Bulacan: The Culture Capital of the Philippines
Bulacan is rich in history and figures prominently in Philippine History as many national heroes and political figures were born in Bulacan.
HISTORY
ARTISTS
MATERIALS AND TECHNIQUES
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HISTORY OF BULACAN
The province’s name is derived from the Tagalog word ‘bulak’ meaning cotton, which was its former principal product. Bulacan started with small fishing settlements along the coast of Manila Bay and expanded into the interior with the arrival of the Spaniards. These settlements formed the nucleus of towns that were founded from 1572 (Bulacan and Calumpit) to 1750 (San Rafael).
Bulacan was one of the first eight provinces to rise against Spanish rule. The province figures prominently in Philippine History and many national heroes and political figures were born in Bulacan and were also one of the first to revolt against Spain.
The province is honored as one of the 8 rays of the sun in the national flag. It is the home of the "Three Republics." These are the Republic of Real de Kakarong de Sili (1896) in Pandi, the Republic of Biak-na-Bato (1897) and the very first Philippine Republic in Malolos (1899–1901).
Jose t. Joya is a painter and multimedia artist who distinguished himself by creating an authentic Filipino abstract idiom that transcended foreign influences. Most of Joya’s paintings of harmonious colors were inspired by Philippine landscapes, such as green rice paddies and golden fields of harvest. His use of rice paper in collages placed value on transparency, a common characteristic of folk art. The curvilinear forms of his paintings often recall the colorful and multilayered ‘kiping’ of the Pahiyas festival. His important mandala series was also drawn from Asian aesthetic forms and concepts.
He espoused the value of kinetic energy and spontaneity in painting which became significant artistic values in Philippine art. His paintings clearly show his mastery of ‘gestural paintings’ where the paint is applied intuitively and spontaneously, in broad brush strokes, using brushes or spatula or is directly squeezed from the tube and splashed across the canvas. His 1958 landmark painting Granadean Arabesque, a work on canvas big enough to be called a mural, features swipes and gobs of impasto and sand. The choice of Joya to represent the Philippines in the 1964 Venice Biennial itself represents a high peak in the rise of modern art in the country.
Here's a few examples of the artworks he has created during his days:
Space Transfiguration
Hills of Nikko
Francisca Reyes-Aquino, the country's pioneer researcher on traditional Philippine folk dances and music and known as the mother Philippine folk dancing, was born in Lolomboy, Bocaue, Bulacan.
Francesca was the eldest of the three children of Felipe Reyes and Juliana Santos. She had her early schooling at the Meisic Elementary School, Tondo Intermediate School and Manila High School in Tondo, Manila. She obtained her High School Teacher's Certificate (HSTC) in 1923, her Bachelor of Science in Education degree in 1924 at the University of the Philippines (UP) and her Master of Arts degree in 1926 also at the UP.
Aquino organized the Philippine Folk Dance Society, a non-profit cultural organization, and once served as consultant to the world-famous Bayanihan Dance Company. Today, folk dances are performed not only for enriching our cultural heritage but also in promoting tourism and international goodwill.
Ernani Joson Cuenco was a Filipino composer, film scorer, musical director, music teacher and Philippine National Artist for Music. He wrote an outstanding and memorable body of works that resonate with the Filipino sense of musicality and which embody an ingenious voice that raises the aesthetic dimensions of contemporary Filipino music. Cuenco played with the Filipino Youth Symphony Orchestra and the Manila Symphony Orchestra from 1960 to 1968, and the Manila Chamber Soloists from 1966 to 1970. He completed a music degree in piano and cello from the University of Santo Tomas where he also taught for decades until his death in 1988.
He was proclaimed National Artist for Music in 1999; He was an award-winning film scorer in the early 1960s, working in collaboration with National Artist for Music Levi Celerio. He was also a teacher and a seasoned orchestra player.
His songwriting credits include "Nahan, Kahit na Magtiis," and "Diligin Mo ng Hamog ang Uhaw na Lupa," "Pilipinas," "Inang Bayan," "Isang Dalangin," "Kalesa," "Bato sa Buhangin" and "Gaano Ko Ikaw Kamahal." The latter song shows how Cuenco enriched the Filipino love ballad by adding the elements of kundiman to it.
