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ABOUT THE WORK

Although Ang Kiukok finished his studies at the University of Santo Tomas and was even baptized a Catholic in 1962, the Church's often perplexing dogmas were never fully ingrained into his psyche. Nonetheless, religious figures, such as Christ and the Virgin Mary, have been central elements that defined Kiukok's oeuvre. Growing up in a predominantly Catholic country, Kiukok may have stood in awe at the Filipinos' grandiose and often jubilant religious traditions. Interestingly, Kiukok's wife, Mary, has always been a devout Catholic. Perhaps, he regularly witnessed how his wife prayed before these objects of veneration. Kiukok may have reflected on the elaborate creation of religious images and paintings and the brilliance of the hands behind them. Hence, the inspiration behind Kiukok's paintings of Catholic iconography is not attributed to a notion of religious mysticism or sacred devotion. Instead, Kiukok sees these votive images as merely material objects whose design and motifs are products of human ingenuity. Kiukok's synthesis of his artistic flair and Catholic exposure resulted in renderings of the Our Lady and the Child Jesus in its most festive form. Intricate abstract patterns in bright, decorative colors characterized his exploration of the subject matter. In this work from the artist's iconic Rosary Queen series, Kiukok paints an image of Mary and the Infant Jesus placed in an adorned retablo. Here, Kiukok stresses his expressive delineation and explicit brushstrokes, most evident in the sinuous embellishments of the subjects' wardrobes and their sublime halos. The predominance of primary colors exudes high-spiritedness and vitality. It casts light on the lively character of the Philippines' Marian tradition. Many of Kiukok's works in the 1970s subtly reflected the socio-political milieu, resulting in depictions of violence in his imagery. However, these did not mirror his "placid and affable" personality, which this piece embodies. Stylistically, this work evokes the magnificence of Fernando Zóbel's Carroza. Kiukok emphasizes the influence of Chinese aesthetics on his art. He captures not only the semblance of the subject but also its essence, which is, in this case, the vibrancy and material grandeur associated with such tradition. Alfredo Roces writes in Kiukok: Deconstructing Despair: "In his depictions of images of the Virgin Mary as a venerated figure, or his votive candles, or scenes of the Last Supper, Kiukok focuses on composition and the disposition of colors and forms. His Philippine Modernist Period comes to the fore, and his Modernistic vocabulary allows him much room for play. Here, Mary is not so much a Mother of Christ as an ornate icon venerated in processions. Her humanity as a mother is transformed into a faceless symbolic abstraction."