{"status":true,"msg":{"data":{"id":3522,"auction_id":6,"set_id":8,"lot_number":"123","artist":"Federico Aguilar Alcuaz (1932 - 2011)","title":"Barcelona Series","starting_price":1200000,"signed_dated":"signed, inscribed Barcelona and dated 1964 (lower right)","medium":"oil on canvas","size":"31 1/2\" x 24 1/2\" (80 cm x 62 cm)","property":"PROPERTY FROM THE DON J. ANTONIO ARANETA COLLECTION","coa":"León Gallery wishes to thank Christian M. Aguilar for confirming the authenticity of this lot","provenance":null,"exhibited":null,"literature":null,"write_up":"Federico Aguilar Alcuaz drew inspiration from a plethora of sources, from his formative time in the Philippines to his academic sojourns in Europe, resulting in oeuvres that are universal in nature. At the core of his art is freedom and a freshness of spirit that immediately draws one into his vision of the world. Elegant and refined are his aesthetic tendencies, exemplifying a distinctly European flair — a quality found in the works of very few Filipino artists.<br /><br />For the National Artist, the brilliance of a piece of art has nothing to do with its being either abstract or figurative because, throughout his career, he shifted between abstraction and figuration, and his figurative works often contained abstract components. Furthermore, Alcuaz captured the world from a unique viewpoint. He created landscape paintings that seemed realistic, but his use of perspective, proportions, and palette was artfully orchestrated so that what is presented is not a slice of the reality he saw but how he saw it. His works are admired for the ease and enjoyment conveyed by his use of light, color, and composition, all of which add up to scenes that are always playful but never cluttered. He painted with a powerful brush, one that succeeded in harmonizing the pictorial parts such that they could be perceived simultaneously. He also loved his materials and understood how to bring out their best qualities. Perhaps, the secret of Alcuaz’s work is that he was a true hedonist in his approach to life, nature, and the universe.<br /><br /> As observed in this Barcelona oil painting dated 1964, its canvas is imbibed with a cosmopolitan flair and an enigmatic quality akin to the vividness and sultriness of Spanish music. One may assume that while the artist executed his strokes and applied his solid colors, there was a sense of serendipity that revealed a sort of dancing poetry. In every Alcuaz piece, a stirring of imagination radiating from his works convey a pleasing experience to the observer.<br /><br /> His formidable journey toward his search for artistic identity is encapsulated in the Barcelona Series. Life was in favor of Alcuaz because at the time when he decided to move to Barcelona to expand his artistic vision, it was a haven for the avant-garde modernists who rebelled against conservatism in art. The artist made a home for himself in the city, even setting up a studio on the fourth floor of the 285 Calle de Arago?n, which he maintained for 40 years, from 1957 until 1997. As well, it was also at this time that the “Renaissance Man” embraced a new moniker, signing his paintings with “F. Aguilar Alcuaz” or “Aguilar Alcuaz.”<br /><br /> In 1964, Alcuaz was awarded the Decoration of Arts, Letters, and Awards with the rank of Chevalier from the French government, second prize at the Premio Vancell at the Fourth Biennial of Tarrasa in Barcelona, and the Order of French Genius. (P.I.R.)","lot_group":"PAINTING","lot_details_html":null,"alias":null,"hp":1600000,"bp":0.168,"isWithdrawn":0,"accounting_hp":1600000,"userBid":5933,"isPaid":0,"userId":22,"lot_status":"SOLD","isDone":1,"bid_history_id":null,"reserve_price":null,"hammer_price":1868800,"fav":0},"image":[{"id":3772,"img_url":"https://leongallery.sgp1.digitaloceanspaces.com/v2/auction/6/8/lot/123.jpg","isFeatured":1},{"id":3766,"img_url":"https://leongallery.sgp1.digitaloceanspaces.com/v2/auction/6/8/lot/123a.jpg","isFeatured":0}]},"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":122,"next":124,"count_bid":0,"bid_history":[],"tokenExpired":1}