Provenance: Provenance: Acquired from Odette Alcantara by the present owner

ABOUT THE WORK

Heralded as the “Father of Philippine Modern Art”, Victorio Edades’ works signified an epochal shift within the canons of Filipino art. By introducing modern ideas into the Philippine art scene, Victorio Edades managed to revolutionize the conventions of Filipino art by broadening the possibilities of artistic practice and aesthetic value beyond the likes of the Classical and Traditional schools of art. His defiance to what the Conservatives structured as ‘art’ was a conscious call for real artistic expression. Thus, his pieces were in stark opposition to the bright, nostalgic, and idyllic scenes that pervaded the hegemonic artistic canon. His pieces often featured roughly constructed figures of laborers burdened by the realities of their work. He attested that “art is ever the expression of man’s emotion, and not a mere photographic likeness of nature.” Thus, to express his individual emotion, the artist is privileged to create in that distinctive form that best interprets his own experience. To quote curator Ditas Samson: “What was the first exposure of Filipino artists to modernism? Aside from photographs from Life magazine and conversations with each other, it had to be from the works of Victorio Edades.” During his studies in the United States in the 1930s, Edades was exposed to Modernist painters such as Paul Cezanne and Paul Gauguin. The latter, a French Post-Impressionist, impacted Edades’ painterly style. He would apply earth-tone colors on his depictions of landscapes, houses, and figures, particularly women which are present in this piece. Edades empowered his female figures with its strong arms and willful gestures and stances. The National Artist has indeed stayed faithful in his modernist techniques, showcasing his genius separation and discontinuity of colors as he evoked a sense of depth in his paintings.