While many might find watercolors unpredictable and problematic (watercolor is fast-drying, hard to control, and heavily dependent on many outside factors), National Artist Vicente Manasala exerts great control over the medium. “Watercolors are one of my favorite mediums to use,” he said in Tagalog as written by Isabel A. Nazareno in Discovering Manansala. “It’s beautiful…it demands that you control it. It is difficult if you allow it to control you.” This incredible amount of restraint is extended to his Fish. Layers upon layers of colors were employed to create a diffused effect on the work. Nazareno in Discovering Manansala wrote Manansala, a practical man, refused to buy perishable goods just for his still-life paintings. Instead, he accompanied his wife Hilda to the market where he catalogued the array of produce on display. The fishes in Manansala’s Fish lie on their side, skeletons on display and very reminiscent of the scene in the local palengke where mothers carefully peruse for the ingredients in their next meal.
Even in his still life, Manansala’s works imbibe the Filipino spirit. Fish recalls the daily market trips – an event one so often takes that it has already lost its appeal – and gives it a refreshing twist. It shines a spotlight on the seemingly mundane and gives it life, reminding us to take the time to appreciate the little things in life while remembering the people who have brought these goods to us – the farmers, the fishermen, and the vendors in their stalls. (Hannah Valiente)
Provenance: Private collection, USA