Provenance: Private Collection, Manila

ABOUT THE WORK

In Angono, the lively genre tradition is assured by the art of Jose Blanco. Blanco's works are the epitome of the Realist genre as the numerous figures that inhabit his works are the real people of his town. Though a folk artist, Blanco was academically trained. He entered the School of Fine Arts of the University of Santo Tomas in 1951, when its faculty included the top firebrand Modernists of Philippine art. National Artists Victorio Edades, Manansala, and Botong Francisco, as well as Galo Ocampo, Antonio Llamas, and Diosdado Lorenzo. Being a disciple of Botong Francisco, Blanco has learned how to round out every bulge of flesh by shading close to the line or edge of the muscle in full stretch. Blanco also emulates how Botong kept the various details flowing in smooth, linear or elliptical rhythms. While studying, Blanco still regularly went fishing in the lake to raise money for tuition. Blanco hewed close to Angono. It could be said through his art that the charming facets of lakeside fishing life happily never left the town at all. From 1974 on, Blanco developed sharp contrasts of light and dark in a conscious effort to oppose Botong’s signature flatness. As against Botong’s lineare idealization, Blanco has become an even more authentic folksy