{"status":true,"msg":{"data":{"id":50149,"auction_id":99,"set_id":131,"lot_number":"61","artist":"Arturo Luz (1926 - 2021)","title":"Two Men Juggling Cat. #4","starting_price":2000000,"signed_dated":"dated 1991","medium":"acrylic collage","size":"48\" x 65\" (122 cm x 165 cm)","property":null,"coa":"Accompanied by a certificate issued by Ms. Luisa Luz-Lansigan \nconfirming the authenticity of this lot","provenance":"West Gallery, Quezon City","exhibited":null,"literature":null,"write_up":"Circus performers and carnival scenes feature prominently in Luz’s art, becoming his most recognizable subjects, and forming an iconic ensemble in his oeuvre. Ever since the celebratory image of silhouetted cyclists appeared in Luz’s seminal Bagong Taon (1952) and succeeding depictions of performers and carnivals from the 1950s to the 1960s, it would gradually become evident that the carnivalesque would become a point of no return for the artist. But being the inventive and innovative artist he was, there came the point wherein Luz would fiddle with and explore other themes in various media, such as collage and sculpture, from the late 1960s to the 1980s.
Luz’s journey back to the exuberant would take a rather long interlude of almost three decades. It was not until 1991 that circus motifs reappeared in Luz’s oeuvre. From that point on, these subjects would encapsulate Luz’s full-circle journey as an artist.
Luz began working on his Celebration series, to which the work at hand belongs, in 1991 after an extensive trip throughout Asia during the late 1980s. Inspired by the continent’s richness, Luz returned to figurative painting after he abandoned it in 1969 when he started venturing into pure abstraction. Cid Reyes also writes in his book on the artist that this decision stemmed from Luz’s pervading feeling of being a one-faceted artist, “as if he had painted himself into a corner...Luz reverted to his original imagery of cyclists, jugglers, acrobats, and performers.”
When Luz reintroduced these festive images of the circus performers, the artist’s geometrical austerity and precision had become colder, sharper, and more straightforward, in contrast to the elaborate depictions of the same subjects from the 50s to the 60s. By this time, Luz had refined his mathematical instincts, coming afresh from his geometric sculptures of the 60s to the 80s. Although he had reduced his palette to black, gray, and toluidine red, he could evoke the euphoric vibe of a circus through his creative mantra of “sophisticated simplicity,” using to his advantage the subdued dynamism of elementary forms. Even though the stark severity of the figures contrasts with the lighthearted theme, Luz was a master at handling contradictions with utmost religiosity, bringing two opposing forces to the forefront without one overpowering the other. Structured spontaneity whips up revelry into the canvases. In this work and the entirety of the Celebration series, Luz imbibes freedom in visual exegesis to the viewer, letting them enkindle their own nostalgic narratives regarding the subject through their personal sensibilities of festivity and gaiety.
Luz also introduced in his Celebration series the use of crumpled paper. Luz describes this practice: “Common sense told me it would be uninteresting to paint on smooth canvas...But I had to destroy the smoothness of paper. I used 80 lbs. of printing paper. Strong but still malleable. The easiest way to destroy the surface of the paper is to crumple it, to rid it of its shiny, metallic quality. Having done that, the paper is straightened flat and glued on plywood. When paint is applied on that crumpled surface, you get these intricate webs of lines. It’s an interesting effect you won’t get another way.”
The circular shape of the juggling balls—elements integral to the jugglers’ manner of imparting classic entertainment—embody the wholeness and timelessness of Luz’s art. Furthermore, the circle represents infinity and limitlessness; it has no beginning and end. Thus, being one of his favorite motifs, circus performers have become the quintessential Luz, for they represent the inherent balance, omnipresence, and universality of his art. (A.M.)","lot_group":"PAINTING","lot_details_html":"
Arturo Luz (1926 - 2021) Two Men Juggling Cat. #4 dated 1991 acrylic collage 48\" x 65\" (122 cm x 165 cm)