Antonio Ko Jr.

was born in Manila, Philippines 1956-1999. He grew up in the Mabini area surrounded by painters. His Chinese father, Kua Ya, owned a grocery-restaurant on Padre Faura, Philippines where hungry artists, in every sense of the word, of Mabini’s art galleries, paid for their week’s meals with their paintings.

Antonio Ko Jr.

 “Farm Life”

1992

Oil on Canvas

35x60in

In the ’90s, he painted in a variety of styles, producing serious works in realist, impressionist, and expressionist idioms.

I chose this artwork, "Farm Life"' a still-life image that portrays the bliss of traditional “Buhay Pinoy”, the village life of Filipinos, simple yet idyllic. Here, we see the male farm folk in the midst of harvest, with a farmer kept company by his wife and young children.