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Coleen D. Gatila HUMSS 12-3

REFLECTION PAPER

"Patibong" artwork by: Arnica Y. Acantilado

An art which conveys a social realism, a unity of politics, culture and art, a unity of content, meaning and form, and an extreme artistic features with a highly revolutionary ideology is indeed a masterpiece. It must strive towards upbringing a social, decolonized and politicized consciousness among the people.

As I look into the painting, one thing came to my mind: It is an exact epitome of exploitation and oppression committed against women. It is a concrete manifestation that abuse towards women are still being committed up to this day. If you look closely, the women in the painting look similarly to the artist herself and on its background I noticed that there are different faces of men in it. Based on my understanding, it suggested that women of today are being catch and eaten as a prey of the misogynist sexual predator.

From its title "patibong" it clearly signifies that the net in the painting served as the chains made to be able to commit all the atrocities against women. These oppression, exploitation and abuses against them is a manifestation of historically unequal power relations between men and women and it is one of the crucial social mechanisms by which women are forced into a subordinate position in the social class.

These helish acts committed against women and girls is deeply rooted in gender-based hate and discrimination, social norms and gender stereotypes. These uncritical ideas towards women are being imposed to men which gives them the feeling of superiority, therefore led them to think that women are subordinates. It is very alarming that the number of cases regarding sexual abuse, oppression and exploitation of women are continuously increasing across the globe.

I strongly believe that the painting served as an eye-opener that these gender-based hate crimes still exists. We must do something to end this and I think the best way is to educate the people. A problem should be examine from its roots and structural causes and for me this dilemma can be solve through upholding gender equality which will create mutual respect for both men and women.

I have realized through this artwork that while public policies and interventions often overlook the idea of instilling gender equality because it was always misinterpreted as man-hating, it is about critical time when we must reshaped its meaning and eradicate the values and norms around gender equality. Through this, we can make the home and public spaces safer for women and girls, ensuring women’s economic autonomy and security in the society. This artwork truly served its purpose by urging the women of today to break free from the chains of sexual abuse and to end the hellish crimes of the sexual predators who are always looking for their prey.

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A Review: Philippine Contemporary Aesthetics of Alice Guillermo

Written by: Coleen Gatila

Art criticism assimilate one's perspective by not looking at art from its surface, but closely parsing it from within. In this critical analysis of Alice Guillermo on the Philippine Contemporary Aesthetics, the practice of art criticism intersects with art history, theory and philosophy. It showed the brief art history, coinciding with a challenging period of its development in the country from pre-colonial, colonial and up to this contemporary times. Set against the background of social and political agitation, Philippine arts have acquired historical importance. This is especially so since the prime effort is to situate art within the coordinates of society and history. Likewise, this critical analysis go beyond the traditional approach based on the analysis of form and content as it creates a more intimate link between the material aspects of the work of art and its significations to the struggles of the people and the society.

Prior to that, art criticism totally urges one's mind not to always look into the technical side of art, thus in the visual arts concern of composition, line and texture, but to have an intellectual analysis of its form and content. Guillermo gave emphasis that arts has its own unique meaning, socially and historically situated and is shaped by the material conditions of society and was also formed by the social conditions of a particular time and place. Obviously, it means that art aesthetics is not universal, nor true for all men because it varies from place to place and from one culture to another.

Moreover, having said that the art aesthetics varies from distinctive society, it is mainly because of its historical experiences, social conditions, needs and acculturation. Sadly, the long process of our colonization from Western countries, Spain and United States has resulted in alienation of our own indigenous traditions, culture and mainspring. That is why, it is definitely both wise and timely for us to re-examine the role of traditions in quest of our national identity and art characteristics. Guillermo definitely prompted each one of us to re-educate ourselves about our own indigenous art forms to end the centuries of miseducation. It is also a process of eradicating colonial mentality of prejudice and a long process of internalization of our indigenous heritage and culture.

Furthermore, ecstatically many traditions dating back to precolonial times survive to the present day despite centuries of colonization. Many have survived because of the resistance of tribal communities to colonial imposition. These traditions, which attest to the inexhaustible creativity of the people, have been a source for the creative expression of contemporary Filipino artists engaged in the search for a Filipino identity in art.

One of this ancient artistry is weaving which originated from the precolonial times and remains as a precious living tradition. The Cordillera groups of the north are well-known for the art of weaving. With a backstrap loom, they produce blankets and articles of clothing that fulfill a practical function and also play a part in religion and ritual. This tradition is also found in the adjacent Ilocos provinces which take pride in their sturdy abel (weave). In Mindanao, the Tboli of Cotabato weave abaca cloth, called tnalak, in a difficult tie-dye process. This cloth has a large repertoire of motifs, such as the gmayaw bird, whose rhythms create the feeling of flapping wings, the frog which signifies fertility, and the dancing man which calls for rain. These motifs attest to the Tboli’s deep-seated sense of harmony between humans and nature which is called "animism".

Indigenous art forms not only depicts their creativity and artistry but it also symbolizes them as a national minorities struggling to preserve their rich culture, traditions, arts, their ancestral land, their livelihood, and even their very lives. But culture as what Guillermo's said is not an autonomous realm, divorced from the economic and political, that is why, cultural minorities are experiencing social negligence, poor economic growth, poverty and extreme exploitation especially in their resources and ancestral lands. Therefore, art plays a vital role in encouraging social movements that will help the indigenous people in their struggles against those who are in power. Clearly, art is a platform showcasing the social struggles of the people. Indigenous art forms obviously does not only help in the recognition of our national identity, but it also a way to combat all these social tribulations.

On the other hand, while we are recognizing all these ancient artistry of the national minorities we should also take into consideration that the world is constantly changing and the challenge for indigenous art forms is to innovate itself to avoid boredom and stagnation in Philippine arts. That is what Carlos "Botong" Francisco did as he introduce the modern idiom in the 1950's making a shift in the traditional Romanticism art by Fernando Amorsolo.

Alongside with Carlos Francisco are Victorio C. Edades and Galo B. Ocampo and during this period modern painting grew with the triumvirate. They were followed by the Thirteen Moderns and the neorealists in the 1950s. Francisco strove to develop a modern Filipino idiom based on folk aesthetics. He drew his figures with a supple curvilinear line, with only a slight modeling of form. His patterns and colors created a decorative quality, the entire space covered with figures and motifs. He gave to genre painting a particularity of observation which highlights the customs, traditions, and material culture of fisherfolk and farmers. On the other hand, Galo B. Ocampo was first known for his Flagellants series which fused the figures of penitence and Lent with images of the war. A key painting of the period is Ecce Homo (Behold, the Man) which portrays a bound Christ in the midst of devastation wrought by bombs. Years later he did a series on the Tabon Cave in Palawan, where the fossil of the Philippine Adam was found. These paintings abound with Adam and Eve in a pristine universe of caves and seashells.

Likewise, Guillermo justified how creative and innovative are the Filipino artists by making the indigenous art forms more timely by adding new art elements and techniques, but at the same time it can depict their ideologies and their social and cultural values. This critical analysis showcases how innovative the artists are by using new alternative materials to contribute to the development of Philippine Contemporary Aesthetics. Additionally, it once again emphasizes the subject, content and meaning through the three categories of what constitutes an art; semiotic plane- the physical aspect of an art, mimetic- figurative and the thematic which is the content and meaning of an art.

Surely, Alice Guillermo gave us a powerful message about the role of art in our quest of our national identity. This art analysis gave us the deepest understanding how important art is in our identity as a nation struggling from various social dilemmas. It urges each one of us to appreciate our own ancient artistry as it coordinates with our social values, culture, traditions, heritage and expression. Also, art coordinates with our social and historical experiences, giving emphasis on re-examining our own indigenous mainspring and re-educate our self in order to eradicate colonial prejudice and attitudes. Art are not just an entertainment, it is a revolution. A revolution to combat the inequality and oppression that are being experienced by the poorest of the poor especially the cultural minorities. This criticism does not only give the history of arts, its theory, philosophy, origin, innovative artists and what constitutes an art, but it also instill social awareness among us prompting us, Filipinos to make an action and to make a difference. After all, art is not just an expression, it is the voice of the people.