Ronald Ventura (b. 1973)
Nude
signed and dated 2005 (middle left)
oil on canvas
13" x 10 1/2" (33 cm x 27 cm)



PROVENANCE:Finale Art File, Makati City



Human anatomy has fascinated Ronald Ventura since he was a child. Born out of this interest, Ventura explores the anatomical and expressive facets of the nude, whether it is the male or female form. Imbued with a high degree of realism, the artist proves himself a savant of the human figure in this piece. An excerpt from the 2011 book Ronald Ventura: Realities says: "(A) major basis of Ronald Ventura's art is his mastery of anatomy...having gone through the entire gamut of male and female nudes in all postures, stances, and attitudes, he has assumed the capability of… morphing it in the unexpected ways." The piece at hand is a prominent example of Ventura's nude paintings before he traversed through his hyperrealist interpretation of the art form. Ventura engages the viewer by plying between the boundaries of light and shadow; light is seemingly cast on the figures. This exposes the figures' sharply defined physical contours and evocative poses. By also playing with the nuances between light and shadow, Ventura juxtaposes the male and female figures, which art critic Alice Guillermo described as the artist being "engaged in breaking down the rigid binaries of male-female, even as black-white components of 'yang' and 'yin' hold within them the kernel of their opposite." (A.M.)