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Lot description
Candle Vendor signed and dated 1970 (lower right) oil on canvas 24" x 30" (61 cm x 76 cm) Leon Gallery wishes to thank Mrs. Fatima Antonio Baquiran for confirming the authenticity of this lot Filipino artist Angelito Antonio has long drawn from the rhythms of everyday life—his canvases populated by vendors, laborers, and familiar figures of the street. His work is not merely descriptive; it is celebratory, a sustained engagement with the texture and cadence of Filipino culture. In paintings such as Vendors, Antonio elevates the ordinary into something enduring, finding structure and vitality in scenes that might otherwise pass unnoticed. Often described as both modernist and expressionist, Antonio’s practice reveals an early affinity with the transparent cubism of Vicente Manansala, yet he gradually forged a language distinctly his own. His compositions are built on a scaffolding of firm diagonals and interlocking planes, what has come to be recognized as his “nascent cubism.” Figures are subtly distorted—not to obscure them, but to give them weight and presence. Black anchors the composition, set against fields of vivid primaries and tempered earth tones, creating a visual tension that is both controlled and alive. Over time, this balance between structure and spontaneity becomes Antonio’s signature: a clarity of design that never loses its human warmth. In this work, a vendor figure sits at the center of a carefully orchestrated geometry. The body is constructed through angled planes and softened edges, its posture both grounded and slightly abstracted. Around the figure, a constellation of forms—suggestive of goods, stalls, or clustered objects—rises into a fragmented backdrop of blues, pinks, and ochres. Vertical elements punctuate the scene, echoing market stands or improvised structures, while diagonal lines guide the eye across the surface. The palette is vibrant but measured, with color used less for realism than for rhythm and contrast. Despite the complexity of its construction, the painting feels immediate and familiar. It captures not just the image of a vendor, but the atmosphere of livelihood itself—ordered, bustling, and quietly resilient. (Jed Daya)