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Guillermo Estrella Tolentino (July 24, 1890 – July 12, 1976) was a Filipino sculptor and professor of 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 20 ...
. He was designated as a
National Artist of the Philippines The Order of National Artists of the Philippines ( Filipino: ''Orden ng mga Pambansang Alagad ng Sining ng Pilipinas'') is an order bestowed by the Philippines on Filipinos who have made significant contributions to the development of Philipp ...
for Sculpture in 1973, three years before his death.


Early life and education

Tolentino was born on July 24, 1890 in
Malolos Malolos, officially the City of Malolos ( fil, Lungsod ng Malolos), is a 1st class component city and capital of the province of Bulacan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 261,189 people. It is the capital city ...
,
Bulacan Bulacan, officially the Province of Bulacan ( tl, Lalawigan ng Bulacan), is a province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. Its capital is the city of Malolos. Bulacan was established on August 15, 1578, and part of the Me ...
. He was the fourth child in his family and had seven siblings. Before being interested in sculptures, he learned how to play the guitar, a skill which he inherited from his father. The young Tolentino showed an early talent in sculpting, having been able to mold figures of horses and dogs out of clay. Tolentino started studying in Malolos Intermediate School and continued his high school years in the same city. After studying in Malolos, Tolentino went to
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 ...
and attended classes in the School of Fine Arts of 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 20 ...
. In 1911, Tolentino made an illustration of prominent Filipinos posing for a studio portrait. Among those included were national heroes, revolutionaries, and politicians. The illustration was lithographed and published in a weekly magazine called ''
Liwayway ''Liwayway''''Liwayway''
Komiklopedia, The Philippine Komiks Encyclopedia, Komiklopedia.wor ...
'' under the name ''"Grupo de Filipinos Ilustres"'' and became popular among homes in the 20th century. Tolentino, a student at the university when he made the illustration, didn't earn any money from it but didn't seem to mind about it. Tolentino graduated in 1915 with a degree in
Fine Arts In European academic traditions, fine art is developed primarily for aesthetics or creative expression, distinguishing it from decorative art or applied art, which also has to serve some practical function, such as pottery or most metalwor ...
.


Career

Tolentino, upon returning from Europe in 1925, was appointed as a professor at the University of the Philippines' School of Fine Arts and opened his studio in Manila on January 24. Along with thirteen artists, Tolentino joined a contest in 1930 to design the
Bonifacio Monument The Andrés Bonifacio Monument, commonly known simply as Bonifacio Monument or Monumento, is a memorial monument in Caloocan, Philippines which was designed by National Artist Guillermo Tolentino to commemorate the Philippine revolutionary And ...
. Instead of basing the statues on printed materials, he interviewed people who participated in the Philippine Revolution. Bonifacio's figure was based on the bone structure of
Espiridiona Bonifacio Espiridiona Bonifacio y de Castro (May 1, 1872 – May 26, 1956) was a Filipino Katipunera. She was one of the first female members of Confederation established by her older brother Andres Bonifacio. The others were her older brothers Ciria ...
, the Supremo's surviving sister. Down to seven entries, the committee had its winners by July 29. Tolentino's entry won first place and was given a cash prize of 3,000 pesos. In 1935, Rafael Palma, president of the University of the Philippines, commissioned Tolentino to sculpt the
Oblation Oblation, meaning "the act of offering; an instance of offering" and by extension "the thing offered" (Late Latin ''oblatio'', from ''offerre'', ''oblatum'', to offer), is a term used, particularly in ecclesiastical use, for a solemn offering, sa ...
, a statue based on the second stanza of
Jose Rizal Jose is the English transliteration of the Hebrew and Aramaic name ''Yose'', which is etymologically linked to ''Yosef'' or Joseph. The name was popular during the Mishnaic and Talmudic periods. *Jose ben Abin *Jose ben Akabya * Jose the Ga ...
's '' Mi ultimo adios''. Tolentino used
concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wid ...
to create the statue but it was painted to look like
bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids suc ...
. The statue's model was Anastacio Caedo, his assistant, whose physique was combined with the proportion of Virgilio Raymundo, his brother-in-law. The University of the Philippines Alumni Association requested Tolentino on October 25, 1935 to construct an arch commemorating the inauguration of the
Commonwealth of the Philippines The Commonwealth of the Philippines ( es, Commonwealth de Filipinas or ; tl, Komonwelt ng Pilipinas) was the administrative body that governed the Philippines from 1935 to 1946, aside from a period of exile in the Second World War from 1942 ...
but it was never built, because of the war. In the absence of Fernando Amorsolo, Tolentino was appointed acting director of the School of Fine Arts and eventually became its director two years later, on August 4, 1953. Besides monuments, Tolentino made smaller sculptures, which are now located in the National Museum of Fine Arts and busts of heroes at the Malacañang Palace. He also designed the medals of the
Ramon Magsaysay Award The Ramon Magsaysay Award ( Filipino: ''Gawad Ramon Magsaysay'') is an annual award established to perpetuate former Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay's example of integrity in governance, courageous service to the people, and pragmatic ideal ...
and the seal of the Republic of the Philippines.


Later years

In 1955, Tolentino retired from service in the University of the Philippines and returned to private practice. He received various awards and distinctions in his later years, most notably his declaration as National Artist by
Ferdinand Marcos Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. ( , , ; September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino politician, lawyer, dictator, and kleptocrat who was the 10th president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled under martial ...
on May 15, 1973.


Death

Tolentino died at 8:00 p.m. on July 12, 1976 at his house in Retiro Street, Quezon City, twelve days before his 86th birthday. He was interred at the
Libingan ng mga Bayani Libingan ng mga Bayani (LNMB, , ) is a national cemetery within Fort Andres Bonifacio (formerly Fort William McKinley) in Metro Manila, Philippines. First established in May 1947 as a fitting resting place for Philippine military personnel fro ...
, which was part of his privileges as a national artist.


Awards and exhibitions

These were the awards given to Guillermo Tolentino: * 1959 –
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...
Cultural Award in Sculpture * 1963 – Patnubay ng Sining at Kalinangan Award * 1967 – Republic Cultural Heritage Award * 1970 –
Presidential Medal of Merit President most commonly refers to: * President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
* 1972 – Diwa ng Lahi Award * 1973 –
National Artist of the Philippines The Order of National Artists of the Philippines ( Filipino: ''Orden ng mga Pambansang Alagad ng Sining ng Pilipinas'') is an order bestowed by the Philippines on Filipinos who have made significant contributions to the development of Philipp ...
for Visual Arts in Sculpture


Exhibitions at the National Art Gallery

Guillermo Tolentino's works and memorabilia are mainly housed in Gallery XII or Security Bank Hall of the National Museum of Fine Arts. This was possible with the collaboration of his family, Security Bank president Frederick Dy, Judy Araneta-Roxas, Ernesto and Araceli Salas, and Nestor Jordin. Works relating to
Jose Rizal Jose is the English transliteration of the Hebrew and Aramaic name ''Yose'', which is etymologically linked to ''Yosef'' or Joseph. The name was popular during the Mishnaic and Talmudic periods. *Jose ben Abin *Jose ben Akabya * Jose the Ga ...
by Tolentino and other Filipino artists of the 20th century are displayed at Gallery V of the museum.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tolentino, Guillermo 1890 births 1976 deaths Filipino sculptors People from Malolos University of the Philippines alumni National Artists of the Philippines Burials at the Libingan ng mga Bayani Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Merit (Philippines)