Poor Man's Meal (Homage to the Potato Eater by Vincent Van Gogh)
signed and dated 2020 (lower right)
oil on canvas
60" x 85" (152 cm x 216 cm)
Accompanied by a certificate signed by the artistconfirming the authenticity of this lot



In his Potato Eaters, Van Gogh shows the peasants' alienation from their produce. How come they cannot enjoy the fruits of their labor is a subject he subtly yet poignantly touches on. Galicano aimed to imbibe this quality in his Poor Man's Meal. "We had a hard life in Carcar. Back then, every single day would be filled with uncertainties. We would always be pervaded with doubts if we could survive and carry on with each passing day.” The somber, dimly lit composition explicitly represents their penurious living conditions. It also captures an atmosphere similar to Joey Velasco's 2005 painting, Hapag ng Pag-Asa, which appropriates the image of the Last Supper and shows Jesus Christ dining with the street children. A small beam of light from the early morning sun radiates in the background. In the midst of their predicament, the morning setting evokes the old Filipino adage, "The coming of a new dawn enkindles a renewed sense of hope." "That is why Poor Man's Meal is one of my best works, one of my most treasured works, because it is a genuine reflection of my youth, my struggles, my hopes, and my aspirations," Galicano touchingly concludes. (A.M.)