This piece is accompanied by a certificate issued by Mr. Christian Aguilar confirming the authenticity of this lot

Provenance: Private Collection, Manila

ABOUT THE WORK

An artist who has, for innumerable times fastened his observant eye on women as subjects sitting for portraits, Alcuaz is no less accustomed to setting his eyes on the more banal objects in life. The still life composition is very precise yet subtle in its effects. The statement about subtlety is significant because as a colorist, Alcuaz has one of the brightest palettes known. This still life was executed three years after Alcuaz’ arrival in Spain. By this time, the Iberian spirit of place began to overshadow his art. For those who have accepted Alcuaz as an abstractionist, it is the figurative themes such as this early work which show how he returns to review techniques of light and shadow, of color and form. Unlike the dried fish, the other object, probably a chicken, appears as an almost indistinct shape presented in perspective. There are no other objects on the table. Perhaps the artist wanted to take the tray as mere abstract shapes so that the main object, or leitmotif, which is the fish and what looks like chicken set off against a gray blue background, will remain the focus of attention.