The Philippines has several forest types and one of them is the tropical lowland evergreen rainforest, also known as the Dipterocarp forest. But sadly they are the most affected by the many anthropogenic factors such as logging, kaingin (slash and burn farm), encroachment of settlers, conversion to palm oil plantations, and many others. Much of our remaining large tracts of Dipterocarp forest are found in the Sierra Madre Mountain Range, Samar Island Natural Park, Palawan, and Mindanao.

The tropical lowland evergreen rainforest is so diverse compared to other forest types because of the vertical layering of a habitat called forest stratification. These different layers are emergent, canopy, understory, and the forest floor. Each layer has its own ecological niche that supports unique sets of flora and fauna. 

Emergent layers are large dominant trees sticking out of the canopy layers, usually large dipterocarp species. These trees are the most preferred nesting sites of the Philippine Eagle which provide protection to its young from predators but sadly there is also the large-bole trees preferred by loggers cut.

The canopy layer forms at the mat of the crown of trees around 60-90 feet above the ground which receives 90% of the sunlight. The canopy layer is home to many epiphytes (orchids, ferns, moss, etc.) and arboreal animals (monkeys, tree frogs, flying lizards, etc.). Many species are yet to be discovered in this area especially the invertebrates (insects, arachnids, etc.) that never go down to the ground.

The understory receives only around 2-15% of the sunlight that breaks through the spaces of the canopy layer. This is dominated by some shade-loving trees, palms, and herbs. Some trees develop flowers directly on their trunk which is called cauliflorous which will more accessible to their pollinators. 

While the forest floor is the darkest zone in the tropical lowland evergreen rainforest but nonetheless it is home to so many unique flora and fauna. It is covered with thick layers of forest litter where many detritivores and heterotrophic are found such as arthropods, fungi, and some plants. This is where we can find the giant flowers of many Rafflesia species found nowhere else.

Our remaining tropical lowland evergreen rainforest is still full of mysteries and surprises. We still have time to do more fieldworks and research to uncover new species and new understanding that is useful to us. Let us protect this forest not only for today but for our future generations to come.

© 2022 National Museum of the Philippines

The #NationalMuseumPH celebrates the 90^th birth anniversary of National Artist for Visual Arts Federico Aguilar Alcuaz, born #OnThisDay in 1932.

In celebration of his life and art, we feature his painting “Sunset in Intramuros”, an oil on board painting completed in 1979. It depicts an aerial view overlooking the golf course and the Walled City of Intramuros, and the sun, setting over the horizon at the pier in Manila.  Alcuaz is known for his Cubist-inspired paintings, but painting landscapes is one of his favorite subjects.  He flies to New York to attend events and enjoy the cityscape that inspired him to paint New York’s rooftop and the Central Park and later painted other cities he had visited.  In the Philippines, he would paint landscape views of Manila, Makati, Intramuros, Binondo, and the Manila Bay sunset.  Alcuaz was well-recognized and has exhibited in leading galleries and museums locally and internationally. He was declared National Artist for Visual Arts in 2009. The painting is part of the Government Service and Insurance System (GSIS) Collection and is currently exhibited alongside his other works at the GSIS North Hallway, Third Floor of the National Museum of Fine Arts.  We invite you to view more of his artworks once we re-open.

The National Museum of Fine Arts is temporarily closed until July 4, 2022.  Follow this page for more features from the National Fine Arts Collection.  While we are closed, here is the link for the 360-degrees virtual tour of the nine select galleries at the National Museum of Fine Arts:  https://www.nationalmuseum.gov.ph/nmfa360/HTML5/NMFA360.html

#OnThisDay
#FedericoAlcuaz
#MuseumFromHome

Text by NMP FAD

Photo by Bengy Toda

Can you explain what you see and feel upon seeing this work? Do you see thick textures of paint and quick brushstrokes? Today, #NationalMuseumPH celebrates the 91st birth anniversary of National Artist (NA) for Visual Arts and pioneering abstract expressionist Jose Tanig Joya by featuring his 1964 oil painting on wood, “Scented Sheath” from the National Fine Arts Collection (NFAC).

Abstraction or abstract art, is a general term for a work of art that is non-representational. On the other hand, Abstract expressionism is also characterized by the non-representational depiction of objects but in gestural (fast, vigorous) brushstrokes and impasto (thick application of paint) as seen in this featured artwork. NA Joya’s impastos are concentrated in the upper-middle to the middle part of this artwork. The canvas is full of gestural brushstrokes in earth tones. The artist’s signature is found on the bottom right part of the artwork.

This significant work of NA Jose Joya was registered as public property in 1964, the same year it was completed. Exhibited at the Pillars of Philippine Modernism Gallery (Gallery XVIII), “Scented Sheath” portrays the excellence and mastery of the artist in the field of abstract expressionism. The year 1964 is a momentous time in the life of the artist. Joya received an invitation from the British Government to be their Guest Artist. Furthermore, it was also in 1964 when NA Joya represented the Philippines for the first time in the prestigious 32nd Venice Biennale in Italy, together with Napoleon V. Abueva (1930-2018), another sculptor in the modernist idiom, who later on was declared a National Artist. His painting, “Hills of Nikko” and part of the NFAC: https://bit.ly/3NLUkWC as part of the Philippines’ entry to the Biennale.

Visit the Pillars of Philippine Modernism Gallery and check out other abstract expressionist works of NA Joya. Come and visit us until June 5 before we temporarily close our doors to the public!

#JoseJoya
#AbstractExpressionist
#OnThisDay

© 2022 National Museum of the Philippines

This week, the #MuseumFromHome highlights the local and tradeware jars in the National Ethnographic Collection of the #NationalMuseumPH. These jars form part of the ethnographic stoneware collection to be featured in the upcoming Elizabeth Y. Gokongwei Resource Center located at the 5F of the National Museum of Anthropology, in partnership with the Gokongwei Brothers Foundation, Inc.

Ceramic historians identify the provenance of tradeware jars by comparing the overall structure, the shape of the body, shade or color, inscriptions or marks, or the presence of patterns to similarly identified ceramics. Usually, a liquid mineral is used to coat the ceramics to decorate and seal the surface of the pottery. Known as glaze, this becomes glassy when heated and may be dipped in before firing or be painted or blown on a fine spray. When it comes to the shape, the rim structure varies, although most are out-curved and collared. The base and the foot rim, on the other hand, are generally rounded and may be deep or shallow depending on the height of the jar. 

Tradeware ceramics are generally more durable and non-porous, making it better storage vessels for liquids compared with locally produced wares. Over time, these become heirloom pieces, ritual items, payment for dowry, and settlement of fines or disputes. Chinese ceramics, known for their intricate designs such as dragons, were commonly traded in the country as early as the Tang Dynasty. The cobalt-colored ceramics, also known as the blue-and-white from the Qing Dynasty, were also popular in the region and beyond. Filipinos tried to replicate Chinese ceramics but were unsuccessful since clay in the country lacks the necessary components to achieve the same quality. 

A type of large storage jars produced exclusively in Lower Myanmar (Burma), called Martaban, were also shipped during the Song and Qing dynasties. Some were plain, others were decorated with flying dragons and small loop handles attached to the shoulder or close to the neck.  Similar jars recovered from the San Diego shipwreck were covered with a black glaze of uneven thickness and decorated with light-colored clay in low relief, either with stripes or rows of buttons resembling rivet heads. These were locally used in fermenting and storing salted fish that turn into bagoong (fish sauce). Another notable tradeware ceramic item is called Sawankhalok. These are from Thailand and produced during the Madjapahit Empire and characterized by underglaze black pieces which were finely potted and with comparatively thin walls. 

In Northern Luzon, the technology of burnay (jar) production was introduced by Chinese migrants from the late 18th to the 19th century in Vigan City, Ilocos Sur. The burnay made by the Ilokanos are traditionally used as water and food containers. These types of round and wide-bodied stoneware jars with narrow mouths and flat bottoms thrived in the 19th century as they were suitable for processing sugarcane wine, vinegar, and other fermented condiments. While pottery production is traditionally performed by male artisans, the task of decorating the burnay with ears and cords was sometimes done by women in recent years. In 1990, Filipino-Chinese Fidel Go, the only remaining active artisan among the descendants of the earlier Chinese potters in Vigan City, was named a National Folk Artist by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts for his invaluable contribution to the preservation of burnay tradition.

#Ceramics

#PhilippinePottery

#EYGResourceCenter

Text and Poster by the NMP Ethnology Division

© 2022 National Museum of the Philippines