Provenance: Private Collection, Makati City

ABOUT THE WORK

A Marcel Antonio oeuvre can pique the interest of its beholder with the stories it unfolds on the canvas. The artist is well-noted and admired for his mysterious themes and magic realism, even utilizing fabular images that combine myth with reality. His art often draws inspiration from contemporary mythologies, articulately stressing that his concept goes beyond the common Greek and Roman notion. Marcel’s paintings simply tell that the artist was inspired by the stories he read, heard, and seen – as observed in The Falling Star. There is a historical film said to have surrealist elements that bear the same name as this painting, Lluis Minarro’s “Falling Star.” For the most part, it is about the brief reign of Amadeo of Savoy as king of Spain. However, the Cineuropa synopsis adds, “confined to the safety of life within the palace walls, the lonely and frustrated King and his servants succumb to playful adventures which focus on love and pleasure.” This acrylic piece is dated 2014. In that year, Marcel unveiled a collection of paintings imbued with symbolic meanings at his exhibit titled “The Mustard Seed.” (P.I.R.)