Vicente Manansala 2010 stampsheet of the Philippines 2

Vicente Silva Manansala (January 22, 1910 – August 22, 1981) was a Filipino

cubist Cubism is an early-20th-century avant-garde art movement that revolutionized European painting and sculpture, and inspired related movements in music, literature and architecture. In Cubist artwork, objects are analyzed, broken up and reassemble ...

painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...

and

illustrator An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complicat ...

.Endaya, Imelda Cajipe (artist and independent curator) and Cecilia B. Rebong (Philippine Consul-General). ''"Pamana: Modernong Sining"'' (A Heritage of Modern Art), An Art Exhibit from the Collection of the Philippine Center in New York, Printed Catalogue, The Consulate General of the Philippines, Philippine Center Management Board, and PCGNY.net, June 11, 2007, 12 pages. One of the first Abstractionists on the Philippine art scene Vicente Manansala is also credited with bridging the gap between the city and the suburbs, between the rural and cosmopolitan ways of life. His paintings depict a nation in transition, an allusion to the new culture brought by the Americans. Manansala together with Fabian de la Rosa are among the best-selling Philippine artists in the West. He was a member of the prominent Cruz, Manansala, Lopez family clan. He is considered one of the 13 Moderns, a group of modernists associated with

Victorio Edades Victorio Candido Edades (December 23, 1895 – March 7, 1985) was a Filipino painter. He led the revolutionary Thirteen Moderns, who engaged their classical compatriots in heated debate over the nature and function of art. He was named a Natio ...

Early life

Manansala was born in San Roque,

Macabebe, Pampanga Macabebe, officially the Municipality of Macabebe ( pam, Balen ning Macabebe; tl, Bayan ng Macabebe), is a 1st class municipality of the Philippines, municipality in the Philippine Province, province of Pampanga, Philippines. According to the 2 ...

. From 1926 to 1930, he studied at the U.P. School of

Fine Arts In European academic traditions, fine art is developed primarily for aesthetics or creative expression, distinguishing it from decorative art or applied art, which also has to serve some practical function, such as pottery or most metalwork ...

. In 1949, Manansala received a six-month grant by

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

to study at the École des Beaux-Arts in Banff and

Montreal, Quebec Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-pea ...

, Canada. In 1950, he received a nine-month scholarship to study at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris by the French government. He also trained at the Otis School of Drawing. Vicentejf

Later Painting Career

Manansala's paintings are the best and were celebrated as the best of the barrio and the city together. His ''Madonna of the Slums'' is a portrayal of a mother and child from the countryside who became urban shanty residents once in the city. In his ''

Jeepney Jeepneys (), sometimes called jeeps (), are minibus-like public utility vehicles, serving as the most popular means of public transportation in the Philippines. They are known for their crowded seating and kitsch decorations, which have become ...

s'', Manansala combined the elements of provincial folk culture with the congestion issues of the city. Manansala developed ''transparent cubism'', wherein the "delicate tones, shapes, and patterns of figure and environment are masterfully superimposed". A fine example of Manansala using this "transparent and translucent" technique is his composition, ''kalabaw'' (Carabao). Vicente Manansala, a

National Artist of the Philippines The Order of National Artists of the Philippines (Filipino: ''Orden ng mga Pambansang Alagad ng Sining ng Pilipinas'') is an order bestowed by the Philippines on Filipinos who have made significant contributions to the development of Philippin ...

in Visual Arts, was a direct influence to his fellow Filipino neo-realists: Malang, Angelito Antonio, Norma Belleza and

Manuel Baldemor Manuel Baldemor is a Filipino painter, sculptor, printmaker, writer and book illustrator. He was born on March 26, 1947 in Paete, Laguna, Philippines. He is best known for his paintings on various media that depict scenes in simplified geometric ...

. The

Honolulu Museum of Art The Honolulu Museum of Art (formerly the Honolulu Academy of Arts) is an art museum in Honolulu, Hawaii. The museum is the largest of its kind in the state, and was founded in 1922 by Anna Rice Cooke. The museum has one of the largest single col ...

, the Lopez Memorial Museum (Manila), the

Philippine Center The Philippine Center is an agency of the Philippine Government in New York City and San Francisco in the United States. The New York City structure houses the Philippine Mission to the United Nations, the Philippine Consulate General, and the o ...

(New York City), the

Singapore Art Museum The Singapore Art Museum (Abbreviation: SAM) is an art museum is located in the Downtown Core district of Singapore. It is the first fully dedicated contemporary visual arts museum in Singapore with one of the world’s most important public co ...

and

Holy Angel University Holy Angel University is a private Catholic research university in Angeles City, Philippines. Founded in June 1933 by Don Juan Nepomuceno and Fr. Pedro Paulo Santos, who was later named as the Archbishop of Cáceres, is considered the first lay ...

(Angeles City, Philippines) are among the public collections holding work by Vicente Manansala.

recently opened a section of its museum called The Vicente Manansala Collection, holding most of the estate left by the artist.

Birth and death

Was born on January 22, 1910, in Macabebe, Philippines, and died on August 22, 1981, in Manila, Philippines, due to lung cancer.

Works

* ''Madonna of the Slums''oil on lawanit board. 86 x 61 cm. 1950. * ''Machinery'' * ''Birdman''. 1973. - this painting was subjected to a forgery incident in 2012 * ''Jeepneys'' *''Magsasaka'' * ''Pounding Rice'' * ''Kalabaw'' (Carabao), oil on canvas, 28.5 inches x 38 inches, 1965 * Murals "Stations of the cross " in the Church of the

Parish of the Holy Sacrifice The Parish of the Holy Sacrifice, also known as the Church of the Holy Sacrifice, is a landmark Catholic chapel on the University of the Philippines Diliman campus. It belongs to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cubao and its present parish priest ...

* Bangkusay Seascape. 1940. Oil on canvas. 14 x 18 inches. * Pila Pila sa Bigas (Left and Right), 1980. Oil on canvas. 51 x 84 inches. * Planting the First Cross * Seal of the Arellano University * Slum Dwellers * Bayanihan * Balut Vendors * Jansen Rodriguez * Pamilya * Reclining Mother and Child * Dambana * The Musicians

References

2. The Cruz, Manansala, López family clan.

External links

Finding Manansala: Tracing the works of a National Artist for Visual Arts
{{DEFAULTSORT:Manansala, Vicente National Artists of the Philippines 1910 births 1981 deaths Artists from Pampanga Kapampangan people 20th-century Filipino painters Burials at the Libingan ng mga Bayani