Provenance: Private Collection, USA

ABOUT THE WORK

Romeo Tabuena’s artistic practice is an intense and articulate exploration of many latently commonfolk themes touched by quiet cultural symbols are local imagery that are seemingly distant from the social realities that are often depicted in other Modern works of art. Though mostly known for his idyllic genre scenes, Tabuena has often experimented with other themes and subject-matter; utilizing his signature style in order to infuse his chosen figures with an inherent sense of lightness and grace. This acrylic on canvas still life piece is emblematic of Tabuena’s highly inventive technique. The work features a variety of fruits and wares on a table. The palette’s application gives Tabuena’s subject matter a gossamer-like sheen, inflecting the common household object with a sense of nostalgia and memory. The piece’s background contains all the essential hallmarks usually seen in Tabuena’s rural landscapes. Criss-crossing gestural strokes are combined with subtle tones and shades white, grey, and yellow that are reminiscent of Chinese scroll painting; a key influence to Tabuena’s own craft. Tabuena’s is thus classified as belonging to the postwar Neo-Realists movement, with his then fresh approach to form sometimes compared to Chinese calligraphic brushstrokes and baroque painting.