ABOUT THE WORK

The mother and child is a warmly accepted trope in Western art, and probably more so in what social scientists say is our matriarchal Philippine society. It could be culturally linked to the many devotions to Mary and our pre-colonial respect for female deities like the many diwatas we attribute stewardship of mountains and nature to. This is probably why Jose Joya's mother and child had been a recurring subject he would do for more than a decade. Joya's mother and child build upon the Madonna and Child of Western art but associate them with local colonial clothes like the baro't saya, making them accessible and relatable. Masterful line work which creates rounded figures reflect Filipino proportions and are a hallmark of Joya's soft pastels and chalks on paper. With self-assured lines, he creates volume and gives solid stability to the figures he portrays, which, in the words of Rodolfo Salaveria, ascribe an “earthiness" to his subjects. This quality makes his mother and child and father and child compositions humble and rustic, tying up with the simple countryside living that many urban dwellers, particularly those who collect art, have grown nostalgic about since the time of De la Rosa and Amorsolo