National Artist and their

Contributions to Particular
Areas
MUSIC
Antonio R. Buenaventura

- Together with Francisca Reyes Aquino,

national artist for dance, researched on
and popularized Philippines folk songs and
dances in 1935
- He wrote songs and musical arrangement
based on the folk songs of different ethnic
groups in the country
Jose Maceda
- His life-long musical career focused on
understanding and popularizing Filipino
traditional music. He conducted
researches and fieldworks which resulted
in his wide array of recorded music from
parts of the country.
- His major works include Ugma-ugma,
pagsamba, Udlot-udlot, Kubing, Agungan,
Ugnayan, Aroding, Ading, Siasid and
Suling-suling.
Lucresia R. Kasilag

- Reinforces the Filipino’s appreciation to

music by fusing Western influences to
Philippine ethnic music.
- She integrated ethnic instruments in her
orchestral productions.
- Legend of Sarimanok, Philippine scenes,
Her son, Ang pamana, Jose, Sisa, Awit ng
mga awit Psalms, East meets jazz ethnika.
Ernani J. Cuenco

- Is one of the remarkable singer, composer,

film scorer, and musician in his time. Many
of his songs etched a mark in the hearts of
the Filipinos due to his style of
incorporating Kundiman elements in his
ballad love songs.
- Bato sa buhangin, Bulong ng Puso,
Kalesa, Gano kita Kamahal, Diligin mo ng
Hamog and Uhaw na lupa, and Nahan.
Ernani J. Cuenco

- Is one of the remarkable singer, composer,

film scorer, and musician in his time. Many
of his songs etched a mark in the hearts of
the Filipinos due to his style of
incorporating Kundiman elements in his
ballad love songs.
- Bato sa buhangin, Bulong ng Puso,
Kalesa, Gano kita Kamahal, Diligin mo ng
Hamog and Uhaw na lupa, and Nahan.
Lucio San Pedro

- Is a master composer known for creatively

using folk idioms in his musical compositions.
Unlike any other artists, he did not incorporate
folk song materials in his works.
- Sa ugoy ng duyan, Lulay, choral compositions
include Sa mahal kong bayan; orchestral
works include the The devils Bridge, Malakas
at Maganda overture, Hope and Ambition.
Antonio J. Molina

- He innovated the Philippine music in his time

by using folk instruments like the kulintang
and gabbang.
- He composed more than 300 works and two-
thirds of which used traditional music.
Franciso Feliciano

- Was a musician, composer, teacher, and

conductor known for incorporating “Asianess” in
his music. His works show the rich culture and
ethnicity of Asia especially in the Philippines.
Levi Celerio

- He started playing violin when he was 11

years old. Due to his extraordinary talent in
music, Alexander Lippay of the UP conservatory
of music recommended him at the Academy of
Music Manila for scholarship. However, Celerio
had an accident resulting to a broken wrist
which stopped him from playing violin but this
accident did not stop him from continuing a
career in music. He composed an estimate of
4,000 musical works.
Ramon Santos

- His music highlights Asia’s and Philippines’

rich artistic tradition and features elements from
western and non-western areas. He combined
Philippine indigenous instruments and vocals to
orchestral instruments and other instruments
from foreign nations. Moreover, included in his
popular unique compositions is Kulintang.
Jovita Fuentes

- Was remarkable Filipina artist known fo her

portrayal of Cio-cio san in madame Butterfly by
Gia33omo Puccini, which was held in in Theatro
Municipale di Piacenza Italy. Spain awarded her
as the “Embahadora de Filipinas a su Madre
Patria” for outstanding portraying different roles
in numerous musical performances in Europe.
Felipe Padilla de Leon

- Is a “people’s musician” for the sentiments

and aspirations of the Filipino people in times
of war and of peace are evident in his musical
works.
- Some of his orchestral music include Mariang
Makiling Overture and Roca Encantada.
- His choral music and songs include Payapang
Daigdig, Ako ay Pilipino, Bulaklak, and mUtya
ng Lahi.
Andrea Veneracion

- She was the founder of the world-renowned

choral group, the Philippine Madrigal Singers,
which has won numerous awards in and
outside the country. The Madrigals
contributed in the development of choral
literature and movement throughout the
Philippines.
DANCE
Francisca Reyes Aquino

- She vigorously researched on the different

folk dances of the Philippines which made her
the “Folk Dance Pioneer” of the country. Her
researched entitled “Philippine Dances and
games” contains the country’s unrecorded
celebrations, folk dances, rituals, and games.
- Due to her valuable contribution in the
development of Filipino culture, former
President Ramon Magsaysay awarded her
the Republic Award Merit.
Ramon Obusan

- He promoted the Philippine ethnic dances and

performed them with respect and authenticity.
He researched on the different Philippine
ethnic groups throughout the country to
perfectly perform their dances. His
presentations attempt to demonstrate the
ethnic dances’ original routine and music.
Alice Reyes

- Her major and most significant contribution in

the Philippine dance is the development of the
unique Filipino modern dance idiom. She
popularized contemporary dance in the
Philippines through her concerts, tours,
outreached works and lecture-demonstrations in
schools.
Leonor Orosa Goquingco
- Also known as the ‘Trailblazer”, “Mother of
Philippine Theater Dance”, and “Dean of Filipino
Performing Arts Critics”, significantly contributed
to the progress of the Philippine dance by
developing distinct productions using balletic
folkloric and Asian styles.
- Her most ambitious work is the Filipinescas:
Philippine Life, Legend, and Lore, a dance epic
showing the Filipino culture from pagan time to
present that elevated the Philippine native folk
dance to its highest level of development.
Lucresia Reyes-Urtula

- Studied the country’s folk and ethnic dances

for four decades and developed ethnic
choreographies applying her findings.
- She was the dance director of Bayanihan
Philippine Dance Company for three decades
who choreographed various dances for the
group.
THEATER
Daisy Avellana

- She was the so-called First lady of the

Philippine Theater because of her magnificent
performances in classis Filipino and
international theater productions and plays.
- Some of the productions she significantly
became part of were Othello, Macbeth in
Black, Tatarin, Portrait of the Artist as Filipino,
Diego Silang, walang Sugat, etc.
Rolando Tinio

- Was an outstanding stage director, poet,

thespian, and playwright known for his
numerous remarkable productions and
notable scripts.
- Some of his works include film scripts for Now
and Forever, Gamitin mo Ako, and Milagros,
sarswelas like and Mestiza, and Ana Maria,
and Komedya like Orosman at Zafira.
- He is also a National Artist for Literature aside
from Theater.
Wilfredo Ma. Guerero

- Being a theater teacher and artist, has

mentored and trained many performing artists
for 35 years. He also introduced and
popularized Philippine theater to different parts
of the country by establishing the UP Mobile
Theater. The UP Mobile Theater has delivered
thousands of performances for 19 long years to
many campuses in the Philippines.
Salvador F. Bernal

- He was an exceptional theater designer who

designed hundreds of theater productions for
a span of four decades. The superior quality
of his designs made him incomparable to
other designers.
- Bernal was also a professor at the University
of the Philippines Diliman and Ateneo De
Manila University where he shared his
competencies to the aspiring young
designers.
Honorata “Atang” Dela Rama

- Started her theatrical career in an early age.

At the age of seven, she has already been a
part of different Spanish zarsuelas.
- She played many roles in numerous
productions where she became popular and
hailed as the Queen of Kundiman. She
performed kundiman and Filipino songs for
indigenous communities all over the country.
Severino Montano

- Hailed as the titan of Philippine Theater,

Montano took the lead in promoting
‘legitimate theater” in the country. He was top
caliber playwright, theater artist, and director
who took up degrees in and outside the
country to master theater arts and later on to
share his learnings and competencies to the
younger Filipino generation.
VISUAL ARTS
Fernando Amorsolo

- He was known as the “Grand Old Man of the

Philippine Art” was the first National Artist of
the country. Lighting is the most prominent
element of Amorsolo’s painting. His trademark
was the backlighting technique which makes
the subjects of his painting seem to glow.
- His significant works are Planting Rice,
Dalagang Bukid, The Mestiza, and Maiden in
a Stream, among others.
Hernando Ocampo

- Is one the Thirteen Moderns, who paved the

way to art modernism in the Philippines,
compared to classical paintings, his works
were more radical and more poetic. Ocampo’s
pieces show the kind of society there was
after World War II.
- His major artworks were Genesis, Calvary,
Slum Dwellers, Nude with cradle and flower,
The Resurrection, Fiesta, etc.
Benedicto Cabrera

- Popularly known as BenCab, is an award

winning painter and printmaker who tagged as
master of the Philippine contemporary art.
- His painting was “Sabel”, the woman
scavenger roaming the streets in his
hometown when he was young. Sabel depicts
poverty and inequality in the Philippines
society.
Carlos “Botong” Francisco

- Was a from Muralist from Angono, Rizal. For

nearly three decades, he painted murals
showing the historical past of the Philippines.
Most of hid subjects depict the life in his
hometown and highlight the lives of the
farmers and fishermen.
- Is one of the so-called “The Triumvirate” along
with other modernists Galo Ocampo and
Victorio Edades, who introduce modern art to
the country.
Cesar Legaspi

- Is one of the thirteen moderns, who promoted

modern arts in the country. He was a neo-
realist whose important contribution to
modern art was his refinement of cubism and
produced artworks showing local
temperaments.
- The Beggars, The Stairway, the ritual, the
Survivor, Gadget I and II and among others.
Abdulmari Asis Imao

- Is a visual artist from Sulu, who articulated the

Muslim culture and art in the country. He
preserved and promoted the Philippine
indigenous art through the use of ethnic
themes like the ukkil, sarimanok, and naga I
his paintings and sculpture.
Guillermo Tolentino

- was the master sculptor who introduced

classical sculptor in the Philippeines. He was
known for creating monuments and bust
figures of Philippine heroes like Andres
Bonifacio and Jose Rizal and Philippine
presidents like Manuel Quezon and Ramon
Magsaysay.
Arturo Luz

- Is an abstractionist known for his minimalist

paintings and sculptures which exude
sophisticated simplicity. He started doing art
at the age of 17 without prior training. Then
later on he had his first lesson with Pablo
Amorsolo, brother of Fernando Amorsolo.
Frederico Aguilar Alcuaz

- Was the artist known for his gestural abstract

expressionistic paintings using a variety of
mediums like acrylic and oil.
- He was also a sculptor who produced
abstract and figurative sculptures like
ceramics, paper, and mixed media.
Napoleom Abueva

- Is the Father of Modern Philippine Sculpture,

who made use of wide range of materials in his
works like different types of hardwood, stones,
and metals. He was also the sculptor who
started the trend in mixing materials, like metal
and stone in making sculptures.
Jeremias Elizalde Navarro

- Popularly known as J. Elizalde Navarro, was a

painter and a sculptor. As a painter, he created
both abstract and figure paintings using oil and
watercolor. The prominent elements in his
abstract works were its geometric forms and
spontaneous strokes.
Francisco Coching

- Tagged as “Dean of Filipino Illustrators” and

was popular for his komiks drawings. Fantasy,
love and adventure were the usual themes of
his works drawing inspirations from awit and
korido.
- Among his works are Lapu-lapu, Pedro
Penduko, Hagibis, El Nidoa and Maldita.
Vistorio Edades

- “Father f Modern Philippine Painting”. He was

one of the “Triumvirate” who introduced
modernism in Philippine Visual Art. Upon his
arrival to the Philippines after studying
abroad, Edades shocked many Filipinos in his
exhibit due to his non-conventional style of
painting.
Ang Kiukok

- Was known for his highly expressionistic

works containing powerful meanings. Angst,
anguish, and anger are the glaring emotions
contained in his cubistic works as these were
created in the time of Martial Law.
Jose Joya

- Is an abstractionist known for his “gestural

paintings”. He is also a multimedia artist who
painted on ceramics such as vessel, plates,
and tiles.
- As an artist, he promoted visual arts to
younger generation by conducting regional
workshop.
Vicente Manansala

- Was cubist painter who painted with a wide

range of subject matters from the happy and
bountiful rural to poverty-stricken urban set-
ups.
LITERATURE
Francisco Arcellana

- Is one of the proponents of modern Filipino

short story which uses English as its
language. Due to his innovativeness in
developing fiction, he was able to come up
with short stories using lyrical prose-poetic
approach. He published books, poems, and
short stories.
Edith Tiempo

- In over five decades, she produced numerous

remarkable poems and short stories. Evident
in her poems is the harmony of intellect and
emotions which resulted in fine literary pieces.
The “Little Marmoset” and “Bonsai” are tow of
her notable poems.
Bienvenido Lumbera
N.V.M. Gonsalez

- Nestor Vicente Madali Gonzales is a writer

known for his effective use of English
language in expressing and shaping the
culture and sensibility of the Filipino people
and the country.