PROPERTY FROM THE LITTON FAMILY COLLECTION

Provenance: Provenance: Acquired directly from the artist

ABOUT THE WORK

In the book Discovering Manansala, author Isabel A. Nazareno writes: “Manansala never considered himself particularly devout, though he generated an abundance of works focusing on religious themes. His innate sense of piety was expressed in his most depicted subject, the Crucifixion of Christ. Moved by some unknown force, he produced at least one such image, each year, during Holy Week. Notable pieces include the Via Crucis (1956) series of murals, made for the UP Chapel of the Holy Sacrifice, consisting of 16 panels in all, the last being the Ascension.” The religious atmosphere in which Vicente Manansala—and arguably most of the modernists grew up in—is one characterized by transformation and change. With certain progressive ideas and programs gaining ground such as Liberation Theology and the 2nd Vatican Council, religion, or specifically the Christian church, modernized together with the rest of the world. This epochal shift freed the constraints of expression within religion, allowing more varied forms of imagery. Thus, Filipino Modernism is rife with religious images as a way of expressing themselves regarding a seminal aspect of Filipino life. In this piece, the renowned painter renders the theme with an atmospheric perspective. The crucifixion is painted in Manansala’s indigenized interpretation of Cubism. This particular version of the crucifix exemplifies Manansala’s earlier artistic predisposition. Manansala creates a more balanced treatment, geometric faceting, and simplification of forms blended with more realistic aspects.