Spanish-Philippine Architecture

Title

Identifier

Magnifique!

Language

English

Source

Panorama Volume XII (Issue No. 11) November 1960

Year

1960

Subject

Philippine architecture

Spanish architecture

Colonial art

Catholic church building design and construction

Catholic Church in art

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

Magnifique! SPANISH-PHILIPPI Prompted by the admira ble motive of self-realiza tion, patriotic Filipinos to day are searching their history for evidence of a national na tive culture. Too often nation alistic sentiment limits this probing of the past to the post Spanish era. Philippine culture, however, is not a product of political independence from Spain. In fact, archeological findings indicate that a devel oped culture flourished on the Philippine archipelago long be fore the Spanish arrived in 1521. This native culture per sisted and expressed itself throughout the three centuries of Spanish rule. If the above statements are true, we may expect to discover indications of native Philippine culture in artifacts of the Span ish period. My belief is that, even in the most characteristi cally Iberian product of the period—religious architecture, we can discern the selection and unique use made of Euro pean designs by the indigenous culture of these islands. Thus, instead of only shyly admitting the reality of Spanish influence, Filipinos should feel a deep cultural pride in the artistic achievements of Spanish-Philippine architecture. Dart of my graduate train1 ing in the Henry Francis duPont Winterthur Museum program in early American culture included studying tech28 Panorama NE ARCHITECTURE niques of analysis and interpre tation of European arts in a colonial situation. My inten tion, supported by a Eulbright grant, is to apply these tech niques to Spanish arts in the Philippines. This student of Philippine art history is espe cially interested in ecclesiastical products of the Spanish period: church architecture and the Mturgical arts. My initial task is to record the important remaining artis tic products of the Spanish co lonial Philippines. The major ity of these products comprise architectural forms such as churches, friaries (conventos'), gates, towers, walls, fortifica tions, civic buildings schools, and tombs. Also part of my survey of Philippine colonial arts are wood carving, paint ing, textiles, and metal work, All revelant objects must be photographed and fully des cribed as to size, color condi tion, location, and use. For ex ample, my cataloguing of colo nial churches is done on fiye inch by eight inch file cards. Name, date, description, and history appear on the front of the card while photographs are attached to the reverse side. These church file cards are presently arranged by proven ance. However, this arrange ment by location is only ten tative as more significant or derings are probable. One in teresting possibility is to divide the church cards into groups corresponding to the missionary orders whose members designed and directed the building of these early edifices. Such organization is, after all. only a necessary preliminary to my effort to analyze various artistic designs used in the Spanish Philippines. For the art historian, analyzation begins with research into the origin, transmission, and influence of November 1960 29 decorative elements. In consi dering a pair of Ionic columns, for instance, the architectural historian must ask: “Where was this motif first used?” “Where was it repeated?”, and “How did it get to its present loca tion?” Then, “What changes have occurred in the processes of repetition and transmission?” As a final step in analyzation, the historian poses the most fascinating problem: “What sig nificance had this motff for the various cultures which retained and employed it in preference to other possible designs?” A society selects and dev elops only those designs which can be made acceptable to its own esthetic. And culture of national esthetics is based on the commonly held ideals of society. Previously, careful studies have been made of the problems of art history and esthetics in regard to Spanish colonial art in Latin America. Is it not time for similar ex aminations of Spanish arts in the Philippines? Owing sketched the na"ture of my research, I would like to suggest several characteristics of Spanish archi tecture in the Philippines which seem significant to me and also, I trust, to those Filipinos who earnestly seek their native her itage and national identity. These remarks are admittedly limited by my recent arrival in Manila and by some lack of previous critical analysis of Spanish-Philippine architecture. Even the most cursory glance at pre-1900 Catholic churches in the Philippines focuses our attention on one fact: these buildings were conceived by minds Jamiliar with the Renais sance '.architectural vocabulary of decoration, structure, and use. A short check list of XVl century Italian architectural motifs, all modified by later plateresco and Churrigueresque decorative style of Spain and finally transmitted to the Phil ippines, would include scrolls, pediments, cornices, pilasters, columns, finials, niches, and arches. (Many of these features appear in the photograph of the facade of the Talibon church.) These designs, used throughout the Spanish period, are no less obviously European than the Gothic and Romanesque motifs employed on Philippine churches in the latter half of the XIX century. Needless to say, interiors of churches were graced with benches, candelab ra, confessionals, pulp?s, Tere dos, railings, ciboriums, taber nacles, and vestry chests all carved in the classical Renais sance and Baroque style. (The picture of the interior of the Argao church reveals the rich ness of Spanish-Philippine de cor.) But we most readily dis30 Panorama tinguish Hispano - Renaissance decorative influence on facades and main entrances of our churches. The padres fully realized that “first impressions count,” and they used every available decorative device to envolve the approaching suppli cant with the drama of en trance into the house of God. In addition to architectural designs and their appropriate use, the cultural baggage of Spanish priest-designers con tained European techniques of construction. Four of the most exploited building methods im ported by the Spaniards were 1) use of brick and stone, 2) minimum amounts of mortar between stones, 3) rubble-filled walls, and 4) structural arches. Thus the Philippines owes its knowledge of Renaissance deco rative and structural design to Spain. But architecture is far more than an isolated set of orna mental forms and methods oi construction. Architecture is building for particular purpose in a particular place. In the case of the Spanish Philippines, architecture was to provide for Christian worship in a tropical climate. The influence of en vironment is a pervasive one and, in the end, no less concrete in its evidence than the physi cal disposition of materials ac cording to imported tradition of decoration and construction. The locale itself brought about uniquely Philippine alter ations in the traditional appear ance of Spanish churches. To a limited extent various local building materials determined the type of carved decoration and wall construction. Employ ing adobe, limestone, granite, coral, and innumerable superb hard woods helped define the artistic and structural character of churches. In addition to the influence of* regional materials, the damp, hot climate and the ever current danger of floods, fire, and earthquakes qualified the appearance of buildings. We quickly note the influence of climate in the sturdy shapes of buttresses, the extreme thickness of walls, the detach ment of towers, the restricted fenestration, and even in the elevated location of the church. Conditions of colonization modified Spanish architectural practice in the Philippines as they had in Latin America. To facilitate church and civil con trol of the natives and to as sure their protection against piratical raids, the Spaniards might construct a compound. This area was far more than the santo campo for bnriaL adjoining each church. The compound consisted of watch tower, major walls, grand portals, powder magazine, storage barns, schools, civil buildings, belfry, friary, and church. We can vi November i960 31 sit nearly complete church com pounds in the towns of Argao, Boljoon, and Oslob on the south-eastern coast of Cebu. Finally, we must admit 1 one more profound in fluence of Philippine environ ment on Spanish church archi tecture: the oriental artistic vi sion or esthetic of the Filipino. In using Filipino or Sino-Filipino workmen, carvers, and ma sons, the Spanish priest-designer might preserve European plan and construction practice. But he was powerless to prevent the interpretation of European ornament by native capability and preference. If one has not seen real lions, or does not visualize foliage as three-di mensional or will not accept classical proportions, he can produce Renaissance art as Spaniards recognized it. (Jhe photograph of the Calumpit church can scarcely be said to show Spanish architecture.) Thus, the decorative arts of Spain, already bearing a latent Eastern artistic seed planted during eight centuries of Moor ish rule, quickly and persistent ly felt the pressures of Philip pine esthetics and environment It is too early for me to draw a precise picture of this Philip pine esthetic. Nevertheless, I will suggest several elements that seem to reoccur in Hispano-Philippine church design, though certainly not all at one time: 1) breaking up a surface in to numerous, simple geometric areas, often vertical rectangles; 2) covering the surface with decorations: a sense of horri vacui; 3) decorating surfaces with bands of small, repeated, semi abstract designs; 4) placing compact groups of decorative carving only at a few carefully selected points for accent; 5) isolating areas of decora tion in order to contrast with the remaining unbroken surface; and 6) deepening the pediment and elevating groups of designs, which results in a top-heavy feeling. Several of these qualities will be recognized as “Spanish” ac cording to Oscar Hagen’s Prin ciples of Spanish Art. But what makes these qualities “Filipino” is the manner in which they are organized. I suggest that Phil ippine design, in comparison to Spanish, is more comparmentalized. Whatever the exact nature of Spanish colonial esthetics, the church building in Spain was not mechanically repeated in her colonies, a fact proved by Kubler and Keleman in their studies on Spanish-Amer ican architecture. Moreover, I believe that we do not see a 32 Panorama thoroughly “Spanish” church in Manila any more than we saw one in Lima, Puebla, or Santa Fe. And, surely, a distinct na tive esthetic is as apparent in the churches of Naga, Cebu, Tigbauan, Iloilo, Paete, Laguna, or Morong, Rizal as in those of old Mexico. In conclusion, one simple but vital concept has resulted from my studies to date: there has existed a native Philippine culture since pre-Spanish times. When Europeans introduced the mature system of Renais sance decoration and construc tion to these islands, its inhabi tants responded by transform ing Spanish building tradition into truly native expressions couched in local artistic terms. Filipinos, therefore, have in herited the duty of preserving their early Catholic churches as a deeply significant symbol of their national culture. Business Mentality The rising flood waters were a hazard to pro perty, life and limb. Volunteers were out in row boats trying to rescue people. In one of these boats was a banker who saw a competitor of his floating by in the fast-rising river. ‘Hey, George,” the fellow in the rowboat called out, concerned, “can you float alone?” “Sure,” George yelled back, “but this is one hell of a time to be talking business!” Merry Mixups A man was complaining that he had just bought a prefabricated house and that it had cost him $50,000. “Fifty thousand!” exclaimed one of his friends. “Isn’t that a lot to pay for a prefab?” “Yes,” said the home-owner. “It didn’t cost that much to begin with, but I told the factory I want ed it right away, and they sent it to me air mail.” * November 1960 33

pages

28-33

Media