Provenance: :
Finale Art File, Makati City

ABOUT THE WORK

Despite the soft-spoken and affable man that he was, Ang Kiukok was virtually known in the art circle as the “painter of pain,” making his works the antithesis of his demeanor. Even in some of his supposedly placid still life works, Kiukok subtly hints at human suffering. Thus, many of his still lifes are closely associated with his paintings of mortal agony, deliberately depicting the universe as imbued with eternal struggles and contradictions. On the surface, the cactus plant in this piece may be interpreted as merely a decorative succulent. But with the piercing thorns that puncture throughout its entire body conspicuously depicted, the cactus now alludes to the inescapable torment and anguish a human being must perpetually endure in this earthly life. Here, Kiukok sees the cactus as a vessel of forlorn and distress. In Kiukok: Deconstructing Despair, Alfredo Roces writes: “In many Kiukok still lifes, there breathes some emotional component, if only as an aura of spirituality or a hint of anxiety. The dried corn seems to speak of arid land and toil, the watermelons of repressed sensuality, [and] the cactus plant of potential pain.” Roces also notes: “In paint, Ang Kiukok blossoms as articulate and eloquent.” Through his evocative works, Kiukok was able to poignantly express his frustrations over how chaotic the human condition turned out to be. Kiukok once said: “Painting is how I see life; what I have seen of this world, I do not approve of. I don’t like the human condition. I don’t like it. This world does not seem good. If you think about it, we should all be living in harmony. I just transfer my sentiments to the canvas…” Two years after he created this piece, Kiukok would be proclaimed National Artist for Visual Arts. It may have been a breath of fresh air for the artist who had constantly voiced his resentment of the mundane world. (A.M.)