Vicente Silva Manansala (Filipino, 1910-1981), 維參特‧馬南薩拉Bone
1967

signed and dated 67
oil on board

91.5 x 122 cm (36 x 48 1/16 in)注脚Provenance
Private Collection, US

維參特‧馬南薩拉
骨頭
油彩木板
1967年作

簽名: Manansala 67

來源
美國私人收藏

A key figure of the modernist post-war movement in the Philippines, Vicente Manansala was born in Macabebe, Pampanga in 1910. As one of the Thirteen Moderns in 1941 led by Victorio Edades, the founding father of modern Philippine art, Manansala was a pioneer who broke away from traditional styles of painting. Heavily influenced by Cubism, Manansala encountered the movement for the first time when he received a UNESCO grant to study at the Ecole de Beaux Arts in Banff and Montreal, Canada. With the guidance of Joseph Plaskett, Manansala experimented with modernist styles during his time abroad and developed his own avant-garde style.

The present lot, executed in 1967, is characterized by Manansala's distinctive style of "transparent cubism." Using a Cubist pictorial vocabulary, Manansala depicts a composition of geometric shapes with a muted brown and mauve palette. Variations of crimson against a pearl white, soft nuances in subtle gradations, combined with interlocking bone structures, the present lot is an epitome of the artist's transparent cubism. With more fluid and thin strokes of what seemingly resembles a landscape in the background, the present lot is translucent and atmospheric. In fact, the translucency of each geometric shape on the canvas is reminiscent of stained glass patterns, which is an influence that can be traced back to his brief study in stained glass techniques in New York in 1960 on a student grant.

Coming from a private collection in the United States and appearing on the market for the first time, Bone exhibits Manansala's fascination for nature and artifacts, executed in his distinctive style of transparent cubism. Remaining Filipino with a nationalistic spirit while boldly experimenting with Western methods, Manansala is undoubtedly an influential figure in the art historical canon. Expressing what he wants to communicate through lines and colors, he once stated, "my painting is a sort of emotional release, I paint to express what I feel, and to satisfy myself. I paint not what I see but what I feel."

文森・馬南薩拉（Vicente Manansala）在一九一〇年生於潘帕嘉省（Pampanga）馬卡貝貝（Macabebe），為菲律賓戰後現代藝術運動的一位靈魂人物。在一九四一年參與菲律賓現代藝術之父維克多里奧・愛達德斯（Victorio Edades）帶領的「現代派十三人」藝術團體，是突破傳統繪畫的先鋒。馬南薩拉曾拿到聯合國教科文組織獎學金至加拿大班夫（Banff）和蒙特婁（Montreal）藝術學院（Ecole de Beaux Arts）就讀，在此接觸到立體派之後受到深遠影響。海外留學期間，他接受約瑟・普拉斯基特（Joseph Plaskett）的指導，開始實驗現代繪畫，由此發展出獨特的前衛風格。

此拍品為一九六七年作，帶有馬南薩拉獨有的「透明立體」風格。他用立體派的繪畫語彙，以幾何圖形和暗沉的褐色與淡紫色建構畫面。不同調性的紅色配上珍珠白，柔和而微妙的色彩變化顯示出緊密相連的骨架，這些元素均為馬南薩拉的經典透明立體手法。他以流暢和輕巧的筆觸描繪看似風景的背景，讓整個畫面更顯清透和氣韻繚繞。事實上，畫布上每個幾何圖形的透明度都讓人想到彩繪玻璃的圖案，這樣的手法也可追溯到馬南薩拉在一九六〇年拿到學生獎助金，到紐約短暫研究彩繪玻璃技法的那段經歷。

《骨頭》一作出自美國私人收藏，是首次在市場上亮相。馬南薩拉以特有的透明立體繪畫手法完成這件作品，顯示出他對大自然和文物的迷戀。馬南薩拉始終秉持作為菲律賓人的民族精神，同時大膽實驗西方語彙，影響所及無疑是藝術史上的重要大師。他曾經如此說明他以線條與色彩所欲表達的目標：「我的繪畫是一種情感釋放，我以繪畫表達我的感受，目的是為了滿足自己。我畫我所感，而不是我所見。」