Accompanied by a certificate issued by Miriam Concepcion Lazaro,
daughter of the artist confirming the authenticity of this lot

ABOUT THE WORK

Florencio B. Concepcion was among the new generation of artists in the mid-sixties whose creative virtuosity flourished from the progressive art landscape of the post-war era. A native of Tondo, Manila, Concepcion graduated from the University of the Philippines School of Fine Arts in 1953. During his college days, Concepcion worked as an illustrator for comics magazines, such as Action, Halakhak, Pilipino, and Bulaklak. After earning his bachelor's degree in Fine Arts, he went to Rome to pursue his postgraduate studies. He enrolled at the Regge Accademia di Belle Arti, where he was accepted as a scholar under the auspices of the Italian government. Concepcion would eventually graduate from the Accademia in 1964, earning a Master of Fine Arts degree. During his Italian sojourn, Concepcion proved worthy of international acclaim. He joined various art competitions, where he received numerous accolades. He was awarded the Diploma of Merit from the I Mostra Internazionale D’ Arte (Rome, 1962); a silver medal from the I Mostra Nazionale di Pittura Estemporanea (Segni, 1962); an honorable mention from the I Mostra Internazionale D’ Arte di Tivoli (Tivoli, 1962); and the third prize from the I Mostra di Pittura (Lazio, 1963). It was also in Rome where Concepcion encountered the Arte Informale movement, the European equivalent of Abstract Expressionism in the United States. Concepcion became acquainted with the style, influenced by avant-garde Italian artists Mario Sironi, Ottone Rosai, and Giorgio Morandi. It can be said that this work titled HAC belongs to this period of this fortuitous encounter for Concepcion. Having been influenced by the movement, this piece features Concepcion's stylistic employment of gestural brushstrokes, vigorously applying paint to produce variegated textures dominated by uneven surfaces. His later practice of melding colors that seemingly dissolves into the background to produce evocative underpinnings begins to manifest. Thus, Concepcion espouses an expressive, radical, and spontaneous approach to abstraction. Here, Concepcion does not fall into the conventions of traditional abstraction, veering from the notion of what an aesthetically pleasing painting constitutes. He yields to his creative instincts, abandoning mainstream abstraction's deliberate and calculated practice. Concepcion explores the boundless realms of gesture and unconventional materials, engendering a bona fide expression of creative individuality. (A.M.)