Philippine Art

Fernando Amorsolo

Leo Benesa claimed that Fernando Amorsolo's artworks are most expressive of the ethos of the race and predominantly agricultural countryside. When I learned about this statement from my contemporary arts class, I instantly agreed to it. Back when I was still a child, I had already heard the name "Fernando Amorsolo" several times from my parents. Whenever I asked about who he is, my parents would show me an example of his paintings. When I see Fernando Amorsolo's works, I would always see the people in his paintings as Filipinos and the setting and context as being in the Philippines. 

"Planting Rice" by Fernando Amorsolo

The rich agriculture of the Philippines is truly captured in his artworks, since a lot of them showcase farms and agricultural landscapes. Fernando Amorsolo's artworks are able to express the moral nature and spirit of Filipinos, because they were portrayals of traditional Filipino customs, culture, fiestas and occupations. They depict the daily lives and personalities of the Filpinos who are hardworking and optimistic. Fernando Amorsolo's works are definitely important to the formation of Filipino national identity.

Nowadays, the English language is widely used in literature. However, I personally think that this does not lessen the "Filipino-ness" of a literary work. I believe that for a literary work to be described as Filipino, it must embody values and beliefs that are unique to us as Filipinos. The expression of the "Filipino-ness" of a work does not depend on the language used, but rather on how it is portrayed and depicted. Since English is our second language, we will still be able to understand it and relate to the Filipino nature which is depicted in the literary work. 

"Bayanihan" by Carlos "Botong" Francisco

As Filipinos, we must know and understand our common nature and values which unite us as one nation. In order to do this, we must embrace our "Filipino-ness" and keep it in our hearts and minds. As long as we are able to align ourselves with our Filipino nature, we will have the ability to recognize the "Filipino-ness" in each of us. In this way, we will be able to express our Filipino nature and relate to others' works in every way we can using any language we know.