PHILIPPINE CONTEMPORARY

AESTHETICS
By Alice G. Guillermo

any artists in the Some clarification also

Third World today has to be made with respect to
are faced with the the relation between form and
questions: What is content. The categories of form
aesthetics? What is and content are mere categories
contemporary aes- of convenience, for meaning is
thetics? These ques- derived from the particular form
tions become all the more crucial of a work, and each work of art
because of the colonial history of has a unique meaning particular
most Asian countries. And it is for to it because it has an original
this reason that people of Asia and and unique form and structure.
of the Third World seek answers The second involves two
drawn from their particular his- interrelated premises. On one
torical experience, conditions and hand, art is socially and histori-
needs. cally situated and is shaped by
Before considering these the material conditions of society.
questions based on a study of On the other hand, art has its
artistic productions and direc- specificity, its own language and
tions in recent years and, to vocabulary, which makes it a dis-
assume a larger view, from the tinct area of cognition and a
productions of a hundred years, it signifying practice.
is necessary to begin with a A third premise is that
number of premises. aesthetics itself, like art, is
The first has to do with socially and historically situated
the definition and meaning of and shaped by the social condi-
aesthetics. While often, aesthet- tions of a particular time and
ics is taken to mean only the place. This implies that aesthet-
formal, technical side of art, thus, ics is not universal nor true for all
in the visual arts, concerns of men and for all time, and neither
line, texture, composition, etc., we
would like to posit the definition
of aesthetics as the philosophy of
art. Hence, being a branch of phi-
losophy, it has to do with con-
A narrow silk sash (top) from Sulu cerns of content, as well as of
and a Manunggul jar (above). form, with the nature of art and
its place vis-a-vis society.
should there be a dominant aes- ding Western dominance in aes- World societies, this is fraught
thetics that imposes its standards thetics and culture on their with problems and difficulties.
on different cultures, but it differs societies and asserting their own For one thing, the long process of
from one place and time to an- aesthetic norms and standards our colonization by Western coun-
other, from one culture to an- proper to their societies. Develop- tries, Spain and the United
other. Thus, each society evolves ing an aesthetics proper to Phil- States, has generally resulted in
its own aesthetics from its histori- ippine society is also linked to an alienation from our indigenous
cal experience, social conditions the quest of national identity in mainsprings. Colonial attitudes
and needs, cultural and artistic the arts, the consciousness of of prejudice and the dominant
traditions, indigenous forms, as which arose after the granting of values of the ruling colonial mas-
well as acculturated influences. formal independence in the ters expressed in ideologies have
Historical experience is postwar era. been ingrained in the people
particularly significant in the de- There are a number of against their own interests and
velopment of Philippine aesthet- aspects to consider in the area of are difficult to erase. Only a
ics and that of many Third World contemporary aesthetics. First, process of reeducation from cen-
countries in Asia, Africa and it is necessary to study the role of turies of miseducation will heal
Latin America which underwent tradition in contemporary art, this alienation from our deepest
decades, even centuries of coloni- after which one surveys impor- sources. It is also a process in-
zation by European countries and tant contemporary trends and volving the long and painful
the United States. With inde- directions. internalization of our indigenous
pendence, the continuing process
of decolonization involves shed- The Role of Tradition

The process of rediscover-

ing and reexamining our cul-
tural traditions is necessary in
the development of contemporary
aesthetics. It is because it is our
cultural traditions which give a
distinct character to our culture "Aesthetics, like
and it is precisely this distinct
character which we would like to
art, is socially and
enhance. historically situ-
In the case of the Philip-
pines, and possibly of other Third ated."
and Asian cultural heritage. sisted colonization by isolating And therefore it is not enough to
There is the fact that our themselves from the subdued appreciate the products of our
cultural traditions continue to populations, as in the case of traditional and indigenous cul-
exist in the countryside, away the T'bolis and the Mangyans, ture and display them in muse-
from the centers of power. They or as in the case of Ifugaos by ums in recognition of their artis-
are found in the folk artistic ex- aggressively repulsing colonial tic value. For these are, first of
pressions of the lowland peasants encroachment. The Maranaws all, artistic productions of people,
in the rural areas, in their tex- and Tausogs, because of their of Filipinos, who have for centu-
tiles, pottery, basketry, as well as higher socio-political organiza- ries worked under conditions of
in their music and songs, their tion as Islamic groups, success- continuing colonial prejudice,
oral literature. They also exist in fully resisted Spanish efforts to conditions of neglect that have
the expression of what are called colonize them. perpetuated their poverty and
the cultural communities, cul- But culture is not an subsistence economy, and even
tural minorities or national mi- autonomous realm, divorced worse, conditions of exploitation,
norities which historically re- from the economic and political. and which have endangered their
ancestral lands, their livelihood been undertaken on the animist and vessels of different kinds, at
and expressions, their very lives. folk culture underlying our the same time that they show the
Because of this, all efforts of Christianity, which has some- innate artistic sense of design
retrieving our indigenous culture times been called "folk Christian- applied to objects of use, an
for our present edification would ity" because of its syncretic authentic unity of form and func-
remain on a purely superficial aspects. Moreover, the members tion. It is also their practical use
and formalistic level if no large of what are called the cultural that contributes to their commu-
and organized efforts are made to communities constitute a size- nal character. The finely wrought
help free the rural folk and the able part of our national popula- vessels of wood or bamboo with a
members of the many cultural tion. In view of our culture's multitude of shapes correspond-
communities from their present pluralist character, rather than ing to different uses and that
conditions. It is not enough to thinking in terms of homogeniz- answer communal needs imply
patronize, collect and encourage ing and assimilating the various shared occupations with their
fashions in indigenous art if one cultures into one, it is necessary own traditional lore. Originally,
does not take part in the move- to respect and appreciate these these material expressions of the
ment to obtain a better quality of diverse contributions to the large potter's or basket weaver's art cir-
life for them, with equal opportu- body of our national culture. For culated in a community to serve
nities in education and livelihood, the culture of a society is, after occupational purposes and were
with guarantees of respect for all, not one, but many, reflecting not considered as commodities to
their cultures and assurances for different, even conflicting, social be mass-produced and sold.
their personal security and the conditions and interests. What is Studies have been made
survival and welfare of their com- important is that those in posi- of the aesthetics of indigenous art
munities. Retrieving our indige- tions of authority not measure with the goal of coming up with a
nous traditions in art and culture these different cultures in terms summary of indigenous qualities.
is based on this premise of es- of the dominant culture with its Such qualities have often been
pousing the interests of these ingrained chauvinist attitudes identified as the predominance of
underprivileged classes, sectors and biases. curvilinear lines and shapes as in
and groups, and working towards Our traditional artistic the okir designs found in different
the human welfare of these Filipi- expressions derive from an variations and forms all over the
nos who have been able to pre- aesthetics different from that of country, the use of bright colors of
serve and continue these tradi- the West. To begin with, the high saturation in all kinds of
tions up to the present. traditional arts grew out of the combinations, and/or the horror
Along with these is the bosom of the pre-colonial baran- vacui sense of space in which the
necessary, although we hope not, ganic societies, highly communal entire space is covered with
belated, perception that Philip- in nature and based on kinship figures. And indeed, efforts have
pine culture is of a pluralist and ties. They continued as a domi- been made to give psychological
diverse character. There are the nated culture in the feudal explanations for these qualities.
cultures of the urban cosmopoli- system of large landed estates in But such a typography has its
tan and the rural folk, there are the Spanish colonial period. hazards because the Philippine
those arising from the different These arts are linked to religion traditional arts have a diversity
religions in the country, Christian and ritual, as well as to daily oc- that eludes facile conclusions.
and Islamic, there are the re- cupations. Linked to religion and While it is to be admitted that
gional cultures with their distinct ritual, they express world views, there is indeed a penchant for
world views and their particular the most ancient of these being curvilinear lines, this is true for
occupations and productions, animism in which the natural woodcarving and drawing or
such as those of the Cordillera world and the spirit world are in painting on flat surfaces, for the
groups of the North, the continuous interaction. Linked style, curvilinear and organic or
Mangyans of Mindoro and the to daily occupations, they give rectilinear and geometric is also
T'bolis of Cotabato. And while evidence of the simple technolo- relative to the medium used. In
indeed the majority of the popula- gies of rural life and answer the all forms of weaving, whether tex-
tion is Christian, studies have continual need for implements tile, mat or most of basket weav-
"Our
traditional
artistic
expressions
derive from
an aesthe-
tics differ-
ent from
that of the
West."

ing, rectilinear and geometric festival in which the entire one, even in the interest of na-
forms necessarily predominate facades of houses are covered tional identity in art, one cannot
because the weaving technique with kiping, thin and leaf-shaped envision the homogenization of
for the different materials in- rice flour wafers in bright color contemporary Philippine art as a
volves working with right angles. glazes, along with sheaves of desirable nor feasible goal. Stylis-
There is, likewise, a clear pen- grain and first fruits of the season tic homogeneity would only lead
chant for bright colors, but then side by side with folk art such as to boredom and stagnation. There
again, this is true primarily of fine buntal hats, slippers and would be some outstanding
the art of the lowland folk and it even papier mache figures. works, to be sure, but the rest
is relative to the available of Given these, artists have would be tired and uninspired
dyes. Commercial dyes in bright tried to paint using these quali- productions.
colors are accessible to the ties of indigenous art as they saw Another problem is that
lowland folk, but people who are in these the key to achieving na- working within the perceived
more isolated produce their own tional identity in art. Some may qualities of indigenous aesthetics
dyes from plant and mineral have indeed been successful, as would limit the expressive and
sources and thus have a different Carlos Francisco was who used semiotic potential of the artist as
chromatic code. The remarkable these qualities in the develop- he would be invariably choosing
T'boli weave made of abaca fiber ment of a modern idiom in the curvilinear lines and forms,
is in dark colors and Ifugao blan- '50s. A number of younger artists bright colors and a composi-
kets play on sharp contrasts of have followed suit. There is, tional space entirely covered with
black and red. It is the indeed, a point here in develop- figures. It seems that it would
decorative penchant which covers entire ing a style which grows out of also be a project difficult to sus-
surfaces with figures and motifs indigenous aesthetics and has a tain. Different kinds of lines,
which all productions seem to familiar appeal to the folk and colors and compositions have
share. An important example of larger population. Yet, this their own semiotic potential: the
this is the San Isidro Maytime direction has its limitations. For meaning of bright colors, for
example, is different from that of achieving national identity in
dark hues; curvilinear lines contemporary expression. But a "A significant
convey a different set of mean-
ings from those conveyed by
study of their works shows that
each of them was stylistically
aspect of tradi-
rectilinear lines. Curvilinear distinctive in the modern sense, tional art is the
lines convey grace, suppleness, in fact, they were highly innova-
sweetness and harmonious tive painters. It thus would seem symbolic, as it is
interplay; rectilinear lines convey that the quest for national
discipline, order, formality, on identity in art does not lie in rich in symbols
the whole. Compositions covering
the entire visual field convey a
style, nor even in form alone, but
in other areas which we shall
conveying social
sense of abundance of bountiful explore. and cultural
harvests and celebration, a love Indeed, indigenous artis-
of ornament, of flourishing life. tic traditions grew out of an values."
What would happen is that the earlier social context of primitive
artist would confine himself to communalism developing into
certain sets of meanings but feudal relations. In view of this,
would lack the resources to con- there are two ways of looking at
vey a larger range of meanings, the traditional arts. Some view
intellectual and emotional. This them as artifacts and relics of the
also means that the artist will be past which have managed to sur-
unable to cover the large and vive up to the present as beauti-
highly varied and nuanced field ful anachronisms, residues which
of contemporary experiences but will be effaced in the course of
will be confined to what these time. Others view them as
indigenous artistic qualities can constituting the body of the
convey. national-popular culture and the
In the case of the Philip- deepest level of expression under-
pines, a discussion of indigenous lying our art in the country today.
aesthetics lays a heavy emphasis The first view may have
on the qualities of these elements been detrimental to the indige-
in the traditional arts because nous arts because one views them speak of preserving these arts
the Philippines, unlike other with regret and helplessness, when one does not look into the
Asian countries, does not have an thinking that as relics of the past real conditions in which they are
indigenous figurative style. In they are inevitably doomed to produced. For if they have shown
China and India, for instance, extinction and therefore no effort an alarming decline in the past
their distinct figurative style no matter how great can be decades it is because of an in-
plays a large part in the artistic effective enough to prevent this creasingly aggressive encroach-
identity of their countries. But it from happening. It is the latter ment of exploiters into the rural
seems that the arts of these view which I consider the more communities: big logging compa-
countries may suffer a greater valid. For how would one explain nies which denude their ancestral
tension between tradition and the continued survival of much of lands, mining speculators, armed
modernism because tradition can the traditional arts, folk and groups protecting their interests.
be constricting when dealing ethnic, such as the textile tradi- The traditional arts
with the large area of contempo- tions, the oral traditions of chant constitute the body of national-
rary consciousness and experi- and epic narrative, the folk song- popular culture kept alive by the
ence. patterns. No doubt, the task of lowland peasants in the rural ar-
In this respect, it is often preserving and retrieving these is eas and the cultural communities
the Mexican artists, particularly a formidable challenge which in less accessible areas, the
Siquieros, Orozco and Rivera must be met. And then, as has unHispanized or unChristianized
who are pointed out as models in been said earlier, it is artificial to Filipinos, such as the Maranaws
and Tausogs who have defended gies of our present day and also bamboo, coconut bark, treated
Islam religion against Christian necessarily show the effect of shells, abaca and burlap in
colonization, and the many these encounters which may collage or combined with painting
animist groups, such as the change or modify the original and drawing. These indigenous
Cordillera groups, 'Molls, the world views of which the symbols materials and mediums have
Tagbanuas, and the Mangyans, are a part. These indigenous arts their own significations different
all over the archipelago. For imply values and have an axiol- from those of the West. Often or-
them, in fact, these are living ogical aspect; because of this, ganic, they convey the forms,
traditions; that must be kept competing social groups may textures and odors of the tropical
alive. And as living traditions, want to articulate this body of na- environment and renew the links
they are not static, but possess a tional-popular culture into their between art and nature. They
dynamism that adapts to discourse. The Marcos years, for communicate a sense of the place,
historical change and permits instance, made use of the tradi- climate and material conditions
their transformation in the tions to make appeals for unity in from which they were produced
historical process. the name of the cultural heritage. and thereby remove the sense of
It is, in fact, this process On the other hand, the national- mystification and alienation from
of transformation with which popular culture must be recog- art in the ordinary viewer that
contemporary artists are most nized as indeed belonging to the arises from the consistent use of
concerned in the interest of revi- people and not be exploited to highly specialized and expensive
talizing the indigenous traditions further the selfish interests of therefore elite materials, like oil
into the context of contemporary elites. on canvas. Another result of this
life and art. And for urban exploration into alternative mate-
artists, painters and sculptors rials is the encouragement of
this is not an easy matter. For Alternative Materials more artists from the grassroots,
there is the need to recognize because art-making becomes an
their original contexts in their accessible and democratic activ-
communities and at the same There are other concerns ity. Of course, a good number of
time draw them into the body of particular to Philippine and artists have continued working in
our living national culture to Asian contemporary art. One has oil, and that is their choice,
which different groups contribute. to do with medium and materials. although the exclusive use of
In this process of transformation, In recent years, urban artists academic oils and watercolors
they assume both a local and a have realized the need to move while rejecting efforts to discover
national character. There is away from dependence on im- and explore alternative art mate-
always needed a respect for their ported Western art materials, rials, will eventually smack of
social and cultural significations, such as oils for paintings on can- conservatism in this time of
for their dimensions of meaning vas. But this has not been easy, mixed media and collages and as-
and value. Because of this, they because it is precisely this de- semblages of all sorts of materi-
cannot be reduced to mere decora- pendence on materials produced als. But oil painting, however, is
tive objects and design motifs and by giant Western industrial cor- not a form to be simply discarded
appropriated without under- porations that has crippled local as Western and colonial in the
standing into contemporary art initiatives to produce them. A interest of developing a national
forms. solution has been the trend in the art. One prefers to think that
A significant aspect of use of traditional and indigenous easel painting, which was intro-
traditional art is the symbolic, as materials' which are readily acces- duced by the Spaniards in the
it is rich in symbols conveying sible because found in the envi- late 18th century and which de-
social and cultural values. These ronment. This has challenged veloped considerably in the 19th,
symbols form part of world views native ingenuity in the discovery has been in the course of time,
and ideologies. But their original and use of materials hitherto with artistic practice and experi-
world views and ideologies neces- ignored and disregarded for artis- ence, appropriated into the
sarily encounter and interact tic purposes. Thus, there has national culture to serve the
with the world views and ideolo- been the use of sawali panels, interests of Filipino artists.
 ticular natural and social envi-
Subject, Content ronment which will thus appear,
and Meaning whether he will it or not, in his
work, or that the artist as Fili-
Resuming the issue of pino will intuitively express his
national identity, it is not so national identity in his works,
much in style that the solution figurative or abstract. This is not
lies, for style will always be of entirely untrue. However, this
personal domain, a reflection and view disregards the role of inten-
expression of individual psycho- tionality. On one hand, some
logical temperament and sensibil- artists may deliberately cultivate
ity. Yet, before one can proceed, a cosmopolitan style which
the question nevertheless arises addresses a foreign First World
as to why the development of na- public and which seeks to insert
tional identity in art is of consid- itself into Western art which the
erable importance. It is of impor- artist perceives to be the "main-
tance especially to countries of stream" to which Philippine art
the Third World like the Philip- must work towards and link with.
pines with a colonial past. The In this case, Philippine
development of a national iden- art becomes a mere appendix or
tity in art is, in fact, a cultural ex- addendum in the history of
pression of the economic and po- American or Western art, if it be
litical struggle of the people considered at all. This concept of
versus the power bloc of the art can only lead to the formation
transnationals and their local of surrogate cultural structures in
agents. While rejecting super- a country patterned after those of
power domination in the eco- a dominant power pursuing its
nomic, political and cultural own distinct economic and politi-
fields, the people are also engaged cal interests and regarding such
in the positive effort of building
and affirming their own culture,
societies as "penetrated" societies
in which its interests are assured
"Art cannot set
because, as we all know, culture because of a congenial cultural itself apart from
is an expression of a people's superstructure that it has care-
spirit, of its legitimate desires fully built through the years. At human and social
and aspirations. In fact, the its worst, the young Filipino
active quest for national identity artist risks losing his originality meaning."
prevents the subjugation of a in producing what can be termed
people's consciousness by outside "catalogue art" from the latest
interests inimical to theirs and American or European produc-
preclude the invisible tragedy of a tions in Artnews or Artforum, a
people's cultural alienation from situation which undoubtedly
their spiritual mainsprings. It is serves foreign interests without
also part of the campaign and their even having to acknowledge
movement for national sover- the existence and merit of local
eignty and independence that are productions in their aesthetic
the marks of a truly modern soci- terms. On the other hand, in the
ety in this part of the world. artists' active quest for national
There is, of course, the identity art becomes a political
view that national identity in art choice in which his art assumes a
will surface naturally because the vital role in historical develop-
Filipino artist works in his par- ment.
 society in all its concerns and
The aspirations towards achieving full
kiping: a humanity in a free, just and truly
folk artistic human order. And here we go
expression. back to one of the first premises,
which is that art, while it enjoys
relative autonomy by virtue of its
distinct vocabulary and language,
its aesthetic concerns, yet since
art itself is produced under spe-
cific human circumstances and
conditions, and since these values
that art conveys are themselves
related, in the last instance, to
interests of groups, sectors and
classes, art as an area of cogni-
tion and a signifying practice is
situated within social and histori-
cal coordinates.
Finally, this leads us to
the matter of form and content
which are traditionally taken to
constitute a work of art. Now,
these are not ingredients that
produce a work of art; they are, in
fact, categories that we have
borne with for the convenience of
art classes. While the subject
matter of a work of art may be
Subject matter, content will be seen in the context of their familiar, even common, its unique
and meaning have to do with this times, in its issues and ideologies. meaning derives from the original
quest. The artist may reflect the Art derives its vitality use of the elements, materials
natural and social environment in from the social life from which it and resources of art. So that it
his work, but it is not enough to springs, and like other cognitive would be possible to say that
be illustrative, for the work of art fields and areas of human signifi- there are interacting and inter-
must possess the dimension of a cation, it engages with the issues penetrating levels in a visual
vision of man and society that of its time. Because art bears an work, be it a print, painting,
goes beyond the empirical and axiological, value-producing and collage, sculpture or whatever
which is the mark of the best value-conveying aspect, it cannot visual form: the semiotic plane,
realist art. In abstract art, the set itself apart from human and the mimetic plane and the
motifs and design of indigenous social meaning. It is, in fact, a thematic plane. Studying the
art are a rich source of content, distinct, if not highly valuable, semiotic plane of art requires
for abstract art also conveys form of human expression, com- developing a high degree of
values, cultural and social. It bining as it does thought and sensitivity to the use of the ele-
may foreground the qualities, ele- feeling, the intellect, the emotions ments, the medium, the format,
ments and values of indigenous and the imagination in expres- and in general, the physical
art. And in general, the qualities sive, aesthetic form. It is pro- aspect of the work as a visual
that it conveys, such as dyna- duced by the total human being text. This is because the ele-
mism, spontaneity or serenity, and therefore must be of impor- ments have a semiotic potential
among many others, will not only tance to the total human person or meaning-conveying potential
have a purely personal import but as individual and as member of which arises from man's psy-
 less copying in schools and stu-
dios, since these convey an ideal-
ist platonic world view of un-
changing essences that find little
place in our present fast-changing
world. This flight from ac-
ademism has brought artists to
explore precolonial figurative
styles, medieval or folk ways of
representing the figure or develop
a heightened realism as an alter-
native to the classical undertones
of dominant art. In fact, the tra-
ditional figurative styles of the
different Asian countries, the
chophysical experiences and from
social conventions, and significa-
"Asian artists face wayang figures of Indonesia,
tions arise when these semiotic the challenge of Thailand and Malaysia have
recently been a rich source of
elements of line, value, color,
texture, form and shape, composi- creating contem- inspiration to artists of the region
tion in space, as well as the who create in their work exciting
character of the medium and for- porary aesthetics interactive situations between
mat interrelate with each other, traditional forms and conventions
confirm, verify each other, point
proper to their of the figure with contemporary
out contradictions with each countries' idioms.
The third, the thematic
other, or bring out nuances or
refinements of meaning in the struggles." plane, resituates the work with
visual text. its themes, references and allu-
Likewise, techniques do sions, direct or indirect, espousals
not exist in themselves and for often highly mediated, to contem-
their own sake but because they porary events and people and the
create effects that convey certain values and attitudes it conveys
meanings. The very physical through artistic form with respect
character of the medium, be it The second, the mimetic to these, in its particular time
paper, cloth, canvass, wood of plane, which holds for figurative and place. It is in the interaction
whatever kind, contributes to its art, deals with the manner of of these three planes or levels
own significations. Handmade presentation of the image itself, that one draws out the full mean-
paper with its deckle edge, for and includes such matters as ing of the work.
instance, conveys the personal figurative style, symbols and Asian artists face the
touch that has a direct appeal symbolic systems used, relation- challenge of creating contempo-
that manufactured paper does not ship of image to the viewer. The rary aesthetics proper to their
have, at the same time that its figurative style in which human countries with their histories and
organic quality, derived as it is figures are represented, for in- struggles, an aesthetics that will
from the trees and plants of the stance, is not a mere matter of fuse the post-colonial quest for
local environment, evokes the convention or style, for it reflects national identity with the wide
fields and forests of its source. In and conveys a world view, vision range of contemporary resources
wood sculpture, the way that the of the world, or ideology. And and materials for an art that will
sculptor makes use of the natural this area has been a continual be truly national and of the
texture of the wood, its grains challenge to artists who have to people.
and marks of time and weather get away from the grip of the aca-
again enhances the meanings of demic conventions of the classical
sculptural form. figure, transmitted through end-