{"status":true,"msg":{"data":{"id":148,"auction_id":1,"set_id":1,"lot_number":"111","artist":"Oscar Zalameda (1930 - 2010)","title":"Builders","starting_price":500000,"signed_dated":"signed (lower right) ca. 1970","medium":"oil on canvas","size":"29” x 35” (74 cm x 89 cm)","property":null,"coa":null,"provenance":"Private collection, Manila","exhibited":null,"literature":null,"write_up":"Oscar Zalameda was a painter who excelled in cubist artworks, a style where a subject matter is depicted not as one individual shape but consisting of several geometric forms which also allows artists to experiment with color shadings. Zalameda was born in 1930 in Lucban Quezon. After graduating from Tayabas High School (now Quezon National High School) in 1949, he pursued a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in the University of Santo Tomas. Shortly thereafter, he decided to further develop his skills by studying abroad. He traveled to the United States in 1953 and was able to make a name for himself from different competitions, even being an awardee for the Art League of California Competition in 1954. He also pursued studies in Paris, France, in the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux-Arts (lit. National School of Fine Arts) and the Sorbonne (i.e. University of Paris). He would travel the world for more than a decade before returning to the Philippines in 1963 where he would soon grab the attention of the former first lady Imelda Marcos. While known for living an extravagant and controversial lifestyle, his expertise in the fine arts was nonetheless always acknowledged by both Filipino and foreign admirers as proven by the high value placed upon his works even during his lifetime. In 2010, Zalameda died at the age of 79 in Lucena, Quezon. Prior to his death, in 2006, he was awarded by the French government with the Chevalier des Artes et Lettres medallion while the Philippine government awarded him with the Presidential Medal of Merit. Despite the controversies that loomed throughout his life, one noteworthy legacy of his career was the promulgation of “queer optimism” in art, the celebration of gender fluidity and identity, even with the challenges presented by a cold cultural society.<br /><br />One of his works is this oil painting which depicts three workers in the preliminary process of building a certain structure. The artwork does not exhibit the brightly colored luminous cubist art style from which Zalameda would become famous for, implying that this piece was created in the early parts of his career. Nevertheless, its theme is consistent with his interest in depicting sceneries of Philippine culture. The piece appears to highlight or emphasize the industrious side of the Filipino people, their enduring ability to withstand the toils of physical labor, despite historical accusations of their slothful nature (indolencia). The meticulous observer however may be able to notice some features that would be prominent in his more famous works, such as an asymmetrical style in the depiction of the human body and the unusual placements and shapes of inanimate objects. (Christian Talaguit)","lot_group":"PAINTING","lot_details_html":null,"alias":null,"hp":800000,"bp":0.2016,"isWithdrawn":0,"accounting_hp":800000,"userBid":5930,"isPaid":0,"userId":22,"lot_status":"SOLD","isDone":1,"bid_history_id":null,"reserve_price":null,"hammer_price":961280,"fav":0},"image":[{"id":123,"img_url":"https://leongallery.sgp1.digitaloceanspaces.com/v2/auction/1/1/lot/111.jpg","isFeatured":1}]},"increment":[900000,1000000,1100000,1200000,1300000,1400000,1500000,1600000,1700000,1800000,1900000,2000000,2200000,2400000,2600000,2800000,3000000,3200000,3400000,3600000,3800000,4000000,4200000,4400000,4600000,4800000,5000000,5500000,6000000,6500000,7000000,7500000,8000000,8500000,9000000,9500000,10000000,11000000,12000000,13000000,14000000,15000000,16000000,17000000,18000000,19000000,20000000],"prev":110,"next":112,"count_bid":0,"bid_history":[],"tokenExpired":1}