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Philippines Mainstream Art
Throughout the early Spanish era, Philippines art took its inspiration from religion with ornate altarpieces or scenes from the Bible or the lives of the saints. It was only in the 18th century that secular themes began to become popular.
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Damian Domingo was not a trained artist but he broke the mould. His work marked a major departure from religious themes. Some of his hand-painted illustrations, part of a collection called Album de trajes, are on display at the Ayale Museum in Manila. Domingo founded the Art Academy of Manila in 1821 - he was the first artistic director, and, for a while, the only member.
In 1884, Filipino art broke into the international mainstream when Juan Luna won the gold medal at the National Exposition of Fine Arts in Madrid, Spain. Compatriot Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo won the silver medal. In the early 20th century Fernando Amorsolo, Fabian de la Rosa and Jorge Pineda concentrated on romantic landscapes, and in the 1920s Victorio Edades introduced modernism to the Philippines. This has produced a healthy crop of modern artists, from Lee Aguinaldo and Fernando Zobel in the 1960s and 70s to Bernardo Cabrera (BenCab) and Manny Garibay today.
The leading sculptor of the American era was Guillermo Tolentino, whilst Napoleon Abueva brought modernism in the 1950s. Eduardo Castrillo heads modern names with his monumental metal sculptures (including the Heritage of Cebu Monument in Cebu City). Others include Solomon Saprid and Abdulmari Imao who interprets Islamic traditional designs for the modern era.
Theatre
The Spanish art form zarzuela, a play with music, saw a metamorphosis into Filipino sarswela, which became the first native theatrical genre. They were used as entertainment for the masses with their saucy storylines, but were also an outlet for frustration against the yoke of colonialism. Some authors were tried by the Americans for inciting nationalism. Passion plays, or senakulo, are also performed in venues all across the country.