Provenance: Private Collection, Manila

ABOUT THE WORK

Carlos “Botong” Francisco was the National Artist who also happened to be the people’s artist for his monumental, ennobling depiction of the common man and the history of the Filipino. As this work attests, his figurative prowess did not in any way diminish despite using the humble graphite medium on paper. Here, the subject matter is known to all Filipinos anywhere: the mythical “kapre” who usually presides over a tree or a grove, smoking his fat tobacco. Rather than being frightful, the scene becomes laden with whimsy as the farmer, confronted by the sight of the giant, speeds away in his carabao-drawn sled. In his hurry, his hat flies off from his head, but not without the farmer giving one good look at the “kapre.” Well-accomplished with its shadings and overall composition, this is particularly a light-hearted, whimsical piece by the National Artist.