Ang Kiukok

was born on March 1, 1931 and died on May 2005. Ang Kiukok was a leading Filipino painter and a National Artist for Visual Arts. He is one oftheh Philippines' best-selling painters. He won a bronze medal at the First International Art Exhibition in Saigon in 1962, and his work can be found in many major Asian art collections.

Ang Kiukok

“Mother and Child”

1976

Oil on Canvas

H23.8xW17.5in

 "Mother and Child" image exudes an inexpressible love, are entwined in a trance-like union, stripped of individual identity.

I chose his artwork because Kiukok was a follower of abstract expressionism and was noted for his depiction of ugly scenes to denote beauty. 

Vicente Silva Manansala

was a Philippine cubist painter and illustrator. Manansala was born in January 22, 1910 and died on August 22, 1981. As a member of the Thirteen Moderns and the neo-realists, he was at the forefront of the Modernist Movement in the country. With the issues of national culture and identity in focus after WWII, his works were akin to those of the other early modernists, which reflected the social environment and expressed the native sensibility.

Vicente Manansala

“Sabungero”

1964

Oil on Canvas

27.5x35in

Manansala developed Transparent Cubism, wherein the "delicate tones, shapes, and patterns of figure and environment, are masterfully superimposed". A fine example of Manansala using this "transparent and translucent" technique is his composition here, The Sabungero (cockfight aficionado), 1964.

I chose this artwork because the cubist aspect of Manansala's work rests largely on the geometric faceting of forms, and in the shifting and overlapping of planes. But his facets and planes are broader than in original cubism as they bring out larger rhythms. As a whole, Manansala reinterpreted and indigenized cubism as he drew his themes from the familiar Filipino environment.

Fernando Amorsolo y Cueto

 was born on May 30, 1892 and died on April 24, 1972. He is one of the most important artists in the history of painting in the Philippines. Amorsolo was a portraitist and painter of rural Philippine landscapes. He is popularly known for his craftsmanship and mastery in the use of light.

Fernando Amorsolo y Cueto

 “Ladies in the Mango Field”

1949

Oil on Canvas

61x87 cm

Also known as Fruitpickers Under The Mango Tree, 1939, Amorsolo demonstrated his use of “Chiaroscuro”, an Italian term describing the contrast between light and dark, to achieve a sense of three-dimensionality, especially with regards to the human figure.

I chose this artwork because, as a shy man whose only real genius was in painting, Fernando Amorsolo actually also helped shape and stylize the image of the ideal Filipina, seemingly timid, with conservative poise, but brimming with inner strength. He was best known for his illuminated landscapes which often portrayed traditional Filipino customs, culture, fiestas and occupations. His pastoral works presented an imagined sense of nationhood in counterpoint to American colonial rule and were important to the formation of Filipino national identity.