PROPERTY FROM THE RODOLFO PARAS-PEREZ COLLECTION

Provenance: Provenance: Acquired directly from the artist

ABOUT THE WORK

In the late 1950s, Vicente Manansala became fascinated in Oriental art-making techniques. He learned Chinese brush painting both by practicing on his own and taking lessons with experts like the Manila-based Chinese artist I-Hsiung Ju, also participating in sessions supervised by visiting Hong Kong artists. Manansala would depict familiar subjects—bamboo, shrimps, and everyday objects— as he studied calligraphy. As he tried his hand with the Chinese traditions of painting, he was able to yield works such as this still life in which domestic objects are masterfully arranged across the surface of the paper, evoking a seemingly “floating” quality of presence with a few essential brushstrokes. This painting style was not one he often used, hence the rarity of this Still Life piece.