Mauro Malang Santos (1928 - 2017)
Golden Harvest
signed and dated 7 - XII - 83 (lower right)
gouache on paper
12 3/4" x 11 5/8" (32 cm x 30 cm)


Accompanied by a certificate issued by West Galleryconfirming the authenticity of this lot




In this piece, Malang breaks free from his own conventions in this breathtakingly ethereal landscape. In Golden Harvest, Malang presents us with a rural community seemingly in a state of reverie as they welcome in a bountiful harvest. The rice field adjacent to the town is awash in the golden light of the sun, seemingly denoting the almost divine nature of the season’s pickings. The work itself showcases Malang’s iconic approach to cubism and figuration that highlighted not only the unique elements of his chosen subjects, but the atmosphere and aura as well. In 1963, Malang was given the TOYM or Ten Outstanding Young Men Award for his noteworthy pursuits in the field of visual arts. In 1964, he was awarded the title ‘Artist of the Year.’ Malang’s fame and craftsmanship opened up various opportunities for him, such as opening Gallery Seven, Makati’s first art gallery, with notable artists such as Kiukok, Asuncion, Manansala, Ocampo, and Yonzon. In 1966, Malang expanded his artistic practice to include printmaking, a medium that Malang would eventually spearhead within the local art community. Though he devoted much of his life to his cartoon and illustrative works, he would also eventually branch out and experiment with acrylic and oil paints in order to create his famous and captivating modernist figurative and cubist paintings and illustrations. (J.D.)