Provenance: Private Collection, Makati City

ABOUT THE WORK

As one of the most accomplished Filipino artists working in the Cubist idiom, Romeo Tabuena elevated ordinary scenes to symphonic heights, largely due to repeating forms and patterns that are central to his composition. In this work, three farmers repeat the curvature of the stalks they mow with a scythe, whose contrary position breaks the leitmotif. Their bodies almost blending into the background, the men, wearing conical hats, employ a swift cutting motion, indicated by the reverberating lines of the stalks. A lone figure at the bottom of the canvas faces the viewer, showing the visage of defiance and hard work. Because of the subject matter as well as the manner of execution, Tabuena may have been influenced by the great muralists of Mexico, the artist’s second home.