Provenance: Provenance:
Private collection, Makati City

ABOUT THE WORK

Sabel is undoubtedly the most iconic subject matter of National Artist Bendeicto “Bencab” Cabrera. Bencab’s emblematic muse is based on an actual real-life scavenger the artist would regularly see and photograph in 1965. Throughout the years, BenCab has utilized the image of Sabel as a visual conduit to express a variety of themes such as beauty, grace, longing, and hope. As BenCab’s most recognizable subject, Sabel has become one of the most iconic faces of Philippine art. But, beyond Sabel’s alluring and engaging characteristics, it is unarguably Bencab’s distinct mastery over his technique that breathes life into his awe-inspiring works. From his unique use of color and tone to his emphasis on movement through drapery, BenCab’s artistic vision goes beyond his evocative choice of subject matter. In this particular Sabel piece, we can see how BenCab succinctly combines his techniques into an unrivaled assemblage of color and movement. BenCab uses the permissive nature of cloth in rendering the intensity of his central figure’s emotion and movements. BenCab’s gestural strokes highlight both physical form and kinetic potentiality, giving the work both a semblance of place and movement at the same time. While his sparse yet direct use of color perfectly complements his style of both abstraction and figuration, effectively synthesizing the vagueness of emotion with the physicality of the human body. Through his celebrated Sabel series, we witness the culmination of the dialogue between the body of a humble muse and her ragged, almost plastic clothing.