Accompanied by a certificate issued by Luisa Luz-Lansigan confirming the authenticity of this lot

Provenance: Private Collection, Manila

ABOUT THE WORK

When Arturo Luz embarked on an extensive Asian trip beginning in 1988, the artist became particularly enamored with the architectural grandeur of the Indian subcontinent. Luz says in Cid Reyes' monograph on the artist: "The profusion of interesting forts, palaces, battlements, mosques, temples! Enormous and huge! I cannot tell you how impressive it was. The history, the architecture, the colors, the costumes—and the faces of the most beautiful people on earth." Armed with a camera, Luz took photographs of these ancient architectural wonders and translated these into his majestic and now-iconic Cities of the Past Series. Palitana is a city in the Bhavnagar district in the Indian state of Gujarat, which is located along the western coast of the country. Gujarat is dubbed by its locals as the "Jewel of Western India," owing to its colorful culture and numerous heritage sites. Palitana is among the “crown jewels” of Gujarat; in 2014, it became the first city in the world to pass a legislation concerning strict adherence to vegetarianism due to the city being a center of pilgrimage for Jains, adherents of Jainism, a religion founded in ancient India. It teaches that enlightenment can be achieved through nonviolence and benevolence to all living creatures. The most prominent heritage site in Palitana is its temple complex. Built from the 11th century onwards, the nearly 1000 temples are located on the Shatrunjaya Hills, making Palitana a "city of temples." The Palitana temples are the most sacred pilgrimage site for the Jains. Going to the Palitana temples translates to an arduous yet fulfilling and hallowed trek; one must endure climbing more than 3,500 stone steps carved into the hills. Luz depicts in this piece the Palitana temples, with the white strokes evocative of their magnificently carved marble structures. The dynamic character of the masterfully delineated grids, with their skyward orientation, represents the inviolable sacredness of the temples to the Jains. The red sky is particularly notable. In the official flag of Jainism, red represents the "Siddha," worthy souls who have reached and grasped the truth and thus attained salvation. (A.M.)