* This lot is sold to benefit the Asian Cultural Council

Provenance:
León Gallery, Leon Exchange Online Auction Edition 5: Day 1
The Collector's Vault, Makati City, 21 October 2017, Lot 370

ABOUT THE WORK

The works of Carlo Saavedra capture the world in both a state of form and decay. Saavedra’s elements are both rudimentary yet fully realized in their treatment. As an artist, Saavedra is not only concerned with the expressive qualities of art itself, but how such expression is attained through the process of creation. This is evident in his masterfully rendered elements which are characterized by their bold and almost erratic gestural strokes that are recognizable enough to forego pure abstraction. Thus, Saavedra’s works can be seen both as an expression of experience and the investigation of the mind. In this particular piece titled Face, Saavedra explores the often vague yet undoubtedly moving power of dreams and the mind itself, and how these come together in a unique sort of embodiment. At the center of the canvas is an undoubtedly human facedone in Saavedra’s signature brand of abstraction. The figure is positioned in such a way that evokes a sense of frankness or even acceptance. While a vague and abstract mass of bright colors seemingly envelops the aforementioned figure, suggesting a sense of mutual interconnectedness between the two central elements. Saavedra brings together these elements in a spiritual and mystical symbiosis as a way of communicating the unseen forces of the mind by virtue of a deliberately abstract treatment that reflects the physical unknowability of the human soul.