CONTEMPORARY PHILIPPINE ARTS FROM THE REGIONS  One of the most famous works from ancient

Mesopotamia is the Code of Hammurabi, which was

01: ART & CONTEMPORARY ART created around
Introduction, Definitions, and Concepts
Medieval Art (A.D. 500 - A.D. 1400)

Whether art represents something beautiful  Often referred to as the "Dark Ages," the Middle Ages
WHAT IS ART? or meaningful, pr is the arrangement of lines, marked a period of economic and cultural
colors, shaps and other aesthetic elements, for deterioration following the fall of the Roman Empire in
as long as the completed work is a product of 476 A.D. Most of the artwork in the early years of this
(1) Art is “ar” in
expressing ambitions, emotions, experiences,
Aryan, which period reflects that darkness, characterized by
or thoughts, it is considered art.
means, “to join or grotesque imagery and brutal scenery. Over time,
put together”; artwork was centered on more sophisticated and
(2) It is “artizein” in Greek, meaning “to separate”; elaborately decorated churches with windows and
(3) “It is “ars” or “artis” in Latin, which means ability or skill”; silhouettes adorned with biblical subjects and scenes
(4) “Arts is the use of skill and imagination in the creation of from classical mythology.
aesthtic objects, envirenments, or experiences that can be  Examples include the catacombs in Rome, Hagia
shared with others (Britannica Online, 2017); Sophia in Istanbul, the Lindisfarne Gospels, one of the
(5) “Arts is the human ability to make things of beauty and best-known examples of the illuminated manuscript,
things that stir us” (Atkins & Synder, 2017); and Notre Dame, a parisian cathedral and prominent
(6) “It is the result of man’s manipulation of talents and example of gothic architecture.
materials” (Thesaurus, 2001);
(7) “Art is a diverse range of human activities in creating visual, Renaissance Art (1400-1600)
auditory, or performing artifacts, expressing the author’s
imaginative, conceptual ideas, or technical skill, intended to be  This period was characterized by natural elements,
appreciated for their beauty or emotional power (Oxford, and individualism and realism. Artwork produced had
Merriam Webster dictionaries). attention-to-detail and precision of the human
anatomy. The Renaissance flourished in Florence,
CONTEMPORARY ART Italy primarily due to the Medici, a wealthy merchant
family who adamantly supported the arts and
Contemporary art is the art of the modem-day. It is the art of humanism, a variety of beliefs and philosophies that
"now" since the artworks are produced in the present time. Let places emphasis on the human realm. Italian designer
us have a quick look at the timeline below to see the evolution Filippo Brunelleschi and sculptor Donatello were key
of contemporary art, objects, animals and rituals that proved innovators during this period.
the existence of this civilization. One of the most famous  Influential artists such as da Vinci, Michelangelo and
examples is the Lascaux cave paintings during the Paleolithic Raphael, who brought creative power and led the
era found in the complex caves in France. Though discovered ideals of emotional expression. Artists during this time
in 1940, experts claim that they are about 20,000 years old used linear perspective and created depth through
now and depict large animals and vegetation from the area. intense lighting and shading. Art began to change
stylistically shortly after the High Renaissance, when
Prehistoric Art (40,000-4.000 B.C.) clashes between the Christian faith and humanism
gave way to the next period.
 The origins of art history can be traced back to the
Prehistoric era, before the advent of written language. Mannerism (1527- 1580)
The earliest artifacts come from the Paleolithic era, or
the Old Stone Age, in the form of rock carvings,  Inspired by the ideals of Michelangelo, Raphael, and
engravings, pictorial imagery, sculptures, and stone other late Renaissance artists, mannerists emerged
but their focus on style and technique overshadowed
Ancient Art (4,000 B.C. -A.D. 400) the meaning of the subject matter. Figures had
stylized features and exaggerated details instead of
 Ancient art was produced by advanced civilizations using the classical ideals of harmonious composition
from Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, and the Americas and linear perspective used by their predecessors.
during the time when written language has been  Some of the most celebrated Mannerist artists include
established. The medium of a work of art from this Giorgio Vasari, Francesco Salviati, Domenico
period varies depending on the civilization that Beccafumi, and Bronzino, who is widely considered to
produced it — mostly served similar purposes that be the most important Mannerist painter in Florence
include telling stories, decorating utilitarian objects like during his time.
bowls and weapons, displaying religious and symbolic
imagery, and demonstrating social status. Many
works depict stories of rulers, gods, and goddesses.
 Baroque (1600-1750) Realism (1848 - 1900)

 The Baroque period is characterized by ornate, over-  Believed to be the first modern art movement, this
the-top visual arts and architecture. Artwork depicted period was a result of the anti-Romantic movement in
grandeur and richness, which described artists as Germany, the dse of journalism, and the advent of
stylistically complex. Baroque paintings were dramatic photography, which in turn encouraged new interest in
as seen in the iconic works of Italian painter capturing activities of everyday life in a more precise
Caravaggio and Dutch painter Rembrant. Painters manner. Hence, artwork featured detailed, lifelike
used an intense contrast between light and dark and depictions of the subject matter.
had energetic compositions matched by rich color  Gustave Courbet is known as one of the most
palettes. influential leaders of the Realist movement. He is a
French artist committed to painting only what he could
Rococo (1699-1780) physically see.

 Rococo is characterized by lightness and elegance, Impressionism (1865 - 1885)

focusing on the use of natural forms, asymmetrical
design, and subtle colors. Painter like Antoine  Impressionist painters focused on encapsulating the
Watteua and Francois Boucher used lighthearted impression of an exact moment. They used short,
treatments, rich brushworks, and fresh colors. The quick brushstrokes and an unfinished sketch-like feel
Rococo style also easily translated to silver, porcelain, in their artwork with modern life as their subject.
and French furniture. Many chairs and armoires Impressionists prefer painting situations like dance
featured curving forms, floral designs, and an halls and sailboat regattas rather than historical and
expressive use of gil mythological events. Claude Monet is one of the
leading contributors of this period and among his
Neoclassicism (1750 -1850) notable works include Impression, Sunrise (1872),
from which the name of the movement was derived
 The Neoclassical period obtained the elements of from.
classical antiquity where artists tried to recreate the
great works of ancient art taken from archaeological Post-Impressionism (1885 -1910)
ruins of ancient civilizations in Athens and Naples.
This paved the way for a renewed interest on  Post - Impressionist painters concentrated on
harmony, simplicity and proportion that were present subjective visions and symbolic, personal meanings
in classical art, mixed with modernity. Neoclassical rather than observations of the outside world in the
artists include Italian sculptor Antonio Canova who form of abstraction. Influential artists of this period
used the classical elements in his marble sculptures, include Georges Seurat who is known for his
but shunned the cold artificiality found in its early pointillism technique that used small, distinct dots to
creations. form an image and Vincent van Gogh who used
rugged brushstrokes and dark tones in his art in
Romanticism (1780-1850) search for personal expression.

 The individual and imagination are emphasized with Art Nouveau (1890 —1910)
an appreciation for nature that brought artists out of
dark interiors and enabled them to paint outside.  Translated as "New Art," this period tried to create a
Artwork showed passion, emotion, and sensation over totally genuine movement free from any imitation of
intellect and reason. Renowned Romantic painters styles that came before it. Influenced by applied arts,
include Henry Fuseli for his strange macabre graphics, and illustration, it focused on the natural
paintings that depicted the dark recesses of human world, characterized by long, sinuous lines and
silver, psychology. curves. Significant Art Nouveau artists worked in a
 From painting to music to literature, Romantic artists variety of media, including architecture, graphic and
reject order, harmony, and rationality, which were interior design, jewelry-making, and painting.
embraced in both Classical Art and Neoclassicism.  Graphic designer Alphonse Mucha is well-known for
The individual and imagination are emphasized with his theatrical posters of french actress Sarah
an appreciation for nature that brought artists out of Bernhardt while Spanish arichitect and sculptor
dark interiors and enabled them to paint outside. Antoni Gaudhi wend beyond focusing on lines to
 Artwork showed passion, emotion, and sensation over create curving, brightly-colored constructions like that
intellect and reason. Renowned Romantic painters of the Basilica de la Segrada Familia in Barcelona.
include Henry Fuseli for his strange macabre
paintings that depicted the dark recesses of human
silver, psychology, and William Blake, whose
mysterious poems and images conveyed mystical
visions and his disappointment in
 canvases are directly placed upon the floor. Abstract
Fauvism ( 1900 -1935)
Expressionist painters include Jackson Pollock
 This period was built upon the artwork of Vincent Van known for his unique style of drip painting and Mark
Gogh and George Seurat, which emphasized the Rothko, whose orange and yellow painting above
expressive use of intense color, line and brushwork, employed large blocks of color to convey a sense of
spirituality.
a bold sense of surface design and flat composition.
Henri Matisse led Fauvism and his works were  Abstract Expressionism, minimalist artists invite the

accentuated by painterly qualities and strong color viewers to focus on what exactly the art portrays

rather than the representational or realistic values of rather than draw interpretations that are beyond

Impressionism. This period is an important precursor one's emotions and reality.

of Expressionism and Cubism.

Op Art (1950s -1960s)
 Expressionism (1905 — 1920) Due to the growing
conflict in world views and loss of spirituality, this  Short for "optical" art, this period was greatly
period sought to display anxieties and raw emotions influenced by developments in science and
technology as well as an interest in optical effects
through the artists' works that show distortion of form
and illusions. The main idea during this period is for
and strong colors. The origins of Expressionism can artists to use shapes, colors, and patterns to create
be traced to Vincent van Gogh, Edvard Munch, and images or patterns that appear to be moving or
James Ensor. Aside from them, prominent groups blurring, most of the time produced in black and white
for maximum contrast, which are meant to both
like Die Brucke (The Bridge) and Der Blaue Reiter
confuse and excite the eye.
(The Blue Rider) were formed to allow artists to
publish their works and express their ideals Pop Art (1950s -1960s)

collectively.  This period used everyday objects to create

innovative works of art that feature bold and vivid
Cubism (1907 — 1914) colors, and challenged consumerism and mass
media. Pop art like Andy Warhol's Campbell's Soup
 Led by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, Cubism
Cans is perhaps the most famous pop culture work of
discarded the idea that art should imitate nature. art which paved the way for the idea that art can be
Instead, they moved away from customary drawn from any source. Clearly, the launching of this
techniques and perspectives, creating radically period is a shift towards modernism.
fragmented objects through abstraction. Artwork
Arte Povera (1960s)
during this period is characterized by flat, two-
 Literally translated as "poor art," Arte Povera started
dimensional surfaces, geometric forms or cubes of
introducing commonplace materials into artworks to
objects and contrasting vantage points.
challenge the modernist, contemporary systems.
Surrealism (1916 -1950) Many of the notable works during this period are
sculptural in nature wherein soil, rocks, paper, rope,
 Artwork in this period defied reason, denouncing
and other natural elements were used to evoke a
rational mindset. It was believed that surrealists
attribute this kind of thinking to events like World War pre-industrial sentiment. Mario Merz's anti-elitist work
I, which made people repress their imaginative called "Giap's Igloo': made from materials from
thoughts. Surrealist artists like Salvador Dali sought everyday life, focused on the necessities of life:
to tap into the unconscious mind to portray
shelter, warmth, and food.
revelations found on the street and in everyday life.
Dali's paintings depict historical accuracy paired with
vivid and bizarre dreams. Minimalism (1950s- 1960s)
 Founded by younger artists in New York who probed
the overly expressive works of Abstract
Abstract Expressionism (1940s - 1950s) Expressionism, minimalist artists invite the viewers to
focus on what exactly the art portrays rather than
 This period preferred to do away with traditional
techniques and instead used spontaneity and draw interpretations that are beyond one's emotions
improvisation to create abstract artwork whose size and reality.
could no longer be placed on an easel but instead,
Conceptual Art (1960s -1970s)
 This period is focused on ideas and concepts,
therefore, there is no distinct style or form.
Conceptual art completely rejected the previous
periods of art where artists valued ideas over visual
components. Artworks are in the form of
performances, ephemera (any transitory written or
printed matters that are not meant to be retained or
preserved), and other forms. Joseph Kosuth delved
into the production and role of language within art, as
evident in his "One and Three Chairs", which
featured one chair in three different ways to convey
different meanings of the same object.

Contemporary Art (1970s — present)

 This period is marked by the exploration of
Postmodernism, Feminist Art, Neo-Expressionism,
Street Art, Appropriation Art, Digital Art and other
small movements. Jeff Koons is the leading
contributor of this period whose famous work is
Michael Jackson and Bubbles in 1988.

Since contemporary art is the center of this subject, it is

important to discuss its characteristics in greater detail starting
with the various smaller movements that influenced it. First,
contemporary art is inspired by Postmodernism, where
artworks reflected skepticism, irony and philosophical critiques,
in response against modernism. Of course, there was the
attempt to transform stereotypes and break the typical male
dominated art history, which prompted the Feminist Art. Neo
Expressionism opened the opportunity to revive the original
aspects of Abstract expressionism in order to create highly
textual, expressive and large works. Graffiti-like art on
surfaces in public places such as sidewalks, buildings, and
overpasses also shaped contemporary art. Also known as
Street art, contemporary artwork also tries to convey a
message related to political ideas, social commentary or
confrontation.