50 Shades of Philippine Art: Damian Domingo

Damián Domingo was a self-taught master artist from Tondowhose skilled hand and distinctly Philippine style made him ahighly sought-after painter of official portraits and religious tableaus.His albums of colorful immortalized the diverse costumesand lifestyles of early nineteenth-century Philippines. It wasthis expertise and acclaim that led to a trailblazing career as an artteacher and director of the first Philippine art academy. By makingpainting a subject for formal study, Domingo managed to elevate itsstatus as an art form in the Philippines, thus raising the esteem andrespect accorded to Filipino painters. It was perhaps appropriate tohis catalytic role in this stage of Philippine art history that Domingoalso painted the earliest known self-portrait by a Filipino artist. This lushly illustrated book explores the artist’s life and historicalmilieu through meticulous and engaging scholarship. His survivingmasterpieces, including his rediscovered self-portrait, arereproduced in p