Provenance: Private Collection, Manila

ABOUT THE WORK

One of the leading Filipino abstract painters who emerged after World War II, Nena Saguil distilled her abstraction by using mainly what is considered as the archetypal shape: the circle. Her works, that both gestures at the building blocks of cells as well as the rotating heavenly bodies, have generated a devoted following. This work readily conveys Saguil’s visual vocabulary with its constellation of spheres in different permutations: from closed to open forms, from autonomous discs to interpenetrating outlines. The heart of the composition is a deep indigo circle enclosed by two curves, which suggest an eye: the all-seeing vision. Overall, the painting si a tightly woven cosmos, reflective of the universe’s eternal and grand mysteries.