{"status":true,"msg":{"data":{"id":50137,"auction_id":99,"set_id":131,"lot_number":"47","artist":"José Joya (1931 - 1995)","title":"Man's Life Cycle","starting_price":12000000,"signed_dated":"signed and dated 1968 (lower right); \nsigned, inscribed with title and date \n'New York February 1968' (verso)","medium":"oil on canvas","size":"72\" x 72\" (183 cm x 183 cm)","property":null,"coa":null,"provenance":"Manuel and Violeta Dumlao, Birmingham MI, USA \n(acquired directly from the artist in 1969);Thence by descent; Private Collection, Hong Kong","exhibited":null,"literature":null,"write_up":"An Inner Landscape of Peace by LISA GUERRERO NAKPIL
\nIn 1958, or a decade before this painting was created, Jose Joya was already making a difference in Philippine art : “To dwell non-objectively into the paintings of Jose T. Joya, is to try to grasp a rainbow or catch an amoeba with a pin. For without the painter’s signature etched on the canvas, the onlooker loses his sense of direction, and would not know where he stands. What makes a Joya different is .. the mood.
“A Joya is different from the American or European because it is Oriental. One critic writes of his outputs as landscapes — of the spiritual form — but how much of landscapes are there is beyond the physical sense.”
The critique continued, “His creativity suggests a modified cubism perfection-ized by spatial or pencil movements which are involuntary, not determined.”
In the work at hand, Joya depicts an inner landscape of calm; he expresses a sense of zen and serenity, by utilizing a monochromatic palette to express a certain purity of thought. No vibrant colors here or strong shapes, usually associated with this artist; instead Joya adapts delicate lines with a tightly focused impasto to convey an unexpected new mood. He thus portrays a sense of Man’s Life Cycle with an acceptance that ultimately all men must live through the circle of life.
Born in 1931, Joya was — and is still — considered a cutting-edge artist throughout his artistic trajectory. He was also a visionary who pushed for Filipino art to be recognized by the rest of world. As president of the influential Art Association of the Philippines from 1962 to 1965 and as dean of the University of the Philippines’ College of Fine Arts, he created art scholarships and revamped the curriculum, molding several generations of young artists.
During his career as a painter, Joya would receive multiple awards, the highest of which was his recognition as National Artist in 2003. His retrospectives include those at the Philippine Art Gallery, the Museum of Philippine Art, the Ayala Museum, and the National Museum of the Philippines.","lot_group":"PAINTING","lot_details_html":"
José Joya (1931 - 1995) Man's Life Cycle signed and dated 1968 (lower right); signed, inscribed with title and date 'New York February 1968' (verso) oil on canvas 72\" x 72\" (183 cm x 183 cm)