Provenance: The Luz Gallery

ABOUT THE WORK

Benedicto Cabrera’s Lady with Yellow Parasol is a work that precedes, or anticipates, the national artist’s Larawan III series entitled The Filipina, Ca. 1898. Veering away from the socio-political nature of his Larawan I series, Bencab’s Larawan III simply explores nostalgia and remembrance for the glory of a bygone era in which simplicity and innocence abound. Here, Bencab tackles the everyday life of the Filipina toward the turn of the century, their customs, lifestyles, and even fashion. Bencab would eventually produce 20 paintings for his Larawan III series, which were exhibited at The Luz Gallery in June 1998, coinciding with the centennial of Philippine independence. The work at hand depicts a woman, most likely a mestiza based on her ensemble, donned in the baro’t saya, with its design typical of the 1890s style of the said clothing; the sleeves are more ballooned in appearance, influenced by the leg of mutton sleeve popular in the West during that decade. Bencab’s blurring of the woman’s face is a deliberate act, making the subject’s ensemble and style the focal point of the composition, as the artist would eventually intend for his Larawan III. (A.M.)