ARTIST AND ARTISANS

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

1. outline the history of the emergence of artists and artisans

2. recognize and critically discuss the function of state sponsorship

in the field of arts and culture through the National Artists Award
and the Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan (GAMABA):

3. identify and define the different individuals and groups who take
on varied roles in the world of art and culture; and

4. classify the practices of artists in terms of form, medium, and

technique.
 In the advent of technology, it is
remarkable what has now been made
possible. With a click of a button, an array
of overwhelming information is made
available, informing every aspect of human
life. In the fast-paced and highly complex
twenty- first century,
 This nihilist notion is contested by what
are arguably the most resilient qualities of
man, which is his creativity and
imagination. And as long as there is a
cultivation of both of these qualities
 The arts is one of the most significant ways in
which we try to grapple with how the present
unfolds. In Robert Henri's The Art Spirit
(1923), he stated that "Art when really
understood is the province of every human
being, He disturbs, upsets, enlightens, and
he opens ways for a better understanding.
One of the avenues that makes this both
possible and exciting is the engagement with
art and culture.
 In Peter Drucker's seminal book Post-Capitalist
Society (1993), he stated that "the real controlling
resource and the absolutely decisive factor of
production is neither capital not land nor labor. It is
knowledge.
 Artists have treaded a long history. Their roots can
likewise be traced in one of the major milestones in
human civilization. In the first episode of the video
series "New Ways of Seeing," a project by The New
York Times' T Brand Studio and jewelry giant Tiffany
& Co., art critic Jerry Saltz (2016) underscored the
significance of not only the discovery of the cave
paintings, but also the paintings themselves. And all
of the history of art flows forth from this invention
 The impulse to create is at the core of human civilization, much like the
impulse to communicate through language. Early on, artists were
tiedded in the development of culture, and in turn, art was nurtured by
the varying cultures in which it existed,
 There are numerous monuments and memorials that are plotted over
the world such as the infamous Vietnam Veterans Memorial in
Washington DC. There are others like the cave paintings that have an
aura of mystery like the Pyramids of Giza, or have alluded
comprehension like the Stonehenge.
 The Artisan and the Guilds
 Have you ever wondered why some examples of artistic and
creative production have survived to this day? Museums are
packed with numerous artifacts and interesting objects from all
over the world that have survived centuries for us all to see.
Consider the Gothic cathedrals and other megastructures that
were built all over Europe during the Middle Ages. Craftsmen and
builders in the past did not have sophisticated terminologies and
principles that architects and engineers abide by today.
Experimentation and luck must not also be forgotten. Gothic
cathedrals along with other structures inspired by its architectural
tenets have survived through time, not only by their sheer
durability, but more so through the articulation of the processes
that they followed.
The account was that master mason Gerhard Ryle started the
project in 1248 but was only completed roughly 600 years later,
claiming the record as one of the longest construction projects to
date.
 What is meant here is a kind of formalization of
craft education in which regulation was set in
place. Here, skills qualification was needed for
an apprentice to register under a particular craft
guild. These guilds were prevalent during the
Middle Ages particularly during the thirteenth to
fifteenth century.
 This brought to light
various ways of thinking
about transferring
knowledge and skills by
visualizing and
articulating the
principles, processes,
and tricks of the trade
both in words and in
print through manuals
and publications.
 In the visual arts, an example of an
artist strongly influenced by this was
Albrecht Durer. Born in 1471, his
father was a goldsmith; that is why he
also apprenticed as such. Later on, he
shifted to the visual arts. During that
time, it was customary to travel after
completing an apprenticeship to
gather more experience and
knowledge elsewhere.

 Although the timeline is a bit skewed,

the culture of artisans became
prevalent in the Philippines as well,
particularly during the Spanish
colonial period. Formerly done with
the spirit of the communal and the
everyday, patronship changed the
 One example of a Spanish architecture that has
been documented is the Church of thered to Holy
Trinity in Loay, Bohol. Built has been he ceiling
paintings were rendered trompe l'oeil style
depicting biblical scenes in 2003 et became a
National Historical Landmark.

 From the church, the next patrons of the arts were

the then new elite, the ilustrados or the middle
class, along with foreign guests who wanted
souvenirs to take along with them. Two other
important genres for painting at that time were the
tipos del pais and letras y figuras.
 One key example that
illustrated the
systematization of art
instruction-a combination
of sorts of the guild and the
art school-was the
establishment Damian
Domingo of the Academia
de Dibujo. Known as the
best tipos del pais painter,
this school specialized in
teaching the miniaturismo
style of painting along with
the tenets of classical
European painting.
The Artist and His Studio
Moving back to Europe, the big shift that propelled the
evolution of the pivotal role of the artist in the arts started during
the Middle Ages up to the Renaissance period. Before the
Renaissance Period, artworks were left unsigned. Artists
claiming authorship for their works by affixing their mark onto
the surfaces of their paintings were a big milestone in the
history of the artist.

Today, artist studios have been a place of interest for the

public. It is interesting to see and learn where creativity
manifests itself, especially since an artist's studio is an
extension of the artist himself. The studio model dates back
from the Renaissance. Therein, artists flexed their relationship
with their patron as a site where negotiations and works were
 This was especially true with
artists who explored oil
painting techniques whose
long process can be
described by cycles of
mixing, layering, and drying
of paint. This format
remained throughout the
latter part of the 1800s.

 In France, on the other hand,

academies and art salons
became popular as they did
not only support the
production of art but also the
discourse around them.
 Other players in the world
of art

 The terrain in which the artist traverses is becoming

increasingly complex. In the last century, some of the roles
that have been existent since the beginning of art history
have been properly dealt with-ascribed with a name and
legitimized into a sophisticated network of relationships and
exchanges
 In Howard S. Becker's Art
Worlds (1982), he asserted that
"all artistic work, like all human
activity, involves the joint activity
of a number, often a large
number, of people. Through their
cooperation, the artwork we
eventually see or hear comes to
be and continues to be.

 This would necessitate the

seemingly central position that
the artist enjoys in the grand
scheme of art experience.
Although a popular opinion still,
it has considerably waned, with
the emergence of another art
player as a super power- the
 It is important to note that with the complexity
of the art world, players are no longer limited to
those who undertook formal instruction in either
(or both) production and/or study of art.
Production Process
 The process of creating an artwork does not
necessarily follow a linear progression. One of the
things that one must accept is the fact that the arts
have an anarchic dimension to it, allowing it to fully
harness its creative potential. The process is
essentially tripartite: (1) preproduction, (2)
production, and (3) postproduction. The artist
always begins with an idea that he wants to express
or communicate with his audience. It may not
necessarily be fully formulated, and so some form
of exposure, research, and other approaches may
be explored to get the idea long before actually
making the artwork
 Some artists, however, birth their ideas
when material manipulation is already
underway. This is when preproduction
sometimes seep into the production stage.
The last stage is the most drawn-out, the
postproduction.
 Once an artwork is finished, it will then be
decided on how it will be circulated not only
in the art world, but the many publics. If the
artist decides that he alone should see the
work, then so be it.
Medium and Technique
 Like what was previously mentioned, medium is one of
the aspects of art that directly correlates with its
composition and presumed finality of the artwork.
Medium is the mode of expression in which the concept,
idea, or message is conveyed.

 A chosen medium must not be expected to yield the

same results. Giving two different artists the same exact
material and the general qualifier of "painting," the end
product will still vary minimally or in an exponential
scale. The technique of the artwork shows the level of
familiarity with the medium being manipulated.
Engagement with Art
 The defining roles and nature of exhibitions have had an
interesting evolution, changing alongside the demands of
the society that purports to partake in its display. In Anna
Cline's The Evolving Role of the Exhibition and Its Impact on
Art and Culture (2012),

 In Paula Marincola's What Makes a Great Exhibition?

(2006), it reads that "exhibitions are strategically located at
the nexus where artists, their work, the arts institution, and
many different publics intersect."One of the most common
platforms to engage with the art is through exhibitions either
at museums or galleries. Nowadays, there are other
exhibition spaces that have opened up for artists to
showcase their works.
 Aside from exhibitions, other opportunities
for art engagement transpire in the
classroom (instruction); studio visits;
lectures, workshops, and other events that
augment the exhibitions (programs); auction
sales; art fairs, biennials, and triennials; and
other larger showings of not only artworks
but also where art personalities can flex their
influence and authority.
Awards and Citations
 As with any organized endeavor, the arts and
culture have entered into a phase in which
another aspect of its practice can be
realized. After an artist has spent
considerable time in honing his skills,
establishing the relevance of the body of his
works, and even gaining respect from his
colleagues in the art world, he may be
considered or nominated for awards and
citations.
 The conferment of the Order of National
Artists is the "highest national recognition
given to Filipino individuals who have made
significant contributions to the development of
Philippine arts; namely, music, dance, theater,
visual arts, literature, film, broadcast arts, and
architecture and allied arts, The very first
recipient of this award was painter Fernando
Amorsolo, who was touted as the "Grand Old
Man of Philippine Art." He was the sole
awardee in the year 1972, a National Artist for
Visual Arts.
 At present, there are 66
awardees of this
prestigious honor across
different art forms. Some
of them were given the
award posthumously,
while others were
fortunate enough to
receive the award
themselves.
 The Gawad sa Manlilikha ng Bayan or the
National Living Treasures Award was created
in 1992 under the Republic Act No. 7355. Also
under the jurisdiction of the National
Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA),
the NCCA (2015)


 It was first conferred to three outstanding
artists in music and poetry back in 1993. They
are Ginaw Bilog, a master of the Ambahan
poetry; Masino Intaray, a master of various
traditional musical instruments of the Palawan
people; and Samaon Sulaiman, a master of
the kutyapi and other instruments.
 The recipients of the GAMABA
are sought under the
qualification of a "Manlilikha
ng Bayan" who is a "citizen
engaged in any traditional art
uniquely Filipino whose
distinctive skills have reached
such a high level of technical
and artistic excellence and
have been passed on to and
widely practiced by the
present generation in his/ her
community with the same
degree of technical and artistic
competence" (NCCA, 2015).
Let's Wrap It Up
 The evolution of the artist throughout
history is one of the most interesting
progressions in the affairs of man. From
the banalities of the works he created to
assist and inform the every day, he was
caught in the midst of prevailing and
shifting ideologies, and utilized the power
of the creativity and imagination in attempt
to grapple with the world around him.