Kung Anu-Ano II
signed and dated 2003 (lower left and verso)
oil on canvas
39 5/8" x 16 3/4" (101 cm x 43 cm)

PROVENANCE Finale Art File, Makati City


Antonio Austria, a fine artist who is drawn to day-to-day subjects and scenes, is classed among those who created naive art, yet he is in a league all his own. Famed for his folk-inspired works, he employs simple techniques and disregards a methodical approach. His oeuvres, rendered in a manner that often lacks perspective and proportion, display all the idiosyncrasies and beauty of great folk art while giving a unique insight into the rich and colorful world of the everyday folk. Filipino iconographies such as sari-sari stores, jeepneys, and billiard parlors are seen in his paintings and compositions. For Leonidas Benesa, Austria’s “childlikeness is only a front for the silent workings of an architectonic mind” — an observation that is evident in this oil on canvas piece, Kung Anu-Ano II. Although most contemporary artists follow the vagaries of taste in the international art scene, Austria maintains his sensible course, adhering to the naive approach that roots in elementary folk imagery. To this day, Austria remains committed to depicting quotidian motifs in his art. (P.I.R.)