter amount of time
and less capital in the long term.
Out of the shadows of these caves, astounding headway
was seen moving down history from Bronze Age down to
the Middle Ages in terms of how man continued to utilize
his surroundings to create varying expressions of his ideas
and feelings. Through the exploration of his immediate
environs, trade, and other experimentations, new modes,
media, and techniques brought to light a wide array of
artworks that instantiate the wealth that can be done
when the artist's vision is tapped, harnessed, and realized.
But the most integral development that allowed this
identity of an "artist" to fully emerge is the
systematization and sophistication that his world-the art
world- has become.
The impulse to create is at the Artists even created places and spaces
core of human civilization, much where communities may gather. There
like the impulse to communicate are numerous monuments and
through language. Early on, memorials that are plotted over the
artists were embedded in the world such as the infamous Vietnam
development of culture, and in Veterans Memorial in Washington DC.
turn, art was nurtured by the There are others like the cave paintings
varying cultures in which it that have an aura of mystery like the
Pyramids of Giza, or have alluded
existed. comprehension like the Stonehenge.

STONEHENGE
The Artisan and the
Guilds
Have you ever wondered why some examples of
artistic and creative production have survived to Consider the Gothic cathedrals and other
this day? Museums are packed with numerous megastructures that were built all over
artifacts and interesting objects from all over Europe during the Middle Ages. Craftsmen
the world that have survived centuries for us all and builders in the past did not have
to see. Magnificent structures that are often sophisticated terminologies and principles
appreciated not only for their historical that architects and engineers abide by
significance but more so for their aesthetic today. Gothic cathedrals along with other
characteristics that render them unique, become structures inspired by its architectural
tourist destinations for those who wish to tenets have survived through time, not
explore and see the remarkable façade, interior, only by their sheer durability, but more so
and even the minutest of details up close. through the articulation of the processes
that they followed.
An example of this would be the Cologne Cathedral. In
Germany, it is but one of the many examples of early Gothic
architecture. The account was that master mason Gerhard
Ryle started the project in 1248 but was only completed
roughly 600 years later, claiming the record as one of the
longest construction projects to date.
Detail of the stained glass
Cologne Cathedral, windows of Cologne Cathedral
Koln, Germany
What is meant here is a kind of formalization of craft
education in which regulation was set in place. Here, skills
qualification was needed for an apprentice to register under
a particular craft guild.

These guilds were prevalent during the Middle

Cologne Cathedral, Ages particularly during the thirteenth to
Koln, Germany fifteenth century, where towns had formalized
groups of artisans or craftsmen who took on a
particular specialization or trade: shoemakers,
textile and glass workers, carpenters, carvers,
masons, armorers, and weapon-makers, among
others. Guilds were a type of social fellowship, an
association structured with rules, customs, rights,
and responsibilities. With a lifetime commitment
to a particular trade, an artisan develops immense
skill and expertise in his craft.
A master artisan or craftsman would then be open to hiring
apprentices who would be under his tutelage and instruction. In these
guilds, artistry and technology flourished under one roof. In the context
of the cathedral construction site, the master mason oversaw the work
by numerous men of varying artistic proclivities and skills, from the
smiths (metal work), carpenters, carriers, and glaziers (stained glass
artists), among others.

The guild niche under the Four

Crowned Saints (Circa 1416)
This was commissioned by the Arte
dei Maestri di Pietra e Legname
(guild of wood and stone cutters),
in Orsanmichele, Florence.
In the visual arts, an example of an artist strongly
influenced by this was Albrecht Dürer. Born in 1471,
his father was a goldsmith; that is why he also
apprenticed as such. Later on, he shifted to the visual
arts.
His life was ripe with travels, fame, and
fortune. One of the biggest credits to his
practice was his dedication and interest in
scholarship with his attendance to a close
friend's meetings of artists and scholars. He
also published quite a number of books and
treatises including those that talked about
practical skills as an artist which would be
useful to other artisans and craftsmen who
dared to read it. Albrecht Durer
Although the timeline is a bit skewed, the
culture of artisans became prevalent in the
Philippines as well, particularly during the
Spanish colonial period. Formerly done with
the spirit of the communal and the
everyday, patronship changed the way art
was perceived. This was both the case for
religious and secular art, wherein the
existence of artisans proved to be of
immense use. It was through mimesis or
copying that artisans first learned to depict
religious images and scenes.
Friars, being non-artists themselves,
provided the references that artists could
use. During the propagation of the faith,
Spanish friars commissioned a lot of
artisans to carve, paint, and engrave images
for churches and public sites. Each locality
had a characterizing style or feature in the
way their depictions were made; the manner
in which Boholano artists would paint saints
and scenes were different from those of
Rizal or in Laguna.
Like other Baroque churches that benefitted
from the talents of artists, Spanish colonial
churches were also lined with frescos and
ceiling paintings, with a number of them
undergoing restoration in the early 1900s.
Project Kisame is a collective endeavor amongst
enthusiasts and advocates who aimed to
promote this art form through documentation,
engagement, and appreciation of surviving
ceiling paintings in more than 60 churches in the
Philippines. Technology and heritage
conservation occupied a substantial part of this
project.
One example of a Spanish architecture that has
been documented is the Church of the Most Holy
Trinity in Loay, Bohol. Built in 1822, the ceiling
paintings were rendered trompe l'oeil style
depicting biblical scenes. In 2003, it became a
National Historical Landmark.
It was therefore unfortunate that this church was
one of those heavily damaged during the
devastating earthquake that rattled Bohol in 2013.
Although it is but a fragment of the real thing, the
photos taken by Project Kisame were able to
document the beauty of the ceiling paintings prior
to its destruction.
Church of the Most Holy
Trinity, Loay Bohol

Details of its
Church of the Most Holy
ceiling
Trinity
From the church, the next patrons of the arts were
the then new elite, the ilustrados or the middle
class, along with foreign guests who wanted
souvenirs to take along with them.
Two other important genres for painting at that
time were the tipos del pais and letras y figuras.
The former was watercolor paintings that
showcased the different local inhabitants of the
country in different garbs, and clues to their
occupation and status; while the latter combined
the principle of tipos del pais and incorporated it as
a means to illustrate the letters of one's name or
surname.
One key example that illustrated the systematization
of art instruction-a combination of sorts of the guild
and the art school-was the establishment Damian
Domingo of the Academia de Dibujo. Known as the
best tipos del pais painter, this school specialized in
teaching the miniaturismo style of painting along with
the tenets of classical European painting.
Eventually, other schools emerged teaching other
genres such as bodegones (still life) and paisajes
(landscape).
The Artist
and His
Studio
Moving back to Europe, the big shift that propelled the
evolution of the pivotal role of the artist in the arts started
during the Middle Ages up to the Renaissance period.

Artists claiming authorship for their works by affixing their

mark onto the surfaces of their paintings were a big milestone
in the history of the artist. Combined, these resulted in a
wider variety of artworks, not just in form, but more so in
style and technique. The site that saw this shift was a very
personal space for the artist himself, which is the studio.
James Abbott McNeill
Whistler “Artist’s Studio”
There were those whose work stations were segmented into
two, the studiolo and the bottega; the latter is where the work
usually happened. Apprentices studied under masters, assisting
with menial tasks or the preparation of the painting surfaces.
The beginnings of Industrial Revolution had an interesting
ramification for artists. A compendium of events released the
artists from the limitations that affected the way in which they
produced their works. These included the availability and
portability of materials (i.e., foldable easels and paint in tubes)
and the reliance on the wealthy patrons to place a commission.
During the latter part of the 1800s, artists began to question
the merits of stringent artistic training and education, but it
was during the 1900s that art was truly liberated from the
traditions of the past. Perhaps, it was then that artists found
freedom to articulate their distinct aesthetic way of creative
production.
Other Players in the World
of Art
The terrain In which the artist
traverses is becoming increasingly
complex. In the last century, some of
the roles that have been existent since
the beginning of art history have been
properly dealt with-ascribed with a
name and legitimized into a
sophisticated network of relationships
and exchanges. This network is what
we call the art world.
In Howard S. Becker’s Art Worlds (1982), he asserted that
“all artistic work, like all human activity, involves the joint
activity of a number, often a large number, of people.
Through their cooperation, the artwork we eventually see
or hear comes to be and continues to be.

Exhibition Opening of “Arctic Hysteria:

The work always shows signs of that
New Art from Finland” cooperation. The forms of cooperation may
be ephemeral, but often become more or less
routine; producing patterns of collective
activity we can call an art world. The
existence of art worlds, as well as the way
their existence affects both the production
and consumption of artworks, suggests a
sociological approach to the arts.
It is not an approach that produces aesthetic judgments;
although that is a task many sociologists of art have set for
themselves.” There is an assumption that an artist works in
solitary, that the only time the external world is allowed in
would be when the work is displayed and when in circulation.

Exhibition Opening of “Arctic Hysteria: The terrain where art is distributed is a

New Art from Finland” global network comprised of individuals,
groups, and institutions such as schools,
museums, galleries, art spaces, auction
houses, and other commercial market
platforms, and professions. The last aspect is
very important because this implies that the
art world does not only rely on ideas,
sentiments, and aesthetic values, but also on
skills that are professionalized, stratified, and
more importantly, monetized.
An example of a multi-level platform, where
different players in what we call an art world
can engage, interact, and flex their art muscles,
is the international art fair like the Art Basel in
Hong Kong.
It is important to note that with the complexity of the art
world, players are no longer limited to those who
undertook formal instruction in either (or both) production
and/or study of art. Take for instance administrative or
managerial roles, both of which can exist in either
institutional or non-institutional scenarios.
These roles may be broken down to working boards
(board of trustees); directors and assistant directors:
managing curators; and other posts whose interest is the
management and operations of museums, galleries and
other art spaces.
For independent artists, those outside the wing of a gallery
as a “stable artist,” sometimes require the assistance of an
artist manager in order to manage their career and
sometimes to help them in promoting themselves to the art
world as well.
A curator, on the other hand, is one of the mast elusive of
roles to pin down. Institutional curators are typically affiliated
with museums and galleries, while Independent or freelance
curators have the leeway to move around various projects,
platforms and art spaces in a multiplicity of terms.

Generally, the role of the curator is more of the

interpretation and development of the artwork(s) or
the collection(s) through establishing the significance,
relationship, and relevance of these materials in
isolation and/or as part of a wider narrative.
Formerly ascribed with the term "patron," buyers and
collectors are those who acquire and purchase artworks for a
variety of reasons: for the appreciation and enjoyment of art;
for the scholarship and education opportunity it may provide
(donors of study collections); for safeguard and preservation
of their posterity, for investment; for communicating a way of
life/lifestyle, among others.
In addition, art dealers are those whose direct hand is in
the distribution and circulation of the artworks through a
variety of means, such as direct sales, through galleries, and
the more recent player in the Philippines, auction houses. y
players in the art world who will benefit from the
circulation and distribution of the artwork (or artist) he
promotes.
Production Process
The process of creating an artwork does not necessarily
follow a linear progression. One of the things that one must
accept is the fact that the arts have an anarchic dimension to
it, allowing it to fully harness its creative potential. The very
reason why different art styles, periods, and movements were
made possible, is because there was a form of flexibility given
to artists in terms of how to conceptualize and execute their
ideas into reality. But this does not mean there is no guiding
principle that governs the general process of art production.
The process is essentially tripartite: (1) preproduction, (2)
production, and (3) postproduction. The artist always begins
with an idea that he wants to express or communicate with
his audience.
Medium and Technique
Medium is the mode of expression in which the concept, idea,
or message is conveyed. It may be concrete or tangible, such
as paintings, sculptures, monuments, and structures, or if may
be ephemeral or something transient, such as a track
(recording of sound), a film, or a performance. The
appreciation or engagement with the artwork is also affected
by the medium spatiotemporally. For concrete works, the
objects physically manifest themselves for a prolonged or
lasting period.
For ephemeral works, on the other hand, it is durational A
chosen medium must not be expected to yield the same
results. Giving two different artists the same exact material
and the general qualifier of "painting." the end product will
still vary minimally or in an exponential scale.
Engagement with Art
In Anna Cline's The Evolving Role of the
Exhibition and Its Impact on Art and Culture
(2012), she wrote that "exhibitions act as the
catalyst of art and ideas to the public. they
represent a way of displaying and contextualizing
art that makes it relevant and accessible to
contemporary audiences. The art exhibition, by
its nature, holds a mirror up to society, reflecting
its interests and concerns while at the same time
challenging its ideologies and preconceptions.
Engagement with Art
In Paula Marincola's What Makes a Great Exhibition?
(2006), it reads that "exhibitions are strategically
located at the nexus where artists, their work, the
arts institution, and many different publics intersect."
This opportunity is singular, as most interactions in
the art world are limited to two players at a time.
Exhibitions create an opportunity in which the
different roles in the art world get to meet, interact,
and even enter into a discussion One of the most
common platforms to engage with the art is through
exhibitions either at museums or galleries.
Awards and Citations
As with any organized endeavor, the arts and culture have entered
into a phase in which another aspect of its practice can be realized.
After an artist has spent considerable time in honing his skills,
establishing the relevance of the body of his works, and even
gaining respect from his colleagues in the art world, he may be
considered or nominated for awards and citations. In history,
support for the arts and culture is not limited to the allocation of
funding or patronship.
One of the most common measures in which artists and other creative
producers are given incentives and honor for their work is through
state-initiated and given awards and citations. The two major awards
given to artists in the Philippines are the Orden ng Pambansang
Alagad ng Sining (Order of National Artists) and Gawad sa
Manlilikha ng Bayan (National Living Treasures Award).
The conferment of the Order of National Artists is the
"highest national recognition given to Filipino
individuals who have made significant contributions to
the development of Philippine arts, namely, music,
dance, theater, visual arts, literature, film, broadcast
arts, and architecture and allied arts.
The order is jointly administered by the National
Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the
Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) and conferred
by the President of the Philippines upon
recommendation by both institutions" (NCCA, 2015).
The very first recipient of this award was painter
Fernando Amorsolo, who was touted as the "Grand
Old Man of Philippine Art." He was the sole awardee
in the year 1972, a National Artist for Visual Arts.
At present, there are 66 awardees of this prestigious
Conferment of the 2009 and 2014 Order honor across different at farms. Some of them were
of National Artists Award (2009 and
2014)
given the award posthumously, while others were
fortunate enough to receive the award themselves.
Some of the honors and privileges that national
artist awardee receives are the following: (1) the
rank and title, as proclaimed by the President of the
Philippines; (2) a medallion or insignia and a citation
that will be read during the conferment; (3) cash
awards and a host of benefits (monthly lite pension,
medical, and hospitalization benefits, life insurance
coverage), (4) a state funeral and burial at the
Libingan ng Mga Bayani (Heroes' Cemetery); and (5)
a place of honor or designated area during national
state functions, along with recognition of
acknowledgment at cultural events.
The Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan or the National Living
Treasures Award was created in 1992 under the Republic Act No.
7355. Also under the jurisdiction of the National Commission for
Culture and the Arts (NCCA), the NCCA (2015) "through the Gawad
sa Manlilikha ng Bayan Committee and an Ad Hoc Panel of Experts,
conducts the search for the finest traditional artists of the land,
adopts a program that will ensure the transfer of their skills to others
and undertakes measures to promote a genuine appreciation of and
instill pride among our people about the genius of the Manlilikha ng
Bayan.

Ginaw Bilog Masino Intaray Samaon Sulaiman

The recipients of the GAMABA are sought under the qualification of a
“Manlilikha ng Bayan” who is a "citizen engaged in any traditional art
uniquely Filipino whose distinctive skills have reached such a high level of
technical and artistic excellence and have been passed on to and widely
practiced by the present generation in his her community with the same
degree of technical and artistic competence" (NCCA. 2015).
This artists' practice may fall under the following categories: folk,
architecture, maritime transport, weaving, carving, performing arts, literature,
graphic and plastic arts, ornament, textile or fiber art, pottery and other
artistic expressions of traditional culture.

Ginaw Bilog Masino Intaray Samaon Sulaiman

Thanks
for
listening!
Group 3
Group members

Soria, Josiebel
Ybanez, Kim
Ybanez, Ken
Escalicas, Angela
Dejito, Jolito