{"status":true,"msg":{"data":{"id":61716,"auction_id":209,"set_id":242,"lot_number":"140","artist":"Lao Lianben (b. 1948)","title":"Untitled","starting_price":4600000,"signed_dated":"signed and dated 1983 (lower left)","medium":"mixed media","size":"70\" x 72\" (178 cm x 183 cm)","property":null,"coa":null,"provenance":"Private collection, Manila","exhibited":null,"literature":null,"write_up":"In the realm of Filipino art culture, Lao Lianben embarked on a marked departure from the usual Filipino maximalism, choosing instead to relish in silence and restraint. Quiet and contemplative, the works of Lao reveal themselves to his viewers in increments, inviting them to meditate in silence as they divulge their secrets to those patient enough to give them their time and attention. <br/><br/> Even the process of painting is one of contemplative work for the artist, who counts Zen Buddhism as one of the main inspirations in his creative praxis. In an email interview with Lala Singian-Serzo, he said that he “[lets] the medium interact with [him]” until it looks complete. <br/><br/> “It is a tedious process just to come up with the right balance of light, shadow, and texture on a painting; sometimes a small adjustment is all that is required to accomplish how I like the painting,” he continued.  <br/><br/> This particular work, dated 1983, embodies Lao’s particular brand of Zen philosophy and practice. With a canvas almost entirely entrenched in black, Lao depicts a series of concentric circles with a shadow of a sword’s hilt at the center. These circles are reminiscent of an ensō, a symbol of supreme enlightenment in Zen Buddhism. Whether they are drawn with an open or closed circle, they are traditionally drawn in one or two uninhibited brushstrokes with a spontaneity that symbolizes the utmost freeing of one’s mind. <br/><br/> The blackness in Lao Lianben’s works is never merely decorative. They speak of the darkness that veils over one’s deepest, darkest emotions and the darkness of the unconscious mind. However, in the same vein, it also speaks of an impending spiritual illumination. The textured black field of this particular work shines with a delicate yet vivid light. It may be restrained, but the light persists. Incense, for one, is a light that helps to dispel “personal darkness” and cultivate clear wisdom in the Buddhist tradition. Just as the ensō symbolizes absolute enlightenment, this flame, too, embodies the positive emptiness needed for this enlightenment, the quietude that Lao implores his viewers to partake in this piece. (Hannah Andrea Valiente)","lot_group":"PAINTING","lot_details_html":null,"alias":null,"hp":7000000,"bp":0.2016,"isWithdrawn":0,"accounting_hp":7000000,"userBid":34,"isPaid":0,"userId":34,"lot_status":"SOLD","isDone":1,"bid_history_id":25533,"reserve_price":0,"hammer_price":8411200,"fav":0},"image":[{"id":68649,"img_url":"https://leongallery.sgp1.digitaloceanspaces.com/v2/auction/209/242/lot/140.jpg","isFeatured":1},{"id":68752,"img_url":"https://leongallery.sgp1.digitaloceanspaces.com/v2/auction/209/242/lot/140a.jpg","isFeatured":0},{"id":68751,"img_url":"https://leongallery.sgp1.digitaloceanspaces.com/v2/auction/209/242/lot/140b.jpg","isFeatured":0},{"id":68750,"img_url":"https://leongallery.sgp1.digitaloceanspaces.com/v2/auction/209/242/lot/140c.jpg","isFeatured":0}]},"increment":[5500000,6000000,6500000,7000000,7500000,8000000,8500000,9000000,9500000,10000000,11000000,12000000,13000000,14000000,15000000,16000000,17000000,18000000,19000000,20000000],"prev":139,"next":141,"count_bid":0,"bid_history":[],"tokenExpired":1}