PROPERTY FROM THE DOÑA NENE QUIMSON COLLECTION

ABOUT THE WORK

Progressing from the colonial portraits that served as the primary catalyst for his Larawan series, Benedicto Cabrera ventured into the subject of Filipino expatriation—the Larawan II. He started with portraits of expatriate writers and artists he knew. These were succeeded by images of other displaced Filipinos abroad, from old-timers in the United States to domestic helpers in Europe. BenCab's Larawan II serves as pictorial memoirs of the Filipino expatriate, dissecting the various facets of alienation, isolation, and detachment. In this piece, BenCab depicts a solitary man, sitting and staring blankly, with a lone dog accompanying him. The man's face bears no expression at all. He has probably become worn out from all the despair and inconsolable grief he has experienced from being away from his native soil. The man's thick clothing and the scarf around his neck symbolize the “coldness” that comes with despondency. He yearns for the warmth and love associated with the comfort of one's home. Even his companion animal could not mend his circumstances. With this work, BenCab paints a picture of the Filipino in exile, who has been left with no choice but to be withdrawn from his homeland, either in the arduous exploration of one's identity or the distressing search for sustainable socio-economic conditions.