Nude
signed (lower left) and dated 2012 (bottom)edition 12 of 20
cast bronze
7 1/2" x 6 1/2" x 9 1/4" (19 cm x 17 cm x 23 cm)

PROVENANCE: The Crucible Gallery, Mandaluyong City


The Nude is undoubtedly one of the most enduring and timeless subject-matters in art and art history. From Aristotle’s musings about the actuality of life being the body itself to Edmund Husserl emphasizing our experiences within and through our physical being, mankind’s interest in the ageless form of our bodies is not only as old as history itself, but remains to be captivating mystery even to this day. One can trace all sorts of social, historical, and cultural underpinnings to the kinds of bodies, and by extension the style of nude art, produced by a civilization or an era. Early nude statuettes from the Messopotamian and Babylonian eras would often emphasize the chest and curves of a woman, seemingly giving importance to their ability to birth children. While Greek and Roman nudes emphasized the opposite, with their works spotlighting the body’s physical prowess over its more intimate areas. BenCab’s bronze cast Nude piece seemingly follows this tradition of redefining what a Nude work is and what it can be. The piece features a woman in a reclined position, her legs pointed up towards the sky. Compared to the kind of Nude works that preceded it, the piece seemingly gives off an air of liberation; unconcerned with its connotations. BenCab’s approach effectively reflects the Modernist philosophy of empowerment as it seeks to add to the canon of art history’s most enduring topics. (J.D.)