Purveyor of Knowledge and Emerging Publisher of Content and Visually Driven Books

February 2, 2026

The History and the 1940s Graduates of the University of the Philippines School of Fine Arts

The History and the 1940s Graduates of the University of the Philippines School of Fine Arts (Second of Three Parts)
by: Christiane L. de la Paz

March 2014–The School of Fine Arts was established by authority of Act No. 1870, founding the University of the Philippines which was enacted by the Philippine Assembly on June 18, 1908. The School was opened to students in June, 1909. It was first housed in a building rented by the University at 931 Calle Resurreccion Hidalgo, Quiapo. In May, 1926, it moved to 1001 California Street, Ermita, and in November, 1933, it moved to Villamor Hall where it is present housed.

The object of the School, besides the teaching and development of the graphic and plastic arts in their various and manifold branches, which is its chief objects, is “to exert an influence toward the advancement and refinement of those industrial trades which are of an artistic nature; as gold and silver work, ceramics, embroidery, lace-making, and metal work.”

The 1940s Graduates


Pablo Victoria (1940)


Virginia Flor Agbayani (1947)


Constancio Bernardo (1948)


Benjamin Alano (1948)


Jose Yap (1948)


Lauro Alcala (1949)



How to turn a manuscript into a bestseller
How to turn a manuscript into a bestseller
November 2012--Editors today generally spend less time in editing because time is money. This is the observation that novelist Ken Spillman gave at a panel discussion on "Uncut: Issues in Editing" at t...
lee mas...
Inday Cadapan: The Modern Inday
Inday Cadapan: The Modern Inday
October-November-December 2017--In 1979, Inday Cadapan was forty years old when she set out to find a visual structure that would allow her to voice out her opinion against poverty and the unjust labor practices. Largely...
lee mas...
The National Anthem
THE NATIONAL ANTHEM The Philippine national anthem is the product of two minds: that of Julian Felipe, pianist and composer, and Jose Palma, a poet and soldier. Although the authors of this immortal piece worked in...
lee mas...
The History of the Manila Cathedral
The History of the Manila Cathedral
November 2011-- The year was 1521, as Ferdinand Magellan set foot in the Philippines, it marked the arrival of Catholicism in the Philippines. The Spanish colonization paved way for the spread of Christianity and the era...
lee mas...
Antonio G. Dumlao: The Forgotten Great
Antonio G. Dumlao: The Forgotten Great
December 2011--In the not so distant past, Antonio Gonzales Dumlao was a big name in Philippine art. He was a contemporary of Fernando Amorsolo and Vicente Manansala who began his career during the late the 1930s pa...
lee mas...
Devil Found in Detail of Giotto Fresco in Italy's Assisi
Devil Found in Detail of Giotto Fresco in Italy's Assisi
November 2011--ROME (Reuters) - Art restorers have discovered the figure of a devil hidden in the clouds of one of the most famous frescos by Giotto in the Basilica of St Francis in Assisi, church officials said on Saturd...
lee mas...
Renato Rocha: Building Modern Sculptures
Renato Rocha: Building Modern Sculptures
December 2013--From 1960-1965, Renato Rocha had a winning streak in various art competitions including the University of the Philippines Student Catholic Action Art Competition (UP SCA) and the National Student Art Compe...
lee mas...
If art journalism is in trouble, what about publishing?
If art journalism is in trouble, what about publishing?
Jamie Camplin is the managing director of Thames & Hudson, a publishing firm based in London, England. He wrote an opinion piece for the June 2009 Art Newspaper that may interest general art readers and m...
lee mas...
Remembering Severino "LAC" Lacambra, Sr. (1918-1985)
Remembering Severino "LAC" Lacambra, Sr. (1918-1985)
April 2015--Nothing much have been recorded lengthily about Severino Lacambra’s life and works except that he was often written in the shadow of his more popular contemporaries, Cesar Buenaventura and...
lee mas...
books
Artes de las Filipinas welcomed the year 2022 with its latest publication
lee mas...