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Mabini ArtHistorical Background of Mabini Art and the second generation of Mabini Artists

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 Paintings

The art of the second-generation Mabini artists began where that of the first generation left off.  It was not addressed to an exclusive cultural elite but to the average city dweller, the tourists in the Ermita area, and some clients abroad. …….. (to continue in the pages in the post)   

Except for minor revisions, the contents of this article are excerpted from the author’s M. A. thesis, Tan, Pearl  E.  Mabini Art: History, Practice and Aesthetics.  Diliman, Quezon City: University of the Philippines, 1992.  She conducted the research for her thesis between March 1988 and October 1990.


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.

Artworks by Paco Gorospe, Roger San Miguel, Salvador Cabrera, Leonardo Zablan. THose 4 artists were part of the second generation of Mabini Artist.












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