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Mabini Art The Historical Background and the First Mabini Artist Generation

Historical Background of Mabini Art

Mabini Art derives its name from Mabini Street in Ermita, Manila, where artists opened art shops after World War II.   Existing records show that in 1930 there were none yet of these art shops.   The history of the so-called “Mabini school,” which was established after the 1955 walkout by the “conservatives,” can be traced back to their idol, Maestro Fernando Amorsolo.  As the first practitioners of Mabini Art, the “conservatives” carried on their style of painting, then called the “Amorsolo school.”  The “Amorsolo school”  was identified with the “realism” of Amorsolo in contrast to the “modernism” espoused by Victorio Edades and his followers.  

Among the forerunners of Mabini Art who were also members of the Academy of Filipino Artists were:  Miguel Galvez, Simon Saulog, Ben Alano, Serafin Serna, Gabriel Custodio, Cesar Buenaventura, Cesar Amorsolo, and Fermin V. Sanchez.   Born between 1911 and 1920, they may be considered as the first of the three generations of Mabini artists.  Their practice as Mabini artists began in late 1940s and became entrenched after the 1955 walkout.  Others who actively painted with them were Crispin Villa Lopez, who shared with Ben Alano and Serafin Serna a studio on the corner of Mabini and Arquiza, and Felix Gonzales who later passed on his occupation to his children and grand- children.   


Text by Prof. Pearl E. Tan - Taken from the Book Revisiting Mabini Art, published in 2013 in Germany. Original of the text from the book The Mabini Art Movement by  Pearl E. Tan. Prof. Pearl E. Tan is Associate Professor of Art Studies at U.P. Diliman and has a Ph.D. in Philippine Studies.  Her doctoral dissertation is entitled Pahiyas: San Isidro Ritual as Tradition and Touristic Festival.













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