{"status":true,"msg":{"data":{"id":38774,"auction_id":54,"set_id":82,"lot_number":"52","artist":"Carlos “Botong” Francisco  (1912-1969)","title":"Bugan and Aliguyon","starting_price":8000000,"signed_dated":"signed (lower left) and dated ca. Late 1930s-1940s","medium":"oil on canvas","size":"25” x 19” (64 cm x 48 cm)","property":null,"coa":null,"provenance":"Presented by the Artist to the Mr. Emilio de la Paz, (Congressman of Rizal from 1934 - 1938, re-elected in 1938 and 1949); from thence to Mr. Emilio de la Paz, Jr., 1951 - 1999; from thence Private Collection, 1999 - 2001; Acquired by the current owner from Sotheby’s Singapore, at auction on September 30, 2001.","exhibited":null,"literature":null,"write_up":"For Carlos ‘Botong’ V. Francisco, the ultimate use of art was  to build a Philippine iconography — of noble, heroic figures from  the country’s pre-Spanish past, because Botong believed that  these were the true Filipinos, unsullied by the colonial masters and uncontaminated by their foreign traditions.  He thus became best known for such works as the “Filipino Struggles in History” mural  in the Manila City Hall, his last major commission.\nHe sought material for these powerful, symbolic figures from the tribes of the South, such as the Maranao;  and from the tribes  the North, such as the Ifugao of the Mountain Provinces.  Neither  of these groups had been successfully conquered by the Spanish  and much later the Americans, and it is believed that Botong took pride in this fact.\nFrancisco worked both as a lay-out artist in the Herald as well  as the Manila Tribune, while also teaching at the University of Santo Tomas before the War.  In 1948, he won the first prize for the work “Kaingin” at the annual Art Association of the Philippines exhibit at the National Museum.  It was at this time that he ‘was officially acknowledged by the art establishment as one of the country’s foremost artists.’\nBotong was an avid collector of Filipino ethnography, spears  and shields as well as various headgear;  and he used them in his paintings to create his renowned historically accurate details.   He coveted these artifacts so much that Juban recalls that he would trade paintings for the rarities brought by his great friend Alejandro Roces.  (“Wawa, Angono” is also said to have been painted as a gift to the bearer of rare Mindanao objects.)\nIn a review of his work, titled “Carlos V. Francisco:  The Grace  of Untutored Ease”, Rafael Ma. Guerrero says, “(his) meticulous attention to detail was not without its own authoritative acumen, for Botong was steeped in the customs and folklore of the Philippines.  Long before  collecting antiques became fashionable, one of Botong’s consuming  interests was to travel about the towns of Rizal and Laguna valley, poking like a curious child among the old churches.”\nHis first paintings of the Ifugao, however, were more romantic —  capturing the courtship rituals in various paintings of the “Nose Flute”;  depicting the rhythms of ordinary life instead of the idealism of the  larger-than-life. \nIn “Bugan and Aliguyon”, a Filipino brave strides masterfully across  a stream, wading through its  almost knee-high waters, while carrying his beloved, lifting her above the stream to prevent her gracefully curvaceous limbs from becoming wet.  It is the noble Aliguyon who sweeps the princess Bugan into his arms.  It’s a gesture straight out of Walter Raleigh as he swept his cape on the mud to prevent Queen Elizabeth’s shoes from becoming dirty — almost reminiscent of one carrying one’s bride across the grassy threshold.\nAliguyon carries her to a sacred tree where he swears his undying love.  This warrior’s adventures comprise the Hudhud ni Aliguyon, an epic tale  of the Ifugao.\nGuerrero further notes ‘in Manila’s sophisticated art circles, his works  were frequently likened to that of Gauguin and the Mexican muralist Diego de Rivera, whose influences he unashamedly acknowledged.’\nThis Gauguin period was primarily in the late 1940s to early 1950s,  as demonstrated by such works as an early “Bayanihan” dated from 1950. It is with this basis that “The Ifugao and His Bride” can  be approximately dated.\nWhether painting monumental murals or these more intimate works, Carlos “Botong’ V. Francisco is truly a master artist of the Filipino soul.\nHe was named the country’s National Artist for the Visual Arts in 1973.\n-Lisa Guerrero Nakpil","lot_group":"PAINTING","lot_details_html":"<p><strong>Carlos &ldquo;Botong&rdquo; Francisco</strong> (1912-1969) <br /><em>Bugan and Aliguyon</em><br />Ca. Late 1930s-1940s<br />signed lower left<br />oil on canvas<br />25&rdquo; x 19&rdquo; (64 cm x 48 cm)</p>","alias":null,"hp":0,"bp":0.168,"isWithdrawn":0,"accounting_hp":0,"userBid":null,"isPaid":0,"userId":22,"lot_status":"UNSOLD","isDone":1,"bid_history_id":null,"reserve_price":null,"hammer_price":0,"fav":0},"image":[{"id":37163,"img_url":"https://leongallery.sgp1.digitaloceanspaces.com/v2/auction/54/82/lot/52.jpg","isFeatured":1}]},"increment":[5500000,6000000,6500000,7000000,7500000,8000000,8500000,9000000,9500000,10000000,11000000,12000000,13000000,14000000,15000000,16000000,17000000,18000000,19000000,20000000],"prev":51,"next":53,"count_bid":0,"bid_history":[],"tokenExpired":1}