Provenance: Acquired directly from the artist by Don Lorenzo Escudero Galvez, thence by descent

ABOUT THE WORK

A prolific, iconic cubist, Oscar Zalameda has forged from his brush and palette a very well-travelled idiom into his art. Known for his brilliant use of cubism and his jet-set lifestyle, Zalameda’s works have been that of international themes — melding a Filipino aesthetic into his international view. In this work, however, we see a more Westernized side of Zalameda. In this composition, created sometime in the 1950s, Zalameda transports us to the woods in some part of Europe. In these woods, we see a group of individuals on horsebacks with their terriers on the prowl, ready to hunt for Fox, and garbed in the traditional wares of the practice.The fox hunt typically took place on November in the Northern regions of Britain — which we can safely surmise is where this scene was captured due to the very atmosphere and nature of the scene. The trees, balding from the seasons; the atmosphere, engulfed by a fog; the jockey’s and their terriers, ready to hunt — the very essence and air of the scene has been captured completely by the iconic modernist, in such eloquent fashion too. Rendered in a very restrained and refined manner, this very work stands as a testament to the cultural literacy of Zalameda on an international scale — beyond his use of thematic element, his brilliant execution.