10 FAMOUS FILIPINO ARTISTS

1. Pacita Abad
Her early paintings were primarily figurative socio-political works of people and primitive masks. Another
series was large scale paintings of underwater scenes, tropical flowers and animal wildlife. Pacita's most
extensive body of work, however, is her vibrant, colorful abstract work - many very large scale canvases, but
also a number of small collages - on a range of materials from canvas and paper to bark cloth, metal, ceramics
and glass. Abad created over 4,000 artworks. She painted a 55-meter long Alkaff Bridge in Singapore and
covered it with 2,350 multicolored circles.
2. Martino Abellana
Martino Abellana (19141988), known as "Noy Tinong", was a renowned Cebuano painter from Carcar.
Dubbed "The Dean of Cebuano Painters", he was born to an artistic family. His main influence was his father,
who was a school principal and a sculptor. Martino, along with his four brothers, including renowned sculptor
and composer Dr. Ramon Abellana, were exposed to art early, and they helped their father with his sculptures.
3. Federico Aguilar Alcuaz
Federico Aguilar Alcuaz (June 6, 1932 February 2, 2011) was an award winning Filipino painter who
exhibited extensively Internationally and whose work earned him recognition both in the Philippines and
abroad.
Alcuaz was conferred the title of National Artist for Visual Arts, Painting, Sculpture and Mixed Media in 2009.
However, four nominees for the award other than Alcuaz became embroiled in the 2009 National Artist of the
Philippines Controversy, which led the Supreme Court of the Philippines to temporarily issue a status quo order
on August 25, 2009, blocking the conferment of the awards on all seven nominees - despite the fact that no
objections were ever raised regarding the conferment of the award to Alcuaz and two other nominees.
4. Fernando Amorsolo
Amorsolo also painted a series of historical paintings on pre-Colonial and Spanish Colonization events.
Amorsolo's Making of the Philippine Flag, in particular, was widely reproduced.His The First Baptism in the
Philippines required numerous detailed sketches and colored studies of its elements. These diverse elements
were meticulously and carefully set by the artist before being transferred to the final canvas. For his pre-colonial
and 16th-century depiction of the Philippines, Amorsolo referred to the written accounts of Antonio Pigafetta,
other available reading materials, and visual sources He consulted with the Philippine scholars of the time, H.
Pardo de Tavera and Epifanio de los Santos.
5. Pablo Amorsolo
Pablo Amorsolo was born in Daet, Camarines Norte to husband and wife Pedro Amorsolo, as a book keeper and
Bonifacia Cueto. When he was still eight years old, his family moved to Manila.
During World War II, Amorsolo was captured by Filipino troops.
He was sentenced and executed by firing squad in the hands of guerillas. He died in this manner at the Antipolo,
Rizal in 1945.
Works
Ferdinand Magellan and Natives
Piro, oil on canvas, 183 x 138 mm, 1930
The Discovery of the Philippines, 1945

6. Isidro Ancheta
Isidro Ancheta (October 15, 1882 1946) was a Filipino landscape painter. He finished his Elementary,
Secondary and Bachelor of Arts Degree (1904) at the Ateneo de Manila. He also studied at the Liceo de Manila,
Escuela de Pintura, Escultura y Grabado and the Academia de Dibujo y Pintura run by Teodoro Buenaventura in
the early 1900s. He was represented with 8 paintings in the Philippine Section at the St. Louis Exposition of
1904, where his painting titled A Victim of War received an Honorable Mention. He taught at the Philippine
Normal School from 1918 to 1926. Before World War II, his landscapes were found in classrooms all over the
Philippines. In 1941 his Tienda del Barrio won Second Honorable Mention in the Filipiniana Category at the
National Art Competition sponsored by the University of Santo Tomas.
7. Marcel Antonio
Antonio's inspiration often derives from various contemporary "mythologies", with the artist articulately
stressing that his concept of mythology goes beyond the common Greek and Roman notion. He states: "Myth
can be anything, just like what Joseph Campbell enunciated in The Power of Myth, where he discussed
comparative mythology and the continuing role of myth in human society."
8. Elito Circa
In 1992 Amangpintor continue to paint "Lukso ng Dugo" (Filipino term) he uses his blood as medium for some
of his painting and incorporates his hair in capturing on the canvass images of human persons or natures view,
one who possesses the characteristics of truth in himself and he who refrains from colonialism in thoughts and
materials. Combined with the philosophy of the painter who molded his thoughts and well-being, he is able to
build self-confidence and self-esteem since his childhood.
First Filipino artist uses own blood as paint and hairs as brushes and mix it with paint to have an effect on
canvas. He believed in reincarnation, which he will be reborn and recognize his paintings. But even if blood is
not used in painting his subject, he always signs his name in his work of art with his own blood. The
significance of his works connects arts and sciences principles through DNA (the Hair and Blood) as
authenticity and also his unique spiritual beliefs especially in God.
9. Don Fabin Cueto de la Rosa
Don Fabin Cueto de la Rosa (May 5, 1869 December 14, 1937) was a Filipino painter. He was an uncle and
mentor to the Philippines' national artist in painting, Fernando Amorsolo, and to his brother Pablo. He is
regarded as a "master of genre" in Philippine art.
Women Working in a Rice Field, 1902
Transplanting Rice, 1904
The Death of General Lawton, 1904
Un recuerdo de la Villa Borghese (A Remembrance of the Villa Borghese), 1909
Planting Rice, 109.2 x 190.6 cm, oil on canvas, 1921, Malacaang Palace Collection
Los Baos, watercolor, 56.2 x 66.4 cm, 1922, UP Vargas Museum
La pintora (Woman Painter)
La bordadora (The Embroiderer)
10. Botong Francisco
His great works include Blood Compact, First Mass at Limasawa, The Martyrdom of Rizal, Bayanihan,
Magpupukot, Fiesta, Bayanihan sa Bukid, Sandugo, Portrait of Purita, The Invasion of Limahong, Serenade,
and Muslim Betrothal. Some of his murals have suffered damage over the years. The "Pageant of Commerce"
emerged from several years of restoration in 2000. His murals in the lobby of the Philippine General Hospital
were restored for the 3rd time in 2007.

10 FAMOUS FILIPINO ARTISTS

1. Paco Gorospe
Francisco "Paco" Gorospe (July 10, 1939 September 22, 2002) was a Filipino painter, called the "Picasso of
the Philippines".
He joined a local group of artists in Ermita, Manila and sold his paintings locally, gradually gaining recognition.
Paco started with crayons, later using water colours but finally shifted to oil paintings.
Gorospe's first major exhibition took place in 1962 at the Washington State Fair. US sales increased and in 1964
his works were chosen to represent the Philippines at the 1964 New York World's Fair
2. Flix Resurreccin Hidalgo
Hidalgo was born in Binondo, Manila on February 21, 1855. He was the third of seven children of Eduardo
Resurreccin Hidalgo and Maria Barbara Padilla.
Laguna Estigia
Las Virgenes Cristianas Expuestas Al Populacho
La Barca de Aqueronte
A lady in the Moonlight, undated, oil on canvas, private collection
3. Jos T. Joya
Jos T. Joya (19311995) was a Filipino abstract artist and a National Artist of the Philippines awardee.
Joya was a printmaker, mixed media artist, and a former dean of the University of the Philippines' College of
Fine Arts. He pioneered abstract expressionism in the Philippines. His canvases were characterized by "dynamic
spontaneity" and "quick gestures" of action painting. He is the creator of compositions that were described as
"vigorous compositions" of heavy impastoes, bold brushstrokes, controlled dips, and diagonal swipes".Joya
added the brilliant tropical colors. He was awarded a Fulbright-Smile-Mundt grant which enabled him to pursue
a master's degree in Fine Arts in 1956-57
4. Ang Kiukok
He first attained prominence in the Philippine arts scene in the 1960s with a distinct style that fused influences
from cubism, surrealism and expressionism. Some classified his style as "figurative expressionism", others
merely called it ugly. What could not be doubted was the violence in his imagery, a factor that slighted the
commercial viability of his works until the 1980s. He favored such subjects as fighting cocks, rabid dogs, and
people enraptured by rage or bound in chains. He painted multiple depictions of the crucified Christ that did not
shirk from portraying the agonies normally associated with the crucifixion. When asked why he was so angry,
he replied, "Why not? Open your eyes. Look around you. So much anger, sorrow, ugliness. And also madness."
The intensity of his works stood in contrast to his own personality, described as "placid and affable".
5. Cesar Torrente Legaspi
Cesar Torrente Legaspi (April 2, 1917 April 7, 1994) is a Filipino National Artist in painting. He was also an
art director prior to going full-time in his visual art practice in the 1960s. His early (1940s-1960s) works,
alongside those of peer, Hernando Ocampo are described as depictions of anguish and dehumanization of
beggars and laborers in the city. These include Man and Woman (alternatively known as Beggars) and Gadgets'.
Primarily because of this early period, critics have further cited Legaspi's having "reconstituted" in his paintings
"cubism's unfeeling, geometric ordering of figures into a social expressionism rendered by interacting forms
filled with rhythmic movement".
6. Nestor Leynes
Leynes' first contribution was his 1977 work Bigas ('Rice', also known as Pitong Gatang). It was widely
acclaimed for its attention to detail. Former first lady Imelda Marcos was so impressed by the work that she

brought the entire collection to the Malacaan Palace for the viewing of her then guest of honor David
Rockefeller. Marcos bought several paintings, while Rockefeller bought two. The painting Bigas was among
those looted from the palace during the People Power Revolution of 1986.
Leynes diverged from Wyeth's use of drab colors. Like other Filipino realist painters, he retained Amorsolo's
influence, particularly in the use of light. While American realism focused on banality, Leynes and other
Filipino realists depict romantic scenes in hyperrealistic detail.
7. Juan Luna
Juan Luna y Novicio (October 23, 1857 December 7, 1899) was a Filipino painter, sculptor and a political
activist of the Philippine Revolution during the late 19th century. He became one of the first recognized
Philippine artists.
His winning the gold medal in the 1884 Madrid Exposition of Fine Arts, along with the silver win of fellow
Filipino painter Flix Resurreccin Hidalgo, prompted a celebration which was a major highlight in the
memoirs of members of the Propaganda Movement, with the fellow Ilustrados toasting to the two painters' good
health and to the brotherhood between Spain and the Philippines.
8. Arturo R. Luz
Luz has produced art pieces through a disciplined economy of means. His early drawings were described as
"playful linear works" influenced by Paul Klee. His best masterpieces are minimalist, geometric abstracts,
alluding to the modernist "virtues" of competence, order and elegance; and were further described as evoking
universal reality and mirrors an aspiration for an acme of true Asian modernity.
9. Malang
At the Manila Chronicles, Malang created Kosme, the Cop, Retired, the country's first English-language daily
comic strip, for the evening edition of the newspaper. In 1955, Malang established the Bughouse, a gallery
specializing in cartoons. Malang established the gallery together with cartoonist colleagues such as Liborio
Gatbonton, Larry Alcala, Hugo Yonzon, and Elmer Agustan. In 1966, Malang launched Art for the Masses, a
project that brought printmaking to a larger number of artwork enthusiasts at affordable prices.
10. Vicente Manansala
Manansala's canvases were described as masterpieces that brought the cultures of the barrio and the city
together. His Madonna of the Slums is a portrayal of a mother and child from the countryside who became
urban shanty residents once in the city. In his Jeepneys, Manansala combined the elements of provincial folk
culture with the congestion issues of the city.
Manansala developed transparent cubism, wherein the "delicate tones, shapes, and patterns of figure and
environment are masterfully superimposed". A fine example of Manansala using this "transparent and
translucent" technique is his composition, Kalabaw (Carabao).

10 FAMOUS FILIPINO ARTISTS

1. Maningning Miclat
Maningning Miclat (April 15, 1972 September 29, 2000) was a Chinese-born poet and painter of Filipino
descent, who lived in the Philippines from 1986. She was known for her Chinese bamboo Zen paintings and
poetry in three languages: Filipino, Mandarin and English.
His works as a writer includes "Dont Cry, Dont Fret" in poetry; "Ikalawang Pagdalaw," "Unang
Pamumulaklak," "Rice and Bullets," and "Bakia" in fiction; and "Buntot Page," a screenplay written with Mario
David.
2. Hernando R. Ocampo
His major works in the visual arts include Ina ng Balon, Calvary, Slum Dwellers, Nude with Candle and Flower,
Man and Carabao, Angel's Kiss, Palayok at Kalan, Ancestors, Isda at Mangga, The Resurrection, Fifty-three
"Q," Back drop, Fiesta, Mother and Child, Easter Sunday, and his most acknowledged work Genesis, which
served as the basis of curtain design in the Cultural Center of the Philippines Main Theater. His works were
exhibited in Washington, New York, London, and Tokyo, among others
3. Onib Olmedo
Onib Olmedo (July 7, 1937 - September 8, 1996) was an award-winning expressionist Filipino painter. He
illustrated The Body Book (1993) by Gilda Cordero-Fernando. He created populist art and depicted the
marginalized part of the society. In 1970, he decided to shift from is 12-year career in architecture to painting
where he became a leading figure in Philippine expressionism.
4. Alfonso A. Ossorio
Ossorio's early work was surrealist. He was an admirer and early collector of the paintings of Jackson Pollock
who counted him as a good friend, and whose works influenced and were influenced by Ossorio. In the early
1950s, Ossorio was pouring oil and enamel paints onto canvas in the style of the first abstract expressionist
movement in the US.
In 1950, he was commissioned by the parish of St. Joseph in Victorias City, Negros Occidental in the
Philippines to do a mural which would be known as "The Angry Christ" to complete the reconstruction of the
church built by the Czech architect Antonn Raymond. Ossorio had this to say in a 1968 interview. "(The Angry
Christ) is a continual last judgment with the sacrifice of the mass that is the continual reincarnation of God
coming into this world.
5. Danny Sillada
In 2005, Sillada was controversial for his artwork titled Menstrual Period in Political History,[4] a satirical take
on the recurring political crisis in the Philippines. This controversial mixed media piece (an attempt was made
to destroy it at the height of the Hello Garci political scandal) reflects the artists critical stance toward the
power struggles that are putting our country into pit.
6. Romeo Villalva Tabuena
One of his major works since 1957 is a government commissioned mural, Filipiniaa, exhibited at the Philippine
Embassy in Washington, D.C. He was also involved in the exhibit El Nigromante of the Mexican Institute of
Fine Arts in celebration of 30 years of artistic life in Mexico. He is the recipient of various awards and citations,
including the Golden Centaur Award from the Accademia Italia, Master of Painting honoris cause from the
International Seminar of Modern Art, Bannierre Europeanne des Artes, and Medaglia al Merito from the
International Parliament. He is also an elected fellow of the International Biographical Center (IBC) in
Cambridge, England and the American Biographical Institute (ABI). In 1987, ABI awarded him Medal of
Honor, World Decoration of Excellence Medal in 1989, and Man of the Year Award in 1991. IBI elected him to

the Center's 1991 International Order of Merit, and in 1993, conferred him the Medal of Excellence for the 20th
Century.
7. Rodel Tapaya
Tapayas paintings recurrently depict narratives embedded in Filipino cultural history that offer sharp and often
piercing commentary on contemporary life and issues. Through his adept manipulation of folk aesthetic and
material, Tapaya provides his mythical characters with allegorical significances that transcend common
perception, offering fresh insights about their origins and relevance. The paintings become a tableau of the
painters articulations and traces of the stories that inspired them. Sometimes his characters appear in archetypes
culled from pre-colonial historical research and recorded folktales from recent scholarship."Rodel Tapaya:
Folkgotten," was the artist's maiden solo show outside his home country which was organized by the Drawing
Room Manila and Utterly Art Singapore in 2008. The exhibit launched Tapaya's direction in painting based on
folk myths and narratives and signified a change of styles from his signature burlap paintings, a material which
has gained some popularity and copied by other Filipino painters.
8. Fernando Zbel de Ayala y Montojo
Zbel is best known for his first artwork series called the Saetas. Named after the liturgical song sung in Holy
Week in Spain, they were developed for the most part in the Philippines. Zbel faced the technical problem of
how to achieve the lines that his theme required, lines that were, in his own words, "long, fine, and controlled."
The artist's use of a surgical syringe to eject fine lines of paint was a hallmark of this series. After the Saetas,
Zbel began a series called Serie Negra or Series in Black influenced by Chinese Calligraphy. The Serie Negra
was started in 1959 in Madrid and continued for four years.
9. Pacita Abad
Her early paintings were primarily figurative socio-political works of people and primitive masks. Another
series was large scale paintings of underwater scenes, tropical flowers and animal wildlife. Pacita's most
extensive body of work, however, is her vibrant, colorful abstract work - many very large scale canvases, but
also a number of small collages - on a range of materials from canvas and paper to bark cloth, metal, ceramics
and glass. Abad created over 4,000 artworks. She painted a 55-meter long Alkaff Bridge in Singapore and
covered it with 2,350 multicolored circles.
10. Martino Abellana
Martino Abellana (19141988), known as "Noy Tinong", was a renowned Cebuano painter from Carcar.
Dubbed "The Dean of Cebuano Painters", he was born to an artistic family. His main influence was his father,
who was a school principal and a sculptor. Martino, along with his four brothers, including renowned sculptor
and composer Dr. Ramon Abellana, were exposed to art early, and they helped their father with his sculptures.