ABOUT THE WORK

During the early 1960s, Tabuena created several paintings featuring cocks and cockfights a sport called “sabong” in Filipino. Although Tabuena studied in Paris and the US and was a resident of Mexico for a long time, his Ilonggo roots and the Filipino provincial life provided inspiration for many of his works. Here, a dark male figure wearing a polo and a country hat seems to float on the background. The painting has no depth or sense of perspective in a Western sense. His sense of space is very Eastern and Oriental. This two-dimensional perspective which is popularly used in Chinese and Indian paintings creates a feel of flatness. Tabuena is fond of using this Oriental sense of space in many of his works. The man and the rooster are recognizable figures. The light blue and navy blue background suggests a feeling of dusk or twilight on a provincial street without street lamps. This implies that the man is on his way home after spending time at the cockpit with his beloved rooster which he is carrying affectionately. The rendering of the bamboo and the fence is Oriental and done with delicate calligraphic brushstrokes. The painting with its blue to black hues combined with the Asian sensibilities creates a calming effect.