Ang Kiukok (March 1, 1931 – May 9, 2005) was a Filipino painter of

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...

descent and was a

National Artist National Artist is an honorary title issued by some states as a highest recognition of artists for their significant contributions to the cultural heritage of the nation. An equivalent title, People's Artist, has been known in countries of the f ...

for Visual Arts.

Early life and training

Ang was born on March 1, 1931, in Davao, Davao Province,

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

to Vicente Ang and Chin Lim who were immigrants from

Xiamen Xiamen ( , ; ), also known as Amoy (, from Hokkien pronunciation ), is a sub-provincial city in southeastern Fujian, People's Republic of China, beside the Taiwan Strait. It is divided into six districts: Huli, Siming, Jimei, Tong'an, ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. Ang was the only son in his family and he had four sisters. He was originally intended to be named Ang Hua Shing ("Hua Shing" literally means "Chinese-born") but did not push through with the plan upon learning that his cousin was given the name by his uncle. Ang was taught by a commercial artist at a young age on how to make charcoal portrait. His influence at the time was the artworks of

Qi Baishi Qi Baishi (1 January 1864 – 16 September 1957) was a Chinese painter, noted for the whimsical, often playful style of his works. Born to a peasant family from Xiangtan, Hunan, Qi taught himself to paint, sparked by the Manual of the Musta ...

. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the family moved to

Cotabato Cotabato or North Cotabato ( hil, Aminhan Cotabato; ceb, Amihanang Cotabato; Maguindanaon: ''Pangutaran Kutawatu'', Jawi: ڤڠوترن كوتاواتو; fil, Hilagang Cotabato), officially the Province of Cotabato, is a landlocked province in ...

. Ang made movie billboards here and later his family moved to Manila, where he attended the

University of Santo Tomas The University of Santo Tomas (also known as UST and officially as the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, Manila) is a private, Catholic research university in Manila, Philippines. Founded on April 28, 1611, by Spanish friar Miguel ...

where one of his mentors was

Vicente Manansala Vicente Silva Manansala (January 22, 1910 – August 22, 1981) was a Filipino cubist painter and illustrator.Endaya, Imelda Cajipe (artist and independent curator) and Cecilia B. Rebong (Philippine Consul-General). ''"Pamana: Modernong Sining"' ...

. He studied in the university from 1952 to 1954.

Career

Ang's first formal recognition in his career as an artist was when his work ''Calesa'' garnered third place at the Shell National Students Art Competition in 1953. In 1954, he launched his first one-man show at the Contemporary Arts Gallery after he was urged by his mentor Manansala. Within a few years his works such as garnered him more recognition such as ''Still Life'' (1951, Honorable mention), ''The Bird'' (1959, First Prize), ''Still Life in Red'' (1963, Third Prize), ''Fish'' (1963, Second Prize) and ''Geometric Still-Life Fish'' (1963, Second Prize). All of these recognition was from the Art Association of the Philippines. He first attained prominence in the Philippine arts scene in the 1960s with a distinct style that fused influences from

cubism Cubism is an early-20th-century avant-garde art movement that revolutionized European painting and sculpture, and inspired related movements in music, literature and architecture. In Cubist artwork, objects are analyzed, broken up and reassemble ...

surrealism Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. Its aim was, according to l ...

and

expressionism Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it rad ...

. Some classified his style as "figurative expressionism". What could not be doubted was the violence in his imagery, a factor that slighted the commercial viability of his works until the 1980s. He favored such subjects as

fighting cocks A cockfight is a blood sport, held in a ring called a cockpit. The history of raising fowl for fighting goes back 6,000 years. The first documented use of the ''word'' gamecock, denoting use of the cock (bird), cock as to a "game", a sport, pas ...

, rabid dogs, and people enraptured by rage or bound in chains. As someone who has a Catholic background, he painted multiple depictions of the crucified

Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, names and titles), was ...

that did not shirk from portraying the agonies normally associated with the crucifixion. When asked why he was so angry, he replied, "''Why not? Open your eyes. Look around you. So much anger, sorrow, ugliness. And also madness.''" The intensity of his works stood in contrast to his own personality, described as "placid and affable". It did not escape attention that many of Ang's most violent or gruesome imagery was painted during the

martial law Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory. Use Marti ...

rule of

Ferdinand Marcos Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. ( , , ; September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino politician, lawyer, dictator, and kleptocrat who was the 10th president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled under martial ...

, though he did not build a reputation for himself as a prominent critic of the Marcos regime. Ang was conferred the honor of being a

for Visual Arts in 2001, by virtue of Presidential Proclamation No. 32, s. 2001, which was signed on April 20, 2001. The ceremonial conferment of the honor to Ang and three other artists -

F. Sionil Jose F is the sixth letter of the Latin alphabet. F may also refer to: Science and technology Mathematics * F or f, the number 15 (number), 15 in hexadecimal and higher positional systems * ''p'F'q'', the hypergeometric function * F-distributi ...

(literature),

Ishmael Bernal Ishmael Bernal (30 September 1938 – 2 June 1996) was a Filipino filmmaker, stage and television director, actor and screenwriter. Noted for his melodramas, particularly with feminist and moral issues, he directed many landmark Filipino films ...

(film) and

Severino Montano Severino Montano (January 3, 1915 – December 12, 1980) was a playwright, director, actor and theater organizer with an output of one novel, 150 poems and 50 plays in his 65-year lifetime. Through the foundation of the Arena Theater, Montano ...

(theater arts) - was held on June 11, 2001.

Legacy and death

In the end, Ang emerged not only as a critical favorite, but a commercially popular artist as well. Upon his death from cancer on May 9, 2005, it was reported that he and fellow

Fernando Amorsolo Fernando Cueto Amorsolo (born Fernando Amorsolo y Cueto; May 30, 1892 – April 24, 1972) was a portraitist and painter of rural Philippine landscapes. Nicknamed the "Grand Old Man of Philippine Art," he was the first-ever to be recognized as a N ...

were the most widely bidded after Filipino painters in auctions.

References

Specific

General

*
Zulueta, Lito B. ''Visionary National Artist Ang Kiukok Dies; 74'', The Philippine Daily Inquirer, May 11, 2005
retrieved on January 1, 2007, an

retrieved on, July 6, 2007 *Endaya, Imelda Cajipe (artist and independent curator) and Cecilia B. Rebong (Philippine Consul-General). ''"Pamana: Modernong Sining"'' (A Heritage of Modern Art), An Art Exhibit from the Collection of the Philippine Center in New York, Printed Catalogue, The Consulate General of the Philippines, Philippine Center Management Board, and PCGNY.net, June 11, 2007, 12 pages. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ang, Kiukok 1931 births 2005 deaths 20th-century Filipino painters Artists from Davao del Sur Burials at the Libingan ng mga Bayani Deaths from cancer in the Philippines Filipino artists Filipino people of Chinese descent Filipino Roman Catholics National Artists of the Philippines People from Davao City University of Santo Tomas alumni