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Lot Essay
In a repetitive horizontal motion, coloured oils are brushed gently onto the canvas as they blend seamlessly and freely with each other. Painted by Filipino artist Florencio B. Concepcion in 1997, this abstract work, Transformation of Symbols (Lot 536) bears characteristics of the artist's most recognisable abstract expressionist style in the later part of his career as he moved away from his early impressionistic depictions.
The meditative movements of the brushstrokes and the brilliant colours of red, blue and green yellow exude a sense of contentment and serenity, which the artist sees as a resulting gesture of his emotions and creativity. A kind of autobiography if you wish as the artist translates his personal satisfaction in life into his work.
A Fine Arts graduate from the University of the Philippines, Concepcion furthered his postgraduate studies at the Accademia di Belle Arte in Rome as a scholar before becoming the Dean of the University of the East College of Fine Arts till his retirement in 1994. With his artistic foundations firmly rooted, Concepcion followed the flow of art that developed in the Philippines as his peers looked to the West for current artistic trends. A key figure as an educator of the arts, Concepcion position in directing the arts of the Philippines during this time cannot be overlooked.
Concepcion's masterpieces are created with more than just technical skill as he believes that a successful work of art should evoke feelings in the viewer - "A painting must move you. If you think while painting, you will produce a synthetic painting." Unburdened by calculated thoughts on composition, or what constitutes as a good or bad painting, Concepcion draws from spontaneous impulses in the construction of his works to achieve an authentic form of individuality and conceptualism, which this present lot truly encompasses.
The meditative movements of the brushstrokes and the brilliant colours of red, blue and green yellow exude a sense of contentment and serenity, which the artist sees as a resulting gesture of his emotions and creativity. A kind of autobiography if you wish as the artist translates his personal satisfaction in life into his work.
A Fine Arts graduate from the University of the Philippines, Concepcion furthered his postgraduate studies at the Accademia di Belle Arte in Rome as a scholar before becoming the Dean of the University of the East College of Fine Arts till his retirement in 1994. With his artistic foundations firmly rooted, Concepcion followed the flow of art that developed in the Philippines as his peers looked to the West for current artistic trends. A key figure as an educator of the arts, Concepcion position in directing the arts of the Philippines during this time cannot be overlooked.
Concepcion's masterpieces are created with more than just technical skill as he believes that a successful work of art should evoke feelings in the viewer - "A painting must move you. If you think while painting, you will produce a synthetic painting." Unburdened by calculated thoughts on composition, or what constitutes as a good or bad painting, Concepcion draws from spontaneous impulses in the construction of his works to achieve an authentic form of individuality and conceptualism, which this present lot truly encompasses.