Provenance: Provenance: Private Collection, Makati City

ABOUT THE WORK

Influenced by Cubism and Chinese vertical format painting, Tabuena worked with a wide range of subject matter or figures depicted through monochromatic shapes. His aesthetic featured transparent cubism and the usage of colors such as yellows, ochres, and browns to evoke a dramatic feel or mood changes. His paintings feature the everyday workman or common folk— from farmers to vendors—native plants, and country scenes, among other elements of Filipino themes. Constantly in touch with his Filipino roots despite being geographically far from his homeland, Tabuena still participated in exhibitions and art projects in the Philippines and presented the local landscape through his works. His ten-year retrospective at the Philippine Art Gallery in Manila in 1959 and his solo exhibition at Mexico City’s International Salon of the Palace of the Fine Arts in 1962 are two of the many notable events in his artist life. Both the Philippine and Mexican governments have also recognized Tabuena’s artistic contributions.