PROPERTY FROM THE DON BENITO J. LEGARDA JR. COLLECTION

ABOUT THE WORK

The 1960s witnessed Vicente Manansala emerge as the leading artist – and a bon vivant – among the first generation of Filipino modernists. In 1963, the Republic Cultural Heritage Award, the precursor of the Order of National Artists Award, was bestowed on him by then-president Diosdado Macapagal. As Manansala rose to prominence, his works became the most coveted among the elite art patrons of the country. It was also during this decade when Manansala received the Smith-Mundt Specialist Grant to study stained-glass techniques in New York (1960), as well as the opportunity to hone his virtuosity at the Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles (1967). Painted at the beginning of his prolific decade, Procession portrays the vibrancy and bustling character of a church procession, with the artist stating, “I wanted to show crowdedness and busy movement. That’s one of the reasons for the high viewpoint.” Manansala ventures into Abstract Expressionism yet, still retaining a mainly cubist configuration. His exploration of the style is characterized by “a broad calligraphic brushwork interwoven with linear traceries.” By and large, Manansala did not abandon his native sensibility as he took inspiration from his familiar environment. Manansala’s paintings of holy figures and religious convocations stemmed from his pious upbringing. “I used to go to Mass every day at the San Francisco Church. At 14, I wanted to become a priest,” disclosed the artist. The overall composition is boldly striking, attracting the viewer at first glance. The human figures, the Marian image, and the church become planar patterns that blend with the backdrop – a kaleidoscopic sequence of houses – and are almost indiscernible unless viewed at a point-blank distance. The figures become ideographic images – not elaborately detailed and almost appearing as stick figures. However, the folk vibrancy of the composition exudes an aesthetically engaging appeal and a vivid presentation of Filipino Catholic heritage. It is through the coherence and harmony within the entirety of the composition that the piece draws its potency.