Provenance: The Saturday Group of artists’ collaboration with Mauro Malang Santos

ABOUT THE WORK

It was in July 1968 when a group of prominent artists consistently gathered every Saturday at Taza de Oro in Ermita along Roxas Boulevard to bond and indulge in shoptalk, visiting artist’s studios, seeing exhibitions together, doing nude sketches and painting sessions. Soon, the group introduced interactive painting activities and fundraising projects to assist artists having financial difficulties. This organization was given the name Saturday Group. Despite its humble beginnings its members were truly illustrious with H. R. Ocampo, Cesar Legaspi, Ang Kiukok, Mauro Malang Santos and BenCab, among others. In this piece, Malang along with his co-artists combines two of his dear subjects while giving them equal focus: the woman dressed in the elegant baro’t saya and his colorful and tightly packed portrayal of the city.