Provenance:
Acquired directly from the artist by the present owner

Exhibited:
Tall Galeries, Metropolitan Museum of Manila, Si Mang Enteng... Encountering Manansala, Manila, May 20 - July 31, 2010

ABOUT THE WORK

In the Philippines, Manansala would usually leave his home on weekends and travel to nearby towns such as Taytay, Angono, Mandaluyong, and Binangonan, searching for a picturesque vista for his on-the-spot watercolor landscape sessions. Manansala would eventually continue this practice while traveling abroad. In 1976, Manansala went on a trip to California, visiting several tourist attractions within the state, such as Big Bear Lake in southern California. The small city is famous for its hiking and fishing activities, as well as the San Bernardino National Forest. The place is where Manansala probably painted this scenic sequence of rocks juxtaposed with a backdrop of lush and dense trees. Manansala made the finishing touches in Los Angeles hence the artist signing it with “Los Angeles 76.” Manansala preferred watercolor for his landscapes. An ambiance of tranquility is apparent in this piece, with the artist employing delicate strokes to achieve a more transparent and lightweight look. In Discovering Manansala, Isabel Nazareno wrote that Manansala’s landscapes “served as a welcome interlude from working within the confines of the studio [for] painting directly from nature gave him great pleasure.”