León Gallery wishes to thank the artist for confirming the authenticity of this lot

ABOUT THE WORK

Tableaux of humanity responding to various stimuli, whether from external or internal forces, have always played the protagonist in the grand theater that is Marcel Antonio’s canvas. There always exists a Rembrandt-ian spectacle of different genres—ranging from drama, melodrama, farce, erotica, and comedy, among others— that underscores the significance of emotional depth within the subject and, thus, stimulates the viewer’s inherent ability to harness their unbridled flow of impressions, perception, and understanding. Antonio injects method acting into his subjects, imbuing them with a sheer eccentricity that makes a single work stand out from the rest. In this piece titled Echo, Antonio depicts an apprehensive woman; her eyes bear that piercing gaze that seemingly breaks the fourth wall separating the viewer from the subject. A ghostly figure of a woman clad in her nightwear and uncannily resembling the central figure suddenly pops out at the window, resulting in the latter’s uneasiness. In a work that seems to blur the line between fantasy and reality, Antonio spurs conversations surrounding specters of the past coming back to haunt or even burden the (perceived) reality of the present. A profusion of diverse conflicts can be discerned through this painting, many of which are reminiscent of Erik Erikson’s “Theory of Psychosocial Development”: identity and confusion, intimacy and isolation, dependence and independence, regrets and accomplishments, stagnation and progress, and so on. Therefore, we see a dream-like portal into the past, where we can go frantic and agitated or rectify, reforge, and renew. (Adrian Maranan)