PROPERTY FROM THE DON J. ANTONIO ARANETA COLLECTION

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

ABOUT THE WORK

Angelito Antonio’s nascent cubism has often been compared to National Artist Vicente Manansala. Antonio's composition professor at the University of Santo Tomas, it was clear that the eminent artist had greatly influenced Antonio. However, Antonio veered from Manansala's classically adhering anatomy and turned his figures into more aggressive shapes. His vendors, cockfighters, and familial units all show the vibrant Filipino culture, portrayed in his strong vivid art style. His vendors take center stage in his 1966 Candle Vendor. Through pen and ink, Antonio painstakingly shades and creates these women as they hold onto their wares, the classically Antonio elongated visage of these women occupying the majority of the space. Behind them, a bustle of the crowd is seen. Despite the lack of color, Antonio's knowledge of shades and shadows breathes life into the piece, depicting the vibrancy of the culture even when the work itself is devoid of colors. With Candle Vendor situated near the start of his career, it serves as a perfect vantage point for the illustrious career he would sustain for more than five decades. One of the pillars of Philippine Modernism, his adherence to modernism’s dynamic expression landed him in the annals of the history of Philippine visual art, a place he occupies with many other lauded Filipino modernists. (Hannah Valiente)