Mother and Child
signed and dated 1990 (lower left)
oil on canvas
42” x 42” (107 cm x 107 cm)

Iconic Filipino modernist Norma Belleza has put on display her refined folk sensibilities time and again. Belleza’s stylized figuration of the Filipina has come to be known as a potent display of fortitude —a powerful depiction of the Filipina woman; forged of strength and will.

In this work by the renowned modern, we are treated to an allegorical composition — the woman at the center of the household caring for her child. The setting, cluttered with religious and socio-cultural iconography, is a microcosmic rendition of society, shedding light on the travails of the Filipina.