Provenance: Acquired directly from the artist by the present owner

ABOUT THE WORK

The minimalist composition of this work by the forgotten master abstractionist Ben Maramag perforated the gradated tones that transform the hues of yellow, reds and oranges into a convulsive and animated entity. Maramag was part of the experimental generation of artists that veered away from the neo-realist and expressionist works that included the likes of Roberto Chabet, Raymundo Albano, Rodolfo Gan and Philip Victor among others. As the aesthetics towards non-objectivist art flourished in the 1970’s, Maramag probed into the varied methods of formulating his distinct style which for him was the use of the spray gun. The spray gun that is synonymous to industrial use was the main medium that Maramag carefully utilized to shift instantly, the gradients of colors from the thereby creating a luminous effect. The late critic and abstractionist Raymundo Albano (1947-1985) commented that “Maramag was the leading master of the spray gun, having had the authority and experience to play around with it. He managed to complicate his surface with masking [tape], shaping his surface taking chances.” Ben Maramag was part of first set of Thirteen Artist Awardees in 1970 that was created by the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) under the directorship of Chabet that pioneered the development of the Philippine art scene. His works have been exhibited in both the Philippines and the United States and is part of the permanent collections of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the Cultural Center of the Philippines and the Philippine Center in New York City