Provenance: Provenance: Private Collection, Manila

ABOUT THE WORK

          The appeal of this work by Sanso lies in the  juxtaposition of the atmosphere and solid, mobile and stationary, each accentuating the other as Leonardo also used light and shade dichotomies. Sanso’s themes evolved from the dark, cathartic stage of war wounds to non-figurative art, back to nature with the Brittany seascapes and landscapes, along with piles of stone walls to his famous scenes of barong-barong.
          A paradoxical quality exists in the art of Juvenal Sanso where a sense of mystery and dreaminess melds with a most profound beauty – “Poetic Surrealism.”  Across his works, an extremely firm grasp of craft is evident: the brushstrokes are self-assured; the details and textures, bearing depth and sophistication.  A Philippine invention of both beauty and harshness of reality reflected in the haphazard construction of shapes and patterns.