{"status":true,"msg":{"data":{"id":59787,"auction_id":186,"set_id":220,"lot_number":"72","artist":"Lao Lianben (b. 1948)","title":"Tryst-112","starting_price":2000000,"signed_dated":"signed and dated 1976 (lower left)","medium":"oil on marine plywood","size":"38\" x 41\" (97 cm x 104 cm)","property":null,"coa":null,"provenance":"Museum of Philippine Art","exhibited":null,"literature":null,"write_up":"Created in the same year as another piece similarly entitled Tryst, which won an Honorable Mention at the 1976 Art Association of the Philippines Annual, Lao Lianben’s Tryst-112 laid the foundation for many of the aforementioned works that Lao would make throughout his career. \n\nCelebrated for his minimalist yet evocative paintings, Lao’s works draw heavy inspiration from Buddhist practices and principles. \n\n“I do not practice Buddhism, but I am intrigued by it,” he said in a Lifestyle Inc. interview with Lala Singian-Serzo. “When I observe monks in their daily way of life, they allow me to imagine and create stories in my head. My eyes enable me to form ideas and come up with motifs for my paintings.” \n\nIndeed, this particular Tryst piece echoes a notable Buddhist symbol: the ensō. Portraying two concentric circles, Lao embodies the supreme symbol of Buddhist enlightenment. This simple structure belies a multitude of meanings – it signifies the beginning and the end, emptiness and fullness, and the circle of life, among others. \n\nEach Zen master has their own ensō style, and Lao is not exempt. A true master, he has created ensō circles ranging from lopsided, unclosed circles to symmetrical ones; this particular one is of the latter. Two near-symmetrical circles are left bare and unoccupied, save for the scribbles done in the lower half of the centermost circle. It draws the eye, an element in an otherwise quiet canvas. \n\nIt is this quietude and solace that Lao has made a name for himself, both in his canvas and from Buddhism, from which he finds himself inspired. His refined aesthetic echoes the elegant style of expressionist calligraphy, holding a touch of Oriental influences as evidenced by his Buddhist inspirations. \n\nTraditionally, many of these ensō paintings are naked and mysterious, with some bearing an accompanying inscription as a hint to the symbol’s meaning. The most common inscription, according to John Stevens, as published on the Lion’s Roar website, is a simple “What is this?” In essence, many of the ensō works, and in extension, that of Lao’s, leave the interpretation up to the viewer. \n\n“What is remarkable about [the artist] is his ability to create works that function simultaneously on several levels: aesthetic, philosophical, spiritual, critical,” Hervé Lancelin wrote in his art critique ‘Lao Lianben and the Poetics of Obscurity.’ “He merges techniques to create an immediacy that directly evokes personal imagination, rather than an analytical reference to a particular style.” \n\nIndeed, Lao’s Tryst-112 echoes the artist’s natural, almost monochromatic palette, exemplifying his disciplined composition and portraying a dialogue that merges the carnal energy that the title suggests with the reverential interpretation that is quintessential Lao. (Hannah Valiente)","lot_group":"PAINTING","lot_details_html":null,"alias":null,"hp":2800000,"bp":0.2016,"isWithdrawn":0,"accounting_hp":2800000,"userBid":34,"isPaid":0,"userId":22,"lot_status":"SOLD","isDone":1,"bid_history_id":15175,"reserve_price":2500000,"hammer_price":3364480,"fav":0},"image":[{"id":65282,"img_url":"https://leongallery.sgp1.digitaloceanspaces.com/v2/auction/186/220/lot/72.jpg","isFeatured":1},{"id":65518,"img_url":"https://leongallery.sgp1.digitaloceanspaces.com/v2/auction/186/220/lot/72d.jpg","isFeatured":0},{"id":65517,"img_url":"https://leongallery.sgp1.digitaloceanspaces.com/v2/auction/186/220/lot/72c.jpg","isFeatured":0},{"id":65516,"img_url":"https://leongallery.sgp1.digitaloceanspaces.com/v2/auction/186/220/lot/72b.jpg","isFeatured":0},{"id":65515,"img_url":"https://leongallery.sgp1.digitaloceanspaces.com/v2/auction/186/220/lot/72a.jpg","isFeatured":0}]},"increment":[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":71,"next":73,"count_bid":0,"bid_history":[],"tokenExpired":1}