Christ
signed and dated 1973 (lower right)
oil on wood
26" x 9 1/4" (66 cm x 23 cm)
Accompanied by a certificate issued by Finale Art Fileconfirming the authenticity of this lot


LITERATURE:Roces, Alfredo. Kiukok: Deconstructing Despair. Mandaluyong City,Finale Art Gallery, 2000. Full-color illustration and photo caption onpage 367.
Although Ang Kiukok finished his studies at the University of Santo Tomas and was even baptized a Catholic in 1962, the Church's often perplexing dogmas were never fully ingrained into his psyche. Nonetheless, religious figures, such as Christ and the Virgin Mary, have been central elements that defined Kiukok's oeuvre. Growing up in a predominantly Catholic country, Kiukok may have stood in awe at the Filipinos' grandiose and often jubilant religious traditions. Interestingly, Kiukok's wife, Mary, has always been a devout Catholic. Perhaps, he regularly witnessed how his wife prayed before these objects of veneration. Kiukok may have reflected on the elaborate creation of religious images and paintings and the brilliance of the hands behind them. Hence, the inspiration behind Kiukok's paintings of Catholic iconography is not attributed to a notion of religious mysticism or sacred devotion. Instead, Kiukok sees these votive images as merely material objects whose design and motifs are products of human ingenuity. Many of Kiukok's works in the 1970s subtly reflected the socio-political milieu, resulting in depictions of violence in his imagery. However, these did not mirror his "placid and affable" personality. Kiukok emphasizes the influence of Chinese aesthetics on his art. Alfredo Roces writes in Kiukok: Deconstructing Despair: "In his depictions of images of the Virgin Mary as a venerated figure, or his votive candles, or scenes of the Last Supper, Kiukok focuses on composition and the disposition of colors and forms. His Philippine Modernist Period comes to the fore, and his Modernistic vocabulary allows him much room for play.”