Provenance: Private Collection, USA

ABOUT THE WORK

A sunset is witnessed only for a moment. And, although it will grace the sky once again the next day, it must never be taken for granted. The piece at hand perfectly captures the marvelous phenomena, forever suspending the dimming of the day to dusk on its canvas. The art of Romeo Tabuena is filled with rustic sceneries. His oeuvres depict folk life and indigenous flora and fauna, as well as alluring landscapes that are nothing short of breathtaking. Tabuena was a Filipino artist born in 1921. He studied architecture at Mapúa Institute of Technology in Manilla and painting at the University of the Philippines. He furthered his studies at the Art Students League in New York in 1952 and in Paris at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière in 1954. The year after, in 1955, Tabuena moved to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. In 1973, when this oil on wood piece was made, he held solo exhibitions in Manila. The following years remained prosperous for Tabuena as a Millennium Show was held in his honor in 2000, and he was awarded the Presidential Merit Award in 2007. A few years later, Tabuena died in San Miguel de Allende in 2015. (P.I.R.)