Man With Rooster
signed and dated 1971 (upper left)
oil on canvas
26" x 20" (66 cm x 51 cm)

PROVENANCE Private Collection, USA


Not all Filipino artists are blessed with the opportunity to travel overseas and showcase their craft, let alone the distinction of garnering acclaim and recognition to do so. Among the few painters that have accomplished such a feat, and had done so in a very iconic fashion, is Romeo Tabuena. A pioneering neo-realist, Tabuena gained recognition with his colorful, cubist works. With his prismatic deconstruction and rendition of elements, he was able to fluently translate the reality of his subjects into the brilliant planar figures that have astounded his audiences time and again. In this particular 1971 piece, Man With Rooster, a local sabungero is depicted wearing a country hat, holding dearly his white rooster. During the 1960s, Tabuena produced several paintings featuring sabungeros and sabong, or cockfighting, a scene that is familiar in portrayals of Filipino provincial life. Although he studied and lived abroad throughout the majority of his artistic career, Tabuena never disregarded his Philippine roots. His oeuvres always depict Filipino themes and subjects, from carabaos and stilt houses to the rural everyday people. (P.I.R.)