Taniman
signed and dated 1985 (lower left)
oil on canvas
37" x 46" (94 cm x 117 cm)
Accompanied by a certificate signed by the artistconfirming the authenticity of this lot



Antonio Austria draws from various subjects that capture the often mundane but nonetheless distinctive character of the typical Filipino. After obtaining his Fine Arts degree in 1956 and before venturing into his painting career, Austria initially worked as a textile designer at the Universal Textile Mill. In a 2014 interview with Christiane L. de la Paz and published on the website Artes de las Filipinas, Austria shares that his color and design sensibilities were sharpened during his stint at the textile mill. “Doon ko napulot yung keen sense ko of design and composition kasi [That’s where I acquired my keen sense of design and composition because] you’re working on a limited space,” Austria reveals. “Iba-balance-balance mo ‘yon para kapag crineate mo yung design mo continuously, wala kang makikitang blank horizontal or vertical line. [You’ll have to balance those two elements so that blank horizontal or vertical lines will not appear when you create your design.] The idea is to have a balanced distribution or layout of the motif design and also the background space.” Vicente Manansala, one of Austria’s professors at the University of Santo Tomas, became one of his foremost luminaries, particularly influencing his choice of subject matter. “I can identify with his jeepneys, vendors, and the Madonna of the Slums. I like the fact that his renditions were not done in a glamorous portrayal,” Austria says. In Taniman, Austria lightheartedly depicts a planting rice scene. The figures represent farmers in various states and affairs. A figure of a man playfully plucking his guitar stands out in the composition, evoking the spirited character of the Filipino amid a laborious toiling. Here, Austria paints dainty figures rendered using fine, delicate brush strokes and a bright, pastel-like color palette. The resulting work is a non-intimidating composition that encapsulates mellowness and pleasantness. Jeannie Javelosa and Paul Zafaralla best describe the brilliance of Austria’s compositions in the book Art Philippines. “Austria’s images are flat, simplified, and distorted. The figures are squat and dumpy, drawn in heavy outline and in caricature, which resembles a child’s drawing. Yet, they have a scale of their own and a sense of their own reality.” Despite the simplicity of his style, Austria’s works never fail to delight the viewer through their inherent childlike playfulness and innocence. (A.M.)