Marcel Antonio (b. 1965)

Lot description

The Honeymooners signed (lower left) dated 1999 oil on canvas 30" x 24" (76 cm x 61 cm) León Gallery wishes to thank the artist for confirming the authenticity of this lot “Blue-funk erotica” is how Filipino poet, art critic, and painter V.I.S. de Veyra described the works of Marcel Antonio. A subtle form of erotica (more melancholic than carnal, as de Veyra himself categorized), blue-funk erotica hints at sensuality, leaving the rest to the viewer, and there is no better art to embody it than Marcel's. His 1999 The Honeymooners is a perfect example of Marcel’s blue-funk erotic. In his usual dreamlike style, Marcel depicts the titular honeymooners in a tight embrace, their chests flushed against each other. With their naked skin pressed together, it is easy to depict these lovers in a sexual light, and yet Marcel passed on this easy route. Instead, his honeymooners are sensual, yes, but they are also clearly intimate, not just physically but also emotionally. A son of two esteemed artists, it is no surprise that Marcel is an incredibly capable artist himself. Recalling his father’s exhibitions and his mother painting in their kitchen, Marcel’s laidback, playful approach creates a sense of play in his works. “My so-called 'narrative style' is more a product of randomness and discovery, of playing with the work within certain limits and free-styling from there,” he said in a 2006 Artes de las Filipinas interview. “I try to find relationships and combinations between disparate images and texts that suggest a memory or experience familiar to me, and I work with that.” Indeed, Marcel Antonio’s works are a masterclass of the expressive and non-literary tradition of storytelling, playful in its pursuit of a narrative. His The Honeymooners, like many of his works, is a canvas full of metaphors, story, and narrative wrapped in one, its meaning personal to each and every viewer. (Hannah Valiente)