Guillermo Estrella Tolentino (24 July 1890 – (?) 1976) is a Filipino sculptor who was named National Artist for the Visual Arts in 1973. He is hailed as the “Father of Philippine Arts.”
Tolentino sculpted the University of the Philippines' most recognizable emblem, the UP Oblation, as well as the Bonifacio Monument in Caloocan City.
Guillermo E. Tolentino was born on 24 July 1890 in Malolos, Bulacan. His parents were Isidro Tolentino and Balbina Estrella.
Tolentino first learned how to draw while attending intermediate school in Malolos, under his teacher, H.A. Bordner. He took up his secondary studies at the Manila High School, then pursued a degree in fine arts in 1915 at the University of the Philippines.
In 1919, Tolentino went to the United States to pursue further studies, as he had received a scholarship grant from Bernard Baruch of New York University's Beaux School of Arts. He graduated from New York University with honors in 1921.
That same year, Tolentino traveled to Europe to visit the worked renowned museums and art galleries in London and Paris. He then went to study in Regge Istituto di Belle Arti in 1922.
It was in Rome that Tolentino had his first solo-artist exhibition. He also won second prize in an art competition for his composition Apat na Mangangabayong Apokalipsis (Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse).
He returned to the Philippines in 1924, and became a professor at the University of the Philippines' School of Fine Arts in 1926. Later, he would be appointed as the school's secretary.
In 1932, Tolentino married Paz Raymundo. They had a family of seven children.
From 1953 to 1955 Tolentino also served as the School of Arts' director. He retired in 1955 as professor emeritus.
In 1973, Tolentino was named National Artist for Visual Arts for his works in the field of sculpture. He died in 1976.
Works
Guillermo Tolentino was known as a master in classical sculpture.
He received national recognition for his work on the Bonifacio Monument, the design for which was chosen in a competition organized by sculptor Vicente Francisco, and architects Andres Luna de San Pedro and Tomas Mapua. The call for designs for the monument was made on 29 August 1930.
Tolentino's winning design featured an obelisk with a bird of freedom perched atop of it. Around the monument's base stand life-size figures of members of the Katipunan led by their leader Andres Bonifacio.
The monument is now a major landmark of Caloocan City. One of the metro's light rail transit (LRT) stations is located near the landmark, and is accordingly called “Monumento.”
Tolentino also sculpted the UP Oblation. The statue was commissioned in 1935 by then University President Rafael Palma. It was originally located at the UP Manila campus in Ermita, but was moved to the Diliman campus in celebration of the university's 40th anniversary.
Tolentino was also the artist who designed the medals for the Ramon Magsaysay Awards, as well as the seal of the Republic of the Philippines.
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
In 1947, Klippel left Australia for London and attended the Slade School of Fine Art alongside many other famous artists. He then spent a year in Paris attending lectures but then decided to go home in 1950. In 1957 he sailed to the USA to work and live in New York. While in America, He taught sculpture at the Minneapolis School of Art for 4 years.…
- 386 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
He had many great acomplishments such as being considered one of the founders of modernist schools of dominican painting along with Yoryi Morel and Jaime Colson. In his early career he…
- 211 Words
- 1 Page
Satisfactory Essays -
Francisco de Goya created a series of eighty print sin 1799 with the title „Los Caprichos”. This series palpably demonstrates Goya’s views on the world and on the whole mankind.…
- 1608 Words
- 7 Pages
Powerful Essays -
Diego Rivera was born on December 8, 1886, in Guanajuato in Mexico. His parents were Diego and Maria Barrientos Rivera. Being a family of rather modest means, they lived in Guanajuato until 1892, when they moved to Mexico City.…
- 278 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
New York University before traveling to Europe. On his trip to Vienna given by his…
- 329 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
moved to Madrid, Spain to study at the Academy of Fine Arts. When he was close…
- 597 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
He immigrated to New York and secured a position as a research associate in the biochemistry department at Columbia University. Became a full-fledged professor in 1952.…
- 489 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Philip was one of the legends of Abstract Expressionism, in late sixties Philip changed his style which made him famous but later on he painted the abstract art. In 1940’s he painted battling figures to reflect the effect of World War II, and late in life, Philip return to these images and Legend is intimate meditations on mortality and memory. It is a piece…
- 342 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Pablo Picasso was born in Màlaga, Spain, in 1881. Picasso was raised by his mother Doña Maria and his father Don Josè Ruiz Blasco. Picasso's father was an art teacher and started teaching him how to draw as a child. "By the time he was 13 years old, his skill level had surpassed his fathers" ("Pablo Picasso Biography"). Attending school was a challenge for Picasso because all he wanted to do was doodle and that caused him to get in trouble. "In 1895, when Picasso was 14 years old, he moved with his family to Barcelona, Spain. Picasso…
- 875 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
He attended a private school and Nyack High school where he graduated at 17 years of age. His parents had always supported and encouraged his art so when he told them he wanted to study painting at university there were no objections, only that Illustration or Commercial art would offer more financial security. So he enrolled in the Correspondence school of Illustrating…
- 593 Words
- 3 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
Raphael Sanzio was a great Renaissance painter and architect. As a young man, Raphael worked as an apprentice at Pietro Perugino's art workshop, which inspired him to pursue a career in the arts. When he was twenty he moved to Florence, which was where he was exposed to Da Vinci's and Michelangelo's work. Although Raphael learned from both men, and made use of their exploration of the human anatomy, it has been said that unlike Da Vinci and Michelangelo, Raphael added sentiment to his paintings. His time in Florence proved to be a very productive period of time in his career.…
- 264 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
Antonio Canova spent nearly 17 years in Rome off and on before returning to Possagno. He stayed in his hometown and painted for about a year before deciding to travel again. This time he went to Germany and then back to Rome. Later he took sojourns in Florence, Paris and…
- 465 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
By having the face on an angle and the thick brush strokes it shows me…
- 648 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Andres Bonifacio was born on November 30, 1863 in Tondo, Manila. His father Santiago was a tailor, a local politician and a boatman who operated a river-ferry; his mother, Catalina de Castro, was employed in a cigarette-rolling factory. The couple worked extremely hard to support Andres and his five younger siblings, but in 1881 Catalina caught tuberculosis ("consumption") and died. The following year, Santiago also became ill and passed away.…
- 3215 Words
- 13 Pages
Powerful Essays -
As we enter the National Museum of the Philippines "Spoliarium" 1884, oil on canvas A National Cultural Treasure by Juan Luna surprise us upon entering the hall. The super- sized painting depicts dark hollow beneath the Roman arena referred as the Spoliarium where the bodies of slain gladiators are being dragged away for disposal. For Luna, the lifeless gladiators represent the Filipinos during the Spanish period. Across the Spoliarium is the stunning painting by Hildalgo of The Assassination of General Bustamante and His Son. The painting depicts the murder of the governor in the hands of the friars and supporters and it was also inspired by true to life took place in Manila, year 1717. There’s also a whole room filled with Fernando Amorsolo's sketches, paintings and memorabilia. At the center of the room is the Jose Ruiz Kariton Kathedral- a contemporary artwork representing the church and the reality faced by the faithful. The museum’s visual arts collection extends to the galleries on the second floor. It is in this exhibit hall where visitors view sample works of pre-war artists like Simon Flores, Fabian de la Rosa, Dominador Castaneda, Diosdado Lorenzo, and Felix Martinez. Together they are displayed side-by side with the works of contemporary artists like Nunelucio Alvarado, Nena Saguil, Romeo Tabuena, Jaime De Guzman, and Julie Lluch.…
- 387 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays