Lot description
Arturo Luz (1926 - 2021) Four Acrobats from the Celebration Series signed and dated 1991 (verso) acrylic on handmade paper 48" x 80" (122 cm x 203 cm) P 3,000,000 Accompanied by a certificate issued by Luisa Luz Lansigan confirming the authenticity of this lot Provenance Galleria Duemila, Inc. Among Arturo Luz’s sought after works of art, it is arguably his works depicting performers and circus people that turn the most heads. Luz has noted that his inspiration for this series came from his own experiences with local fairs he’d often visit during his childhood. A synthesis of both Luz’s earlier works that heavily features figurative elements and his latter pieces that prioritized abstraction above all. In this piece titled Four Acrobats, one can easily identify the four titular acrobats despite Luz’s unique abstract treatment. This effect can be attributed to Luz’s mastery of both his own visual language and the very vernacular individuals often employ when perceiving. This effect is not only isolated to the characters themselves, but also includes the attributes and treatment of the work. A heightened sense of dynamic movement can be subtly deduced from the positioning of Luz’s figures, giving the feeling that they really are leaping and tumbling across the air. While Luz’s choice of color is meticulously directed, effectively guiding viewers to engage with his work in a distinctly coordinated method. Luz has produced art pieces through a disciplined economy of means and materials that perfectly encapsulates a uniquely Asian and Filipino modernist spirit. Although many of Luz’s works include only the essential elements of lines, curves, and a few muted colors, the Filipino people continue to show enthusiasm, admiration, and curiosity for them. Luz won the distinction of being designated National Artist of the Philippines, the highest artistic honor in the country, for Visual Arts in 1997.
