Provenance:
Private Collection, Manila

ABOUT THE WORK

Bencab exudes pictorial nostalgia, transporting one to the past. He sees himself doing more variations on the old Filipino theme. He works intuitively, always avoiding the risk of limiting himself to a repetitive message. One recalls his first "Larawan" exhibition in 1972, where he reproduced in sepia pictures of the Philippine revolutionary period that he had discovered in London. This awakening evoked nostalgic memories, and Bencab's sepia paintings gave body and soul to some of them. Preoccupied with creating something Filipino, he delves into our rich heritage to unravel the mystery of our identity. Bencab always favored using few colors rather than many; deep browns make for the backdrop of the painting. Bencab's works assert that fewer colors in a painting gave the art greater force and meaning. Using these photographs as primary materials, he transformed and enriched them semantically. Bencab's style was not expressionist and painterly, but he worked in clear, precise, and uncluttered images. His style went beyond realms to seek expressive devices in works that were quietly meaningful. Almost all the 19th century Filipina women in Bencab's oeuvre belong to the Indio class. Cid Reyes wrote in 1998: "Lying at the heart of this artistic decision is the painful scorn and derision suffered by these indias, a factual record of which is distinctly etched in the travel narratives of 19th-century chroniclers and visitors. Succeeding travelers took their turn heaping insult on the person of the poor Filipina." Thus with jealous eyes, did the 19th-century foreigners regard the Filipina. But in the eyes of an ardent nationalist like Bencab, a reversal in outlook was gallantly forthcoming, in a grand celebration on the canvas, the artist conceives the Filipina as an India Brava, a portrait in grace and civility, rising boldly from the grief of her poverty and ignorance, through sheer endurance and industry, even as she attends to the duties of motherhood and domestic tedium. Larawan, the Filipino term for "photograph," carries emotional and pictorial reverberations in the art of Bencab. Once, when asked to explain his concern with the depiction of "The Filipino," Bencab replied:" I am interested in the investigation of the various and differing social and cultural aspects of the Filipino personality. I can't think of any other reason. This 'investigation,' however, is not just an exploration of what is widely perceived as a form of national neurosis. This longhaired 'India' has a more contemporary feel, with her direct stare and demeanor immediately engaging the audience. This aura is a far cry from the heavy-handed circumstances of Bencab's Larawan series.