This piece is accompanied by a certificate issued by the artist confirming the authenticity of this lot

ABOUT THE WORK

Marcel Antonio’s narrative and pseudo-narrative figurative paintings in oil and acrylic have made him considered by critics as one of the country’s notable contemporary Filipino painters. His masterpieces have local and international following, mostly being sold-out in exhibits. He has also exhibited in various major art galleries in Manila and in Berlin, Australia, and Singapore. The magical realism elements in his works are influenced both by modernism and post-modernism during the Eighties, tapping into the collective consciousness. His wide following among art collectors reflects their affinity to his sincerity in rendering aspects of humanity in rich, vivid colors and layers. In his works, subjects contemplating on a lost self, selfactualizing in certain conditions, and living in a challenging world are depicted in genius forms and symbology. Antonio began his artist career when he was still a sophomore student in 1983 at the University of the Philippines - College of Fine Arts. His art is influenced by his upbringing; his parents are also two famous artists—Angelito Antonio and Norma Belleza. It was his father who taught him to not neglect traditional drawing and to view it as painting’s backbone or foundation. “I was born into this environment and as a child I thought painting was [a] play,” he said in an interview. For Antonio, play has a significant role in his creative process. His renditions of the female form, in particular, have surreal features typically loosely drawn and finished. His female figures have distinct postures and qualities that defy stereotypical visual depictions of women in art. In this painting, the haunting details such as the woman’s pose and the elements that surround her are suggestive. The facial features of the seated woman holding a mirror imply a narrative of longing, all the more the figure outside the window that looks like her and embraced from behind by an entity.