Provenance: Leon Gallery, The Asian Cultural Council Private Collection, San Francisco

ABOUT THE WORK

National Artist BenCab’s draftsmanship and emotion are displayed intimately in his art of drapery, bringing to mind the approach of classic Greek sculptors toward movement. In these works, he shares his interest in movement and the illusion of life impelled by gesture, appreciated through the invigoration of detailed folds and greyed acrylics. Drama is heightened in this elegant Drapes piece featuring Bencab’s distinct configuration of folds and play of light and shadows. Here, he adds life to the unseen body despite its seemingly lamenting gesture as he renders the continuous motion of cloth. It is part of the master artist’s widely acclaimed drapery and shroud series that exhibits the energy and rhythm of the human anatomy even in concealment as well as the assertion of his sensitivity into art and society which he calls the “Philippine interest.”