Provenance: Private Collection, Manila

ABOUT THE WORK

As a student of the University of Santo Tomas in the 1960s, Angelito Antonio was invariably influenced by the modernist masters who were his teachers, chiefly the National Artist Victorio Edades. This influence is largely visible in his treatment of colors, in which tonalities are employed not to describe the world but to evoke a certain mood and atmosphere in the scenery of his paintings. Despite this influence, Antonio has remained steadfast in capturing lives of ordinary Filipinos. In this work, the artist shows a family of three generations partaking a meal, with parts of a fish still simmering in a pan. The one who has yet to join the meal is absorbed in taking care of a small child. Their togetherness, however, is what gives the work its poignant focus and unadorned dignity.