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 (b. Manila, June 3, 1931 d. 1996) National artist Jose Joya was a pioneer modern and abstract artist who was active as a painter, printmaker, mixed-media artist and ceramicist. It has been said that it was Joya who “spearheaded the birth, growth and flowering of abstract expressionism” in the Philippines. His mature abstract works have been said to be “characterized by calligraphic gestures and linear forces, and a sense of color vibrancy emanating from an Oriental sensibility.” Joya’s sense of color has been said to have come from the hues of the Philippine landscape, and his use of rice paper in collages demonstrated an interest in transparency.

Jose Tanig Joya was born on June 3, 1931, the son of Jose Joya Sr. and Asuncion Tanig. He began sketching at the age of eleven. At a young age, he became interested in studying architecture, but found that he did not have the aptitude for the math and science that architecture would require. While attending the University of the Philippines he was introduced to the paintings of Fernando Amorsolo, and began his study of painting. He was initially schooled in the traditional tradition — in which the standards had been set by Amorsolo and Tolentino — but gradually was influenced by American abstraction and by the emerging trends in Philippine modernism. He was mentored by Guillermo Tolentino, Ireneo Miranda, Domindaor Castaneda and Virginia Agbayani.

Joya graduated from the University of the Philippines (UP) in 1953 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Art, earning the distinction of being the university’s first Magna cum Laude. In 1954 the Instituto de Cultura Hispanica of the Spanish government awarded him a one year grant to study painting in Madrid. Travel/study scholarships to Madrid — which came about through the influence of PAG member Fernando Zobel de Ayala — were also given to other PAG artists including Arturo Luz, Nena Saguil and Larry Tronco. After returning from Spain, Joya finished his Master’s Degree in Painting in 1956 at the Cranbrook School of Art in Michigan, with the assistance of a Fulbright Smith-Mundt grant.

Jimenez is known in his province for two things: his Letras y Figuras, and his banana stalk paintings. The 68-year-old painter is a graduate of Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering, and specializes in painting Philippine scenery in watercolor. With his skill, Jimenez produces works of art that depict—and aim to preserve—the culture of 19th century Philippines.

Jimenez is one of the few visual artists in the Philippines who seeks to preserve the culture of not only his province, but of the entire country as well.

“Hangad kong mapanatiling buhay ang kulutrang Pilipino gamit ang sining (My aim is to preserve the Philippine culture through art),” Jimenez told CNN Philippines. His colorful art works depict the festivity and the various hues of Philippine culture as a whole.

Bio from SpokenVision

No bio found.

Robert Ko (b. June 5, 1951, Tondo, Manila) is a Filipino painter whose lifelong devotion to art began at the age of three, sketching on the walls of his mother’s sari-sari store. By nine, his works were already exhibited in school, and he went on to win local art competitions, including first place in the 1964 Caloocan Foundation Day celebration. He later earned his Fine Arts degree from Far Eastern University, studying under impressionist Ibarra de la Rosa while also pursuing music.

In 1975, Ko’s career gained momentum when he found patrons who supported his entry into local and international competitions, leading to mural commissions and growing recognition. A notable moment in his career was his participation in the 1985 charity exposition Taos Pusong Hinahandog Namin sa Inyo, where he donated the proceeds of his paintings to feed hungry children in Negros.

Ko has been a dedicated faculty member at the FEU Institute of Architecture and Fine Arts and continues to explore new styles, pushing the boundaries of his craft. Known for his perseverance, generosity, and commitment to artistic growth, his works remain celebrated across the Philippines, from galleries to publications nationwide.

Bio from artesdelasfilipinas.com

Born to immigrant Chinese parents Vicente Ang and Chin Lim, Ang Kiukok is one of the most vital and dynamic figures who emerged during the 60s. As one of those who came at the heels of the pioneering modernists during that decade, Ang Kiukok blazed a formal and iconographic path of his own through expressionistic works of high visual impact and compelling meaning.

He crystallized in vivid, cubistic figures the terror and angst of the times. Shaped in the furnace of the political turmoil of those times, Ang Kiukok pursued an expression imbued with nationalist fervor and sociological agenda.

Some of his works include Geometric Landscape (1969); Pieta, which won for him the bronze medal in the 1st International Art Exhibition held in Saigon (1962); and the Seated Figure (1979), auctioned at Sotheby’s in Singapore.

His works can be found in many major art collections, among them the Cultural Center of the Philippines, National Historical Museum of Taipei, and the National Museum in Singapore. Ang Kiukok died on May 9, 2005

Bio from National Commission for Culture and the Arts

Alfredo Liongoren (b. 1944) has historically been associated with the Philippine art history's earlier generation of abstractionists: personalities marking the youngest acclaimed and awarded painters of his generation. Yet he distracted himself from the trappings of early fame by periodically retreating the sanctums of nature, scripture and solitude. 

Learn more about Alfredo Liongoren (full bio here)

Avid Liongoren is a Filipino animation filmmaker and illustrator for both animated and live-action. He began to rose national popularity among his works, where he develops animated features aimed for adult audiences, the first was live-action animated hybrid film Saving Sally, and the second film also the first fully adult animated film in the Philippines, Hayop Ka!.

Bio from Wikitia