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Traditional vs Contemporary Arts

Jun 17, 2025

Overview

This lecture covers the main differences between traditional and contemporary arts, with examples from Filipino culture, and lists several art forms and their characteristics.

Traditional Arts

  • Represent historical culture and generational knowledge, focusing on handmade forms.
  • Include painting, printmaking, sculpture, and craftwork.
  • Emphasize aesthetic qualities and materials from previous generations.
  • Reflect the creation and practices passed down over generations.

Contemporary Arts

  • Emerged mainly after the 1970s and focus on societal issues and current ideas.
  • Express the concerns of modern society and contrast traditional forms.
  • Examples include modern forms of visual art, performance, and installations.

Forms of Philippine Traditional Arts

  • Architecture: Simple houses using local materials provide shelter; examples include structures with pyramid-like exteriors and slanting walls.
  • Maritime Transport: Simple marine vessels for transporting goods and people along waterways.
  • Weaving, Textile, and Fabric Arts: Use of native fibers, hand-weaving, boiling, dyeing, and traditional looms.
  • Carving: Handmade figures and objects created from wood or other materials.
  • Performing Arts: Traditional music, play, and folk games commonly practiced in Philippine culture.
  • Literature: Oral traditions and epics passed down within different Filipino ethnic groups, including “Hudhud” and “Darangen”.
  • Graphic Arts: Two-dimensional arts like sketching, painting, photography, and calligraphy.
  • Plastic Arts: Three-dimensional works such as sculpture and ceramics; famous examples include ancient burial jars with anthropomorphic designs.

Key Terms & Definitions

  • Traditional Arts — Art forms handed down through generations, often handmade and rooted in historical culture.
  • Contemporary Arts — Modern art forms that reflect current issues and ideas, emerging prominently since the 1970s.
  • Graphic Arts — Two-dimensional art forms, like painting and photography.
  • Plastic Arts — Three-dimensional art forms, such as sculpture and ceramics.

Action Items / Next Steps

  • Research examples of traditional folk arts in the Philippines.
  • Write down the names and descriptions of selected traditional folk arts.
  • Check updates or questions via Messenger and Google Classroom as instructed.