Galo B. Ocampo (October 16, 1913 – September 12, 1985) was a

Philippine 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 ...

artist. He was also the first Filipino to study

heraldry Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known branc ...

and was a member of the International Institute of Genealogy and Heraldry in Madrid. Ocampo was born in

Santa Rita, Pampanga Santa Rita, officially the Municipality of Santa Rita ( pam, Balen ning Santa Rita; tl, Bayan ng Santa Rita), is a 4th class municipality in the province of Pampanga, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 48,209 people ...

. In 1929, he studied Fine Arts at the

University of the Philippines The University of the Philippines (UP; fil, Pamantasan ng Pilipinas Unibersidad ng Pilipinas) is a state university system in the Philippines. It is the country's national university, as mandated by Republic Act No. 9500 (UP Charter of 2008) ...

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populated ...

. A modernist painter, he painted works such as the "Moro Dancer" and the "Igorot Dance". Among his paintings, the "Brown Madonna" garnered attention in 1938 because of its depiction of Jesus and

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also call ...

as non-Caucasian, brown Filipinos; It was also said to be "flat and two-dimensional". He, along with Victorio C. Edades and Carlos V. Francisco, painted the mural "Rising Philippines" in the lobby of the Capitol Theater in

. He served as the director of the

National Museum A national museum is a museum maintained and funded by a national government. In many countries it denotes a museum run by the central government, while other museums are run by regional or local governments. In other countries a much greater numb ...

from 1962 to 1968 and also served as a Secretary of the now-defunct Philippine Heraldry Committee which helped to design various seals of the different cities, municipalities, and provinces of the Philippines. After the Reorganization Act of 1972, the committee was abolished (its responsibilities were to be later handled by the

National Historical Institute The National Historical Commission of the Philippines ( fil, Pambansang Komisyong Pangkasaysayan ng Pilipinas, abbreviated NHCP) is a government agency of the Philippines. Its mission is "the promotion of Philippine history and cultural heritag ...

) and Ocampo became the Technical Adviser on Heraldry of the Office of the President. Among his many works are the stained glass windows in the reconstructed

Manila Cathedral The Minor Basilica and Metropolitan Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception ( fil, Basilika Menor at Kalakhang Katedral ng Kalinis-linisang Paglilihi; es, Basílica Menor y Catedral Metropolitana de la Inmaculada Concepción), also known as the ...

and those in the

Santo Domingo Church Santo Domingo Church, formally known as the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary ( Spanish: ''Santuario Nacional de Nuestra Señora del Santísimo Rosario''; Filipino: ''Pambansang Dambana ng Mahal na Birhen ng Santo Rosaryo''), i ...

Quezon City Quezon City (, ; fil, Lungsod Quezon ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read in Filipino as Kyusi), is the most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 2,960,048 people. It was fou ...

. His most prominent work in heraldry include the

Coat of arms of the Philippines The coat of arms of the Philippines ( fil, Sagisag ng Pilipinas; es, Escudo de Filipinas) features the eight-rayed sun of the Philippines with each ray representing the eight provinces (Batangas, Bulacan, Cavite, Manila, Laguna, Nueva Ecija, ...

, the seal of the president, the different coat of arms of the different Archbishops of Manila and the various symbols of state of the Philippines. He designed the insignia of the

Order of the Golden Heart The Order of the Golden Heart (''Orden ng Gintong Puso'') is an order of the Philippines. History Created by Executive Order 40-A dated June 21, 1954, the Golden Heart Presidential Award was upgraded to the Order of the Golden Heart by Executiv ...

among others. In 2015, he was posthumously awarded the

Order of Lakandula The Order of Lakandula ( fil, Orden ni Lakandula) is one of the highest civilian orders of the Philippines, established on September 19, 2003. It is awarded for political and civic merit and in memory of King Lakandula’s dedication to the res ...

with the rank of Marangal na Pinuno for his services to art and heraldry.

References

External links

Symbols of The State

Mysteries and Colors: Galo Ocampo

Looking Back: Brown Madonna

CNN ireport: Exploring Three Centuries of Philippine Art

A Brush with Greatness
1913 births 1985 deaths Filipino painters Modernists Heraldists Artists from Pampanga University of the Philippines Manila alumni Recipients of the Order of Lakandula {{Philippines-artist-stub