Provenance: Private Collection, USA

ABOUT THE WORK

Bencab exudes pictorial nostalgia, transporting one to the past. He sees himself doing more variations on the old Filipino theme. He works intuitively, always avoiding the risk of limiting himself to a repetitive message. One recalls his first “Larawan” exhibition in 1972 where he reproduced in sepia pictures of the Philippine revolutionary period that he had discovered in London. This awakening evoked nostalgic memories and Bencab’s sepia paintings gave body and soul to some of them. Preoccupied with creating something Filipino, he delves into our rich heritage to unravel the mystery of our identity. Bencab always favored using few colors rather than many; deep browns make for the backdrop of the painting. Bencab’s works assert that fewer colors in a painting gave the art greater force and meaning. Using these photographs as primary material, he transformed and enriched them semantically. Bencab’s style was not expressionist and painterly, but he worked in clear, precise and uncluttered mages. His style went beyond realms to seek expressive devices in works that were quietly meaningful.