Accompanied by a certificate issued by Josefa Joya-Baldovino confirming the authenticity of this lot

ABOUT THE WORK

A Vision of Abstracted Reality From Joya’s Artistic Prime of the ‘70s Jose Joya is the pioneer and most celebrated abstract expressionist painter in the Philippines. Trained under traditionalist mentors—Amorsolo, Tolentino, Miranda, Agbayani, and Castaneda—Joya’s early works were landscapes and adheres to realism; at times, he did portraits, too. However, his exposure to the abstract expressionist movement in New York greatly influenced the shift in Joya’s artistic vision. He began painting on largescale canvases with huge brushes, in random shapes and strokes of different dimensions and colors, without the intention to create a distinct image. Between the 1960s and 1970s, Joya started to be a distinguished name in the art scene. He returned to the Philippines after his travels and scholarships abroad and “carried on with his abstract expressionist paintings, very poetic and lyrical,” Alfredo Roces told Cid Reyes, “[and] started to use more vigorous forms,” he added. This 1978 acrylic painting, Brookside, showcases Joya’s genius artistry. Characterized by colorful blotches of paint in irregular shapes and lines, this piece is a culmination of Joya’s long years of studying and developing his own artistic identity while maintaining the Filipinos element in his works. “Joya’s paintings were then considered as visual atrocities. People thought they were done by a child in fifth grade,” Michael Duldulao told Cid Reyes in 1972. However, this perception dramatically shifted with Joya’s participation in the 32nd Venice Biennial in 1964. This significant event not only challenged the prevailing notions of art but also left a lasting legacy on Joya’s career, cementing his status as a pioneering figure in the art scene. (Jessica Magno)