Provenance:
Private Collection, Manila

ABOUT THE WORK

Oscar De Zalameda was a renowned and sought-after artist for his time, as he was known for his signature use of a refined and calm form of cubism that was depicted to be decorative and sophisticated, similar to his contemporaries such as Fernando Zóbel. His style had developed over his career, as Zalameda’s education as a Bachelor in Fine Arts in the University of Santo Tomas and later in San Francisco where he won notable awards. He later studied in Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux-Arts and the Sorbonne in Paris and in Mexico. At this point, Zalameda began exhibiting in places around the world, such as New York, Barcelona, Paris, and more. He was then sought after by the First Lady at the time Imelda Marcos to have a one-man exhibition in Malacañang Palace and later a Manila exhibit that had many of his works being in high demand. Zalameda spent most of his years in Europe where he was commissioned by many to create artworks with his distinct style of art. Although they were similar to other artists in the beginning of his career, Zalameda stood out in further developing his cubism-influenced art style toward a refined and gentle tonal dynamic of colors. This work is an example of his signature style, where he presents a scene of three farmers carrying baskets of mangoes against a background of different colors of white, black, and shades of brown. This scene is depicted in light and calm tones made up of gentle forms and shapes that overlap and intersect with one another, where they come together to this abstract relationship where all of the colors harmonize to create this scene of three farmers together. By creating this dynamic of colors through the work of the three farmers, it reflects not only Zalameda’s skill in harmonizing color tones but the nature of the work of the three farmers. It not only shows but celebrates the calm beauty and earthly nature of the labor and life of these farmers in their harvest of mangos. A painting such as this is a representation of Zalameda’s skill and mastery of creating scenes of beauty through his refined cubism-influenced art style.