A
National Artist of the Philippines (
FilipinoThis move has drawn much criticism from other regional groups.In 1987, a new constitution introduced many provisions for the language.Article XIV, Section 6, omits any mention of Tagalog as the basis for Filipino, and states that:...
:
Pamabansang Alagad ng Sining ng Pilipinas) is a title given to a
FilipinoThe Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
who has been given the highest recognition for having made significant contributions to the development of Philippine arts. Such Filipinos are announced, by virtue of a Presidential Proclamation, as
National Artist or in
FilipinoThis move has drawn much criticism from other regional groups.In 1987, a new constitution introduced many provisions for the language.Article XIV, Section 6, omits any mention of Tagalog as the basis for Filipino, and states that:...
,
Gawad Pambansang Alagad ng Sining. They are then conferred membership in the Order of National Artists, the regalia of which is an ornate, gilden collar of honor. In addition to the collar, each newly proclaimed member of the Order is given a citation that is presented during the awardees' conferment ceremonies. The Cultural Center of the Philippines then hosts a Memorabilia Exhibit and
Gabi ng Parangal (A Night of Tributes) for the National Artists at the
Tanghalang Pambansa.
Other benefits received by National artists include a monthly pension, medical and life insurance, arrangements for a state funeral, a place of honor at national state functions, and recognition at cultural events.
The National Artist Honors is administered by the
Cultural Center of the PhilippinesThe Cultural Center of the Philippines is a government-owned and controlled corporation established to preserve, develop and promote arts and culture in the Philippines. The CCP was established through Executive Order No. 30 s. 1966 by President Ferdinand Marcos...
(CCP) by virtue of
PresidentThe President of the Philippines is the head of state and head of government of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of the Philippine government and is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines...
Ferdinand MarcosFerdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos, Sr. was a Filipino leader and an authoritarian President of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He was a lawyer, member of the Philippine House of Representatives and a member of the Philippine Senate...
's Proclamation No. 1001 of April 2, 1972 and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA). The Government of the Republic of the Philippines confers the award to deserving individuals who have been recommended by both the CCP and the NCCA. The first award was posthumously conferred on Filipino painter
Fernando AmorsoloFernando Amorsolo y Cueto is one of the most important artists in the history of painting in the Philippines. Amorsolo was a portraitist and painter of rural Philippine landscapes. He is popularly known for his craftsmanship and mastery in the use of light...
.
Categories
Categories under which National Artists can be recognized originally included:
- Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
;
- Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
;
- Theater;
- Visual Arts
The visual arts are art forms that create works which are primarily visual in nature, such as ceramics, drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, design, crafts, and often modern visual arts and architecture...
;
- Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
;
- Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
and Broadcast ArtsBroadcasting is the distribution of audio and video content to a dispersed audience via any audio visual medium. Receiving parties may include the general public or a relatively large subset of thereof...
; and
- Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
and Allied Arts.
However, national artists have since been honored under new categories. The NCCA 'created' the category of National Artist for
Fashion DesignFashion design is the art of the application of design and aesthetics or natural beauty to clothing and accessories. Fashion design is influenced by cultural and social latitudes, and has varied over time and place. Fashion designers work in a number of ways in designing clothing and accessories....
when it nominated Ramon Valera, but subsumed that category under "Architecture and Allied Arts". President
Fidel V. RamosFidel "Eddie" Valdez Ramos , popularly known as FVR, was the 12th President of the Philippines from 1992 to 1998. During his six years in office, Ramos was widely credited and admired by many for revitalizing and renewing international confidence in the Philippine economy.Prior to his election as...
issued an executive order creating the category of National Artist for Historical Literature before conferring the honor to
Carlos QuirinoCarlos Lozada Quirino was a Philippine biographer and historian.- Life :Carlos Quirino is best known for his early biography of Jose Rizal. He also wrote several works on Philippine history and biographies of President Manuel Quezon and the painter Damian Domingo...
. As part of the
2009 National Artist of the Philippines controversyThe 2009 National Artist of the Philippines controversy refers to the controversial proclamation as National Artists of the Philippines of four individuals via the Presidential prerogative of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, when the four had not been nominated by the selection committee, composed of...
, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo proclaimed Carlo J. Caparas a National Artist under the category of "Visual Art and Film", but it was unclear whether the honor was given under the separate categories of "Visual Art" and "Film", or as a new, combined category.
Criteria
Nominations for National Artist of the Philippines are based on a broad criteria, as set forth by the Cultural Center of the Philippines and the National Commission on Culture and the Arts:
- Living artists who have been Filipino citizens for the last ten years prior to nomination as well as those who have died after the establishment of the award in 1972 but were Filipino citizens at the time of their death;
- Artists who have helped build a Filipino sense of nationhood through the content and form of their works;
- Artists who have distinguished themselves by pioneering in a mode of creative expression or style, making an impact on succeeding generations of artists;
- Artists who have created a significant body of works and/or have consistently displayed excellence in the practice of their art form, enriching artistic expression or style; and
- Artists who enjoy broad acceptance through prestigious national and/or international recognition, awards in prestigious national and/or international events, critical acclaim and/or reviews of their works, and/or respect and esteem from peers within an artistic discipline.
Nominations are then submitted to the National Artist Secretariat that is created by the National Artist Award Committee; experts from the different art fields then sit on a First Deliberation to prepare the short list of nominees. A Second Deliberation, which is a joint meeting of the Commissioners of the NCCA and the Board of Trustees of the CCP, decides on the final recomendees. The list is then forwarded to the President of the Philippines, who, by Presidential Proclamation, proclaims the final nominees as members of the Order of National Artists.
Music
- Levi Celerio
Levi Celerio was a Filipino composer and lyricist who was born in Manila, Philippines. Celerio was a prolific song-writer, with over 4,000 songs to his credit. He is perhaps best-known for being a leaf-player, a feat for which he was put into the Guinness Book of World Records...
- Ernani Joson Cuenco
- Felipe Padilla De Leon
- Jovita Fuentes
- Lucresia R. Kasilag
- Jose Maceda
José Maceda was a Filipino composer and ethnomusicologist.-Life:Maceda was born in Manila, the Philippines. He studied piano, composition and musical analysis at École Normale de Musique de Paris. After returning to his native country, he became a professional pianist...
- Antonio J. Molina
Antonio J. Molina was a Filipino composer, conductor and music administrator who was named a National Artist of the Philippines for his services to music.Molina was born in Manila, the son of a government official...
- Lucio D. San Pedro
Lucio San Pedro was born on February 11, 1913 in Angono, Rizal, the Philippines. He was a composer and teacher in the Philippines...
- Andrea O. Veneracion
- Honorata "Atang" de la Rama
- Antonio R. Buenaventura
Dance
- Francisca Reyes Aquino
- Leonor Orosa-Goquingco
- Ramon Obusan
- Lucrecia Reyes Urtula
Theater and Film
- Daisy Avellana
- Honorata "Atang" de la Rama
- Rolando S. Tinio
- Salvador F. Bernal
- Lamberto V. Avellana
- Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero
Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero was a Filipino playwright, director, teacher and theater artist.He has written well over a hundred plays, 41 of which have been published...
- Severino Montano
Severino Montano is considered as one of the Titans of Philippine Theater. He was a playwright, director, actor and theater organizer with an output of one novel, 150 poems and 50 plays in his 65-year lifetime...
- Lino Brocka
Catalino Ortiz Brocka is known as one of the greatest film directors of the Philippines. Brocka was openly homosexual and many of his films incorporated LGBT themes into their often dramatic storylines....
- Fernando Poe Jr.
Visual Arts
- Napoleon Abueva
Napoleón Isabelo Veloso-Abueva , more popularly known as Napoleón Abueva, is a Filipino artist. He is a sculptor given the distinction as the Philippines' National Artist for Sculpture. He is also entitled as the "Father of Modern Philippine Sculpture"...
(Sculpture)
- Federico Aguilar Alcuaz
Federico Aguilar Alcuaz was an award winning Filipino Painter who exhibited extensively Internationally and whose work earned him recognition both in the Philippines and abroad....
(Painting, Sculpture and Mixed Media)
- Fernando C. Amorsolo
Fernando Amorsolo y Cueto is one of the most important artists in the history of painting in the Philippines. Amorsolo was a portraitist and painter of rural Philippine landscapes. He is popularly known for his craftsmanship and mastery in the use of light...
(Painting)
- Benedicto Cabrera
Benedicto Reyes Cabrera , better known as "BenCab", is a Filipino painter and was awarded National Artist of the Philippines for Visual Arts in 2006...
(Painting)
- Victorio C. Edades
Victorio C. Edades is a Filipino painter who was the leader of the revolutionary Thirteen Moderns who engaged their classical compatriots in heated debate over the nature and function of art. He was named a National Artist in 1976.-Biography:Victorio Edades was born on December 23, 1895 to Hilario...
(Painting)
- Carlos V. Francisco (Painting)
- Abdulmari Asia Imao (Sculpture)
- Jose T. Joya
José T. Joya was a Filipino abstract artist and a National Artist of the Philippines awardee.From Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaVenice José T...
(Painting)
- Ang Kiukok
Ang Kiukok was a leading Filipino painter and a National Artist for Visual Arts.-Profile of the Artist:He was born in Davao City, Philippines to Chinese-Filipino parents who had emigrated from Fukien...
(Painting)
- Cesar Legaspi
Cesar Legaspi on April 2, 1917 in Tondo, Manila is a Filipino National Artist awardee in painting. He was also an art director prior to going full-time in his visual art practice in the 1960s. His early works, alongside those of peer, Hernando Ocampo are described as depictions of anguish and...
(Painting)
- Arturo R. Luz
Arturo Rogerio Luz is a Philippine National Artist awardee in visual arts. He is also a known printmaker, sculptor, designer and art administrator....
(Painting)
- Vicente S. Manansala
Vicente Silva Manansala was a Philippine cubist painter and illustrator.Manansala was born in Macabebe, Pampanga. From 1926 to 1930, he studied at the U.P. School of Fine Arts. In 1949, Manansala received a six-month grant by UNESCO to study at the Ecole de Beaux Arts in Banff and Montreal, Canada...
(Painting)
- J. Elizalde Navarro (Painting)
- Hernando R. Ocampo
Hernando R. Ocampo is a Filipino National Artist in the visual arts. He is also fictionist, a playwright and editor.-Profile of the Artist:Hernando Ruiz Ocampo was a leading radical modernist artist in the Philippines...
(Painting)
- Guillermo Tolentino (Sculpture)
Literature
- Francisco Arcellana
Francisco "Franz" Arcellana was a Filipino writer, poet, essayist, critic, journalist and teacher. He was born on September 16, 1916. Arcellana already had ambitions of becoming a writer during his years in the elementary. His actual writing, however, started when he became a member of The Torres...
- Virgilio S. Almario
Virgilio Senadren Almario, better known by his pen name, Rio Alma, is a Filipino artist, poet, critic, translator, editor, teacher, and cultural manager. He is a National Artist of the Philippines....
- Lazaro Francisco
- N. V. M. Gonzalez
Néstor Vicente Madali González was a Filipino writer.-Biography:He was born on 8 September 1915 in Romblon, Philippines. González, however, was raised in Mansalay, a southern town of the Philippine province of Oriental Mindoro. González was a son of a school supervisor and a teacher...
- Amado V. Hernandez
- Nick Joaquin
Nicomedes Márquez Joaquín was a Filipino writer, historian and journalist, best known for his short stories and novels in the English language. He also wrote using the pen name Quijano de Manila...
- F. Sionil Jose
F. Sionil José or in full Francisco Sionil José is one of the most widely-read Filipino writers in the English language. His novels and short stories depict the social underpinnings of class struggles and colonialism in Filipino society...
- Bienvenido Lumbera
Bienvenido Lumbera is a prizewinning poet, critic and dramatist from the Philippines.He is a National Artist of the Philippines and a recipient of the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Journalism, Literature and Creative Communications...
- Alejandro R. Roces
- Carlos P. Romulo
Carlos Peña Rómulo was a Filipino diplomat, politician, soldier, journalist and author. He was a reporter at 16, a newspaper editor by the age of 20, and a publisher at 32...
- Edith L. Tiempo
Edith L. Tiempo , poet, fiction writer, teacher and literary critic was a Filipino writer in the English language.Tiempo was born in Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya...
- Rolando S. Tinio
- Jose Garcia Villa
Jose Garcia Villa was a Filipino poet, literary critic, short story writer, and painter. He was awarded the National Artist of the Philippines title for literature in 1973, as well as the Guggenheim Fellowship in creative writing by Conrad Aiken...
Cinemas
- Lino Brocka
Catalino Ortiz Brocka is known as one of the greatest film directors of the Philippines. Brocka was openly homosexual and many of his films incorporated LGBT themes into their often dramatic storylines....
- Ishmael Bernal
Ishmael Bernal was an acclaimed Filipino film, stage and television director. He was also an actor and screenwriter...
- Gerardo de León
Gerardo de León was a Filipino actor turned film director, who made his acting debut in the 1934 film Ang Dangal....
- Fernando Poe, Jr.
Ronald Allan Poe y Kelley , better known as Fernando Poe, Jr. and colloquially known as FPJ and Da King, was a Filipino actor and cultural icon. From the 1950s, Poe played steadfast film heroes who fight for the common man, which won him respect and admiration...
- Eddie S. Romero
- Manuel Conde
Manuel Conde was born on October 15, 1915 in Daet, Camarines Norte . He was an actor, director and producer. As an actor, he also used the screen name Juan Urbano during the 1930s aside from his more popular screen name. His first film was "Mahiwagang Biyolin" in 1935. He made almost three dozen...
Architecture
- Pablo Antonio
Pablo S. Antonio was a Filipino architect. A pioneer of modern Philippine architecture, he was recognized in some quarters as the foremost Filipino modernist architect of his time. He was conferred the rank and title of National Artist of the Philippines by President Ferdinand Marcos in...
- Juan Nakpil
Juan F. Nakpil was a Filipino architect, teacher and a community leader. In 1973, he was named one of the National Artists for architecture, and tapped as the Dean of Filipino Architects....
- Leandro Locsin
Leandro V. Locsin was a Filipino architect, artist, and interior designer, known for his use of concrete, floating volume and simplistic design in his various projects. An avid collector, he was fond of modern painting and Chinese ceramics. He was proclaimed a National Artist of the Philippines...
- Ildefonso Santos
Ildefonso Paez Santos was a Filipino poet, sculptor, and writer.-Early life and writings:Santos was born on January 23, 1897, in Baritan, Malabon, Rizal. He showed his talent in poetry through a love letter for a secret lover. His cousin, Leonardo Diangson, read the letter, and it was later...
(I.P. Santos)
- Francisco Mañosa
Francisco Mañosa is a Filipino architect and national artist noted for his Filipino inspired architectural designs. He designed The Coconut Palace.Manosa, on May, 2008 built his own Ayala alabang village Bahay Kubo mansion...
Historical Literature
(New category created by President Fidel V. Ramos)
- Carlos Quirino
Carlos Lozada Quirino was a Philippine biographer and historian.- Life :Carlos Quirino is best known for his early biography of Jose Rizal. He also wrote several works on Philippine history and biographies of President Manuel Quezon and the painter Damian Domingo...
Controversy
In August 2009, the conferment of the Order of National Artists to seven individuals by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo became controversial when it was revealed that musician Ramon Santos had been dropped from the list of nominees short-listed in May that year by the selection committee, and that four other individuals had been nominated to the title via "President’s prerogative":Cecilla Guidote-Alvarez (Theater), Magno Jose "Carlo” Caparas (Visual Arts and Film),
Francisco ManosaFrancisco Mañosa is a Filipino architect and national artist noted for his Filipino inspired architectural designs. He designed The Coconut Palace.Manosa, on May, 2008 built his own Ayala alabang village Bahay Kubo mansion...
(Architecture), and Jose “Pitoy” Moreno (Fashion Design).
Members of the Philippine art community, including a number of living National Artists of the Philippines, protested that the proclamation politicized the title of National artist, and made it "a way for President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to accommodate her allies." Specific protests were raised regarding the nomination of NCCA executive director Guidote-Alvarez, because it was purportedly a breach of protocol and
delicadeza (propriety), and of Carlo Caparas, because he was allegedly not qualified to be nominated under the categories of either Visual Arts or Film.
External links