{"status":true,"msg":{"data":{"id":60829,"auction_id":203,"set_id":236,"lot_number":"118","artist":"Florencio B. Concepcion (1933 - 2006)","title":"Reflective Illusion","starting_price":1800000,"signed_dated":"signed and dated XCVII (lower left)","medium":"oil on canvas","size":"60\" x 60\" (152 cm x 152 cm)","property":null,"coa":null,"provenance":"Private collection, Manila","exhibited":null,"literature":null,"write_up":"Florencio Concepcion was a pivotal yet often overlooked figure in Philippine modern art. He was not just a promising artist but also a formidable professor who shaped many artists’ lives and careers.<br><br> While still a student at the University of the Philippines, he illustrated for several comic magazines like Action, Halakhak, Pilipino, and Bulaklak. His work as an opera backdrop artist under Irineo Miranda, along with his skills in impressionistic scenes, watercolor, and figure drawing, showcases his diverse talents. It was not only in the 1950s that he began delving into abstraction.<br><br> After his successful debut as an exhibiting artist at the Philippine Art Gallery, Concepcion’s talents gained further recognition. The Italian government granted him a scholarship to study at the Accademia di Belle Arti. This sojourn coincided with the Arte Informale and Arte Povera movements, which promoted a gestural and experimental approach to painting. These movements greatly influenced his art, resulting in a body of work characterized by layers of a light palette.<br><br> Indeed, Florencio Concepcion’s oeuvre offers a quieter side of Abstract Expressionism. Despite the rather vibrant hues and absence of direct shapes and objects, his paintings induce strong emotions in the spectators, revealing–or stirring–their innermost thoughts and feelings. Even so, with his smeared-like, almost wispy strokes, his colors are harmoniously blended. Thus infusing his canvases with a serene and comforting ambiance.<br><br> Reflective Illusion, as the title suggests, offers a soothing visual that allows viewers a moment of solitude and reflection. The greens and yellows are slowly engulfing the red paint, akin to how we find serenity in our inner selves, how Concepcion’s abstractions bring comfort to the psyche.<br><br> Upon completing his studies in Rome, Concepcion returned to the Philippines and devoted his time to teaching. As a professor, he constantly challenged his students and questioned their intentions, instilling the importance of critical self-reflection.<br><br> The name Florencio Concepcion may not be as well-known as his contemporaries in Philippine visual arts, but his evocative canvases and the lessons and influences he imbued into his students’ lives will always remain. (Jessica Magno)","lot_group":"PAINTING","lot_details_html":null,"alias":null,"hp":2400000,"bp":0.2016,"isWithdrawn":0,"accounting_hp":2400000,"userBid":34,"isPaid":0,"userId":34,"lot_status":"SOLD","isDone":1,"bid_history_id":19831,"reserve_price":0,"hammer_price":2883840,"fav":0},"image":[{"id":66844,"img_url":"https://leongallery.sgp1.digitaloceanspaces.com/v2/auction/203/236/lot/118.jpg","isFeatured":1},{"id":67164,"img_url":"https://leongallery.sgp1.digitaloceanspaces.com/v2/auction/203/236/lot/118d.jpg","isFeatured":0},{"id":67163,"img_url":"https://leongallery.sgp1.digitaloceanspaces.com/v2/auction/203/236/lot/118c.jpg","isFeatured":0},{"id":67162,"img_url":"https://leongallery.sgp1.digitaloceanspaces.com/v2/auction/203/236/lot/118b.jpg","isFeatured":0},{"id":67161,"img_url":"https://leongallery.sgp1.digitaloceanspaces.com/v2/auction/203/236/lot/118a.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":117,"next":119,"count_bid":0,"bid_history":[],"tokenExpired":1}