Jaime de Guzman is perhaps one of the most important figures in the Philippine art scene by the late 1960s to 1970s. A celebrated painter and ceramic artist, his impact is cemented by no less than Roberto Chabet who had included him in the first batch of the Thirteen Artists awardees in 1970. Mythical and introspective, his works traverse the angsty, anger-filled works he would create at the start of his career to the mellower pieces the later years of his life would bring.
One year before he was conferred the prestigious award, de Guzman created the lots at hand. Interior, Carcar depicts the second floor of a dimly-lit mansion, the viewer overlooking its 109 PROPERTY FROM THE DON J. ANTONIO ARANETA COLLECTION Jaime de Guzman (1942 - 2023) a.) Trees signed and dated 1969 (lower right) oil on canvas 12" x 16" (30 cm x 41 cm) b.) Interior, Carcar signed and dated 1969 (lower right) oil on canvas 12" x 16" (30 cm x 41 cm) P 180,000 LITERATURE Araneta, Antonio S., ed. 1030 R. Hidalgo: Volume II, Legacy in Art. Manila: Mara, Inc., 1986. Full-color illustration and painting description on pages 76 & 100 grand staircase while Trees is a rendition of the uncharted forests of the Philippine countryside. De Guzman’s brisk brush strokes and deep color palettes denote a sense of urgency, an intimacy to the scene that is characteristic of his oeuvre.
“[De Guzman’s] pictures depend on his phenomenological pursuit of his brushstrokes. He makes abstract dabs and dashes all over the board, sees them and conforms them to the shapes and objects stacked in his memory,” writes art critic Ray Albano. His figures are un-anatomical, his work more evocative than literal.”(Hannah Valiente)
PROPERTY FROM THE DON J. ANTONIO ARANETA COLLECTION
Literature: Araneta, Antonio S., ed. 1030 R. Hidalgo: Volume II, Legacy in Art. Manila: Mara, Inc., 1986. Full-color illustration and painting description on pages 76 & 100