The artwork of Jose Joya paved the path for Filipino Abstract Expressionism, a new and bold movement championed by Joya's teaching. Born in Manila in 1931, he sketched at first, with early Jose Joya's drawings showing promise. Schooled traditionally, Joya graduated with a fine arts degree from the University of the Philippines in 1953, and soon felt the influence of Modernism. With a grant from the Spanish government, Joya traveled to Spain, and then to the United States on a Fulbright scholarship. Afterwards, Jose Joya's paintings showed an impressive variety of techniques and subjects, including nudes and sketchwork.
Drawings by Jose Joya show he has never lost his sense of place, with colors and textures deeply rooted in Filipino culture. Joya's contribution to the Philippines has been showcased by the National Museum in Manila. To cultivate your own richer collection and add character to your living space, browse abstract portrait drawings for sale at Invaluable.
Murmurllo signed and dated 1961 (lower right) oil on canvas 34" x 46" (86 cm x 117 cm) Accompanied by a certificate issued by Mr. Alexander Richard Joya Baldovino confirming the authenticity of this lot EXHIBITED The Link Ayala Center, The Internationalists: Zobel, Joya (Leon Gallery at Art Fair Philippines 2023), Makati City, 17 - 19 February 2023 LITERATURE The Internationalists: Zobel, Joya. Published to accompany the Leon Gallery exhibition of the same name at Art Fair Philippines 2023. Makati City: Leon Gallery, 2023. Full-color illustration and painting description on page 22. In 1961, Jose Joya reached another milestone in his artistic career. Awarded with the Republic Cultural Heritage Award (the precursor to the Order of National Artists, an award with which he too was conferred posthumously in 2003), this explosive opening to this decade signaled the magnificent upturn trajectory that Joya’s career would take him as he ushered in a new wave of abstract paintings. This 1961 Murmurllo echoes the resolution Joya had reached when he was caught in the crossfire between his traditionalist mentors and modernist peers. He married the two extremes, creating abstractions that mimicked flow and fluidity that spoke to the conservative senses. Here, he sought not to destroy his image as many Western abstractions tend to do; instead, in a true Asian fashion, he molded them and enhanced its conflicting elements to create a truly cohesive piece that spoke not only to the wholeness of the image that it created but also the parts that it is constituted of. “Jose Tanig Joya distinguished himself by creating an authentic Filipino abstract idiom that transcended foreign influences,” says his National Artist citation, “and constitutes an important landmark in the development of Philippine modern art to which he infused new energies, concepts, and values in line with the theme of nationhood.” (Hannah Valiente)
Confetti Revolution signed and dated December 16, 1984 (lower right and verso) acrylic collage 30 1/4” x 22 1/2” (77 cm x 57 cm) Accompanied by a certificate issued by Mr. Alexander Richard Joya Baldovino confirming the authenticity of this lot Onward to Democracy Joya Paints the Confetti Rallies of the 1980s by ADRIAN MARANAN - Jose Joya’s acrylic collages are not only windows into the expressiveness of abstraction rooted in connectedness with nature; they were the artist’s creative explorations of the concept of nationalism, which he had begun incorporating in his art beginning in the late 1960s. By the early 1970s, Joya delved into his acrylic collages, using finely grained, diaphanous rice papers reminiscent of the kiping, the colorful leaf-shaped rice wafers central to the celebrations of the vibrant Pahiyas Festival of Lucban, Quezon. Joya’s acrylic collages became representative of his reconnection with nature as an integral part of the praxis of abstraction—a oneness with nature’s dynamic forces resulting in a gush of unbridled expressiveness. Moreover, this medium allowed Joya to reflect on and reconnect with his heritage, liberating himself from the confines of what he deemed as “too much Western influences.” “I have always thought that we, Filipinos, suffer from too much Western influences. It is good for us to start rediscovering our past,” said Joya in 1973 in his comprehensive interview with Cid Reyes and published in the definitive monograph Conversations on Philippine Art. Confetti Revolution is a homage to the “confetti rallies” that sparked in the Makati Central Business District, particularly along Ayala Avenue, and spread to other parts of the country, including Cebu and Davao. These rallies were pioneered by the “Monday Group,” consisting of Francis Laurel, Pec Castro, Gus Lagman, Pete Estrada, Tony Mapa, Lito Banayo, Rafael Evangelista, and an anonymous eighth member, who, in the words of Evangelista in a Rappler article titled “Who were really behind Makati’s yellow confetti rallies,” aimed “to mobilize the business community immediately after the assassination of Ninoy Aquino in 1983.” The yellow confetti rallies became one of the critical junctures of the broader protest movement against the dictatorship of Marcos, Sr., climaxing in the historic People Power Revolution of 1986. Joya’s use of rice paper matched the optimistic mood of the subject. Blots and streaks of yellow paint dominate the canvas, mimicking the yellow confetti raining throughout the stretch of Ayala Avenue from its high-rise edifices. Confetti Revolution sees Joya not only exploring his identity as a Filipino; he is reveling and partaking in history in the making. Like the kiping, which is synonymous with the spirited Pahiyas, Joya’s Confetti Revolution is a festive celebration of the historic protests against the dictatorship, manifesting his solidarity with his fellow Filipinos in the promising march towards the restoration of democratic liberties.
Daybreak Feast signed and dated September 01, 1980 (lower right and verso) oil 22" x 14" (56 cm x 36 cm) Accompanied by a certificate issued by Mr. Alexander Richard Joya Baldovino confirming the authenticity of this lot Jose Joya’s artistry is a testament to his unwavering talent and dedication to the arts. Even as a kid, he already showed his inclination to the arts by drawing on the walls of their home and on the surface of his desk and book pages in school, which often got him in trouble with his parents and teachers. “I never understood why these should be left uncolored,” Joya protests. His endless doodles, never leaving a space uncolored, would be a distinct feature of his acclaimed abstract paintings. Daybreak Feast, with its large, kaleidoscopic brush strokes and impastos in arbitrary shapes and places, truly embodies the traits of an authentic Joya piece. Bursting with life, this orange-dominated oil painting, with hints of neutral colors, elicits a feeling of warm embrace against the cold breeze of the break of dawn. His vibrant palette brings forth an energetic and cheerful vibe, enough to boost you up through the day. Joya’s strokes and colors, far from being random, are a deliberate expression of his feelings—his way of connecting to the world around him, creating a depth of artistic expression. (Jessica Magno)
Jose Joya was a prominent Filipino artist renowned for his innovative contributions to abstract expressionism. His work, characterized by dynamic brushwork, vibrant colors, and rich textures, reflects his deep emotional connection to the Philippines’ landscapes and culture. Joya’s distinctive style often combined traditional painting techniques with modern abstract forms, allowing him to explore themes of identity and nature. He was also an influential educator, inspiring generations of artists through his teaching. His legacy endures in the Philippine art scene, where he is celebrated as a pioneer who helped elevate abstract art in Southeast Asia.
Female Nude signed and dated 1973 (lower right) graphite on paper 11 1/4" x 16 3/4" (29 cm x 43 cm) Accompanied by a certificate issued by Mr. Alexander Richard Joya Baldovino confirming the authenticity of this
Barrio Malinao Fishing Village Majayjay, Laguna signed and dated August 26, 1976 (lower right) pen and ink on paper 11 1/4” x 17 1/2” (29 cm x 44 cm) Accompanied by a certificate issued by Alexander Richard Joya Baldovino confirming the authenticity of this lot
Old House Barrio Laguian Pila, Laguna signed and dated August 15,1975 (lower right) pen and ink on paper 11 1/4” x 15 1/2 (29 cm x 39 cm) Accompanied by a certificate issued by Mrs. Josefa Joya- Baldovino confirming the authenticity of this lot
Woman with Jar signed and dated March 12, 1983 (lower right) pastel on paper 18" x 12 1/2" (46 cm x 32 cm) Accompanied by a certificate issued by Mr. Alexander Richard Joya Baldovino confirming the authenticity of this lot
Seated Male Nude signed and dated 1973 (lower right) graphite on paper 16 3/4" x 11 1/4" (43 cm x 29 cm) Accompanied by a certificate issued by Mr. Alexander Richard Joya Baldovino confirming the authenticity of this lot
Untitled (Nude) signed (lower right) pastel on paper 24" x 18" (61 cm x 46 cm) Accompanied by a certificate issued by Mrs. Josefa Joya-Baldovino confirming the authenticity of this lot
signed and dated 1970 (lower right) acrylic on paper 25 1/2" x 19 1/2" (65 cm x 50 cm) Accompanied by a certificate issued by Mr. Alexander Richard Joya Baldovino confirming the authenticity of this lot The figurative works of Jose Joya bear the artist’s mastery of line and form, despite Joya’s abstractions being among the most famous in his oeuvre. “If Joya had merely produced drawings, he could still count among the major artists of the country,” writes Rodolfo A. Salaveria and this 1983 Woman with Jar proves Joya’s dexterity in the medium Woman with Jar showcases Joya’s fascination with the proletarian and their lives as he portrays a woman dressed plainly in a scare and a salakot hat wrapped around her head. She holds a jar in her hand, her fingers tracing the clay as she continues her chores. Her body is relaxed, as though she has done this chore a million times before. It has, in its simplicity, reflected on the slow life of the Filipinos in the pr ovince. With Joya’s high regard for the Filipinos, it is no surprise that it bled in his works. They were “the source of inspiration for many of [his] drawings” as he once wrote in his monograph Joya by Joya: Book of Drawings’s dedication, and indeed, Woman with Jar shows Joya’s talent for the figurative and his penchant for Filipinization. (Hannah Valiente)
Jose Joya (1931 - 1995) Signed and dated 'August 15, 1977' (lower right); Signed dated 'October 15, 1977' (on verso) Oil 35.6 x 56 cm (14 x 22 in) Alexander Joya Baldovino has graciously confirmed the authenticity of this artwork Provenance: Private Collection, Muntinlupa City Acquired directly from the artist, thence acquired by the current owner National Artist Jose Joya's innovative style marked a significant departure from the traditional, representational art of his contemporaries. His abstract works, starting from the late 1950s, quickly captured the public's attention with their striking visual impact. By the mid-1970s, Joya had gained widespread acclaim for his daring approach to texture and color. By this period, he was already synonymous with paintings that employed techniques like layering and impasto to create richly textured surfaces that conveyed both depth and energy. His abstract works from this period, among which is the lot on offer, reflects a deep engagement with emotional and psychological themes, demonstrating his ability to evoke strong, visceral responses through his art.
Jose Joya (1931 - 1995) Signed and dated 'Sept. 12, 1984' (lower right and on verso) Acrylic-collage 55.9 x 36.8 cm (22 x 14 1/2 in) Alexander Joya Baldovino has graciously confirmed the authenticity of this artwork Provenance: Acquired directly from the artist 'Moonburst' was purchased directly from National Artist Jose Joya by the current owner's mother, who served as the executive secretary to Panfilo Domingo, then president of the Philippine National Bank. During Joya's frequent visits to the bank, a connection was discovered between Joya and the family: the owner's grandfather, Jose M. Orozco, had been the U.S. State Department Officer who facilitated and awarded Joya the 1956 Fulbright scholarship grant to study in Michigan. The relationship between the artist and the family grew from this discovery, leading to the acquisition of several of Joya's works, including the lot on offer.
Virgo signed and dated 1968 (lower left and verso) oil on canvas 23” x 23” (58 cm x 58 cm) Accompanied by a certificate issued by Mr. Alexander Richard Joya Baldovino confirming the authenticity of this lot WRITE UP The Manunggul Jar and Joya: Wedding the Oriental and the Native On another important note, Joya's venture into geometric expressionism came as a result of an inner reawakening of his native sensibility, which was due in part to homesickness and the resurgence of Filipino nationalism during the tumultuous ‘60s. Although immersed in American soil, Joya also found himself studying Philippine history. "At this time, the study of Philippine history engaged me," says Joya in art critic Leonidas Benesa's Joya: Drawings. "Digging into rare sources, I came across materials that gave light facets to Philippine history." By this time, Filipino historians Teodoro Agoncillo and Renato Constantino had been propagating a nationalist historiography aimed at decolonizing Philippine history. The Joya of the late 1960s successfully cast away his Western-influenced abstract expressionism in favor of a profound expression of a Filipino identity in his art. A Manila Bulletin review of Joya’s new geometric works exhibited in his homecoming show at the Luz Gallery in late 1970 writes, “Joya’s new pieces bear a marked departure from his familiar abstract expressionist style, often repeated in series….Joya...was preoccupied with primitive symbolic graffiti recalling ancient Filipino drawings found in burial pottery….[It is] a new enthusiasm to explore the pre-Hispanic Philippine visual symbols.” The review references “burial pottery,” likely the Manunggul Jar, excavated in 1964 in Lipuun Point, Palawan, in the Manunggul Cave that forms part of the archaeologically rich Tabon Cave Complex. The Manunggul Jar, hailed as a magnum opus of Philippine pre-colonial civilization, represents the soul’s entry into the afterlife and underscores the importance of water in our ancestors’ notions of life and death. The archaeological significance of the jar intrigued the homesick, New York-based Joya. As a result, Joya began incorporating and referencing the jar’s curvilinear designs into his works, particularly in Virgo. “[Joya] adumbrated [the design of the Manunggul Jar] into a series of paintings,” writes in the cover notes December 1971 issue of The Philippines Quarterly. The magazine recounts that Joya was “so struck by the originality of the design of these ancient relics.” Combined with the subject embodying the mysticism of the anting-anting (amulet) and the fact that seriality is ubiquitous in Philippine indigenous art (e.g., weaving, embroidery, ornamentation), Joya had now arrived at a creative idiom that is not only entirely his own but more so reflects the collective identity and indigenous pride of his people. Unlike his abstract expressionist works that possess a “central core” from which the composition is anchored, or in the words of the artist, “the seat of energy,” Joya’s mandalas derive their energy from the entirety of the composition, possessing a logical balance of all elements. It is an artistic expression representative of a people whose shared identity and culture are rooted in a constant struggle towards exploring, redefining, and reclaiming our nationhood through the lens of meditating on our indigenous past. (Adrian Maranan)
The Parian signed and dated 1977 (lower right and verso) oil on board 11” x 22” (28 cm x 57 cm) Accompanied by a certificate issued by Josefa Joya-Baldovino confirming the authenticity of this lot WRITE UP A jewel of Philippine art, Jose Joya is lauded as one of the pillars of Philippine modern art. Known for his abstract expressionist style, Joya expertly intertwines the intensity of the East and the vibrancy of the West. However, while he was known for incorporating foreign influences in his works, the travel ban imposed by martial law in the 1970s virtually limited Joya’s travels within the Philippines. Paradoxically, this has opened his eyes to the beauty and potential of his own country. “More than at any other stage of my artist development,” he recalls in Remembering Joya, “I came face-to-face – and celebrated – my identity as a Filipino.” This more deliberate probing at his Filipino identity is evident in his 1977 The Parian. An area adjacent to Intramuros where Chinese merchants in Manila lived in the 16th and 17th centuries, Parian de Arriceros became a bustling commercial center in Manila with more than a hundred shops occupying the area. Today, the land that was Parian is now known by a different name: Liwasang Bonifacio. Spearheading the birth and the growth of abstract expressionism in the Philippines, Jose Joya’s dynamic layers of colors and textures create a lively canvas. He was posthumously conferred the title of National Artist for his contribution to developing the Philippine abstract art. (Hannah Valiente)
Composition X signed and dated 1960 (lower left) oil on paper 19” x 26” (48 cm x 66 cm) Accompanied by a certificate issued by Mr. Alexander Richard Joya Baldovino confirming the authenticity of this lot. PROVENANCE The Luz Gallery EXHIBITED The Luz Gallery, Jose Joya: Ninth One-Man Show, Manila, 3 - 14 December 1960 WRITE UP Jose Joya’s Composition X was among the seventy works (including paintings, oil studies, and compositions) included in the artist’s ninth one-man exhibition at the Luz Gallery in December 1960, which also happened to be the inaugural show of Arturo Luz’s famed brainchild. In his “Roses and Thorns” column (December 8, 1960) for Times, writer, critic, and would-be National Artist for Literature Alejandro Roces lauds Joya’s works in the said exhibition as “show[ing] a constantly improving Joya.” Roces continues his acclaim, “His colors are poetic and sweeping. At times, one can sense landscapes and cool waters in his abstract daubs. His sketches have something of the seascape sketches of Hidalgo.” On the other hand, an article from the Manila Chronicle dated December 3, 1960 writes, “The exhibit promises to be Joya’s biggest and most exciting.” “Limited in color range to greys and a warm scale from yellows to reds, the paintings vary considerably in size, from small oil studies to huge wall-size paintings.” Composition X epitomizes Joya’s abstract expressionist flair and creative venture, which would climax in his historic participation at the 1964 Venice Biennale. The work sees Joya dabbling in both spirituality and materiality as he kinetically captures the abstract endeavors of his spontaneous mind and dynamic brush. Earlier in 1960, Joya bagged the third prize at the 13th Art Association of the Philippines Annual Art Competition and Exhibition for his work, House of Life. It was Joya’s third successive win at the AAP after winning second prize at the 1959 Annual for his beloved Space Transfiguration and first prize at the 1958 Annual for Painting. (Adrian Maranan)
Father and Son signed and dated 1992 (lower left) pastel on paper 20” x 12 1/2” (51 cm x 32 cm) Accompanied by a certificate issued by Josefa Joya-Baldovino confirming the authenticity of this lot WRITE UP The figurative works of abstractionist Jose Joya bear the artist’s mastery of line and form. The determination with which Joya pursued his craft led to Rodolfo A. Salaveria saying, “If Joya had merely produced drawings, he could still count among the major artists of the country.” With his pastel-on-paper piece entitled Father and Son (1992), Joya showcases his fascination with the proletarian as he turns the popular “mother and child” theme on its head to depict the same image but with a father and his son. He then indigenizes this version as well, depicting the father and son with honey-brown skin and casual Filipino clothes. A humble salakot hat rests on the father’s head and he holds his son close to his chest, body posture relaxed but protective as they create a novel yet familiar vision of the Filipino familial bond. Joya holds the Filipino in high regard in his works. “To the Filipino people who were the source of inspiration for many of the drawings in this book,” he once wrote in his monograph Joya by Joya: Book of Drawings’s dedication. Indeed, his Father and Son shows Joya’s talent for the figurative and his penchant for Filipinization. (Hannah Valiente)
Brookside signed and dated 1978 (lower right and verso) acrylic on canvas 30” x 24” (76 cm x 61 cm) Accompanied by a certificate issued by Josefa Joya-Baldovino confirming the authenticity of this lot WRITE UP A Vision of Abstracted Reality From Joya’s Artistic Prime of the ‘70s Jose Joya is the pioneer and most celebrated abstract expressionist painter in the Philippines. Trained under traditionalist mentors—Amorsolo, Tolentino, Miranda, Agbayani, and Castaneda—Joya’s early works were landscapes and adheres to realism; at times, he did portraits, too. However, his exposure to the abstract expressionist movement in New York greatly influenced the shift in Joya’s artistic vision. He began painting on largescale canvases with huge brushes, in random shapes and strokes of different dimensions and colors, without the intention to create a distinct image. Between the 1960s and 1970s, Joya started to be a distinguished name in the art scene. He returned to the Philippines after his travels and scholarships abroad and “carried on with his abstract expressionist paintings, very poetic and lyrical,” Alfredo Roces told Cid Reyes, “[and] started to use more vigorous forms,” he added. This 1978 acrylic painting, Brookside, showcases Joya’s genius artistry. Characterized by colorful blotches of paint in irregular shapes and lines, this piece is a culmination of Joya’s long years of studying and developing his own artistic identity while maintaining the Filipinos element in his works. “Joya’s paintings were then considered as visual atrocities. People thought they were done by a child in fifth grade,” Michael Duldulao told Cid Reyes in 1972. However, this perception dramatically shifted with Joya’s participation in the 32nd Venice Biennial in 1964. This significant event not only challenged the prevailing notions of art but also left a lasting legacy on Joya’s career, cementing his status as a pioneering figure in the art scene. (Jessica Magno)
Pasay signed and dated October 24, 1981 20” x 13” (51 cm x 33 cm) Accompanied by a certificate issued by Josefa Joya-Baldovino confirming the authenticity of this lot PROVENANCE: León Gallery, The Spectacular Mid Year Auction 2015, Makati City, 13 June 2015, Lot 48. WRITE UP Jose Joya’s diverse body of work is a testament to the evolution of his styles, techniques, and mediums over his artistic career. He transitioned from the figurative, traditional style to abstract expressionism and laterto ceramic painting. In the 1970s, during his abstract expressionist period, he introduced his acrylic collages, a unique blend of translucent and finely-grained rice paper with acrylic paint, creating biomorphic shapes of varying sizes and densities. Joya’s canvases are known for their large, kaleidoscopic brush strokes and thick impastos in arbitrary shapes and places. These strokes and colors, far from being random, are a deliberate expression of the artist’s feelings—his way of connecting to the world around him, creating a depth of artistic expression. As Leonidas Benesa puts it: “...the most abstract expressionist works of Joya are not merely explosions and explorations in paint as well as the textures and other tactile qualities of paint. What may not be apparent to the casual eye is that the works are held together in fine tension, that they are invested with an inner order so conceived that the colors do not fly off but inhere or cohere together in gyroscopic balance.” Pasay is one of Joya’s acrylic collages, in which he illustrates the City’s vibrancy and bright energy with the use of oranges, nudes, beiges, and whites. This color palette and his incorporation of rice paper give texture and life to this 1981 masterpiece. Indeed, Pasay is an exceptional work, an integration of Joya’s knowledge and ingenuity that embodies the traits of an authentic Joya piece. (Jessica Magno)
Mother and Children signed and dated November 15, 1988 (lower left and verso) pastel on paper 20” x 13” (51 cm x 33 cm) Accompanied by a certificate issued by Josefa Joya-Baldovino confirming the authenticity of this lot PROVENANCE: León Gallery, The Magnificent September Auction 2014, Makati City, 13 September 2014, Lot 101. WRITE UP Jose Joya was an art prodigy who explored different styles and mediums to develop his own artistic style. But before becoming known as the most prominent abstract expressionist painter, Joya excelled in landscapes and portraits. Mentored by traditionalists, his early works adhered to realism and highlighted Filipino folklife. His images center around the masses: “The portrayal of people, [e]specially the humble and downtrodden whose uneventful lives find noble meaning in my drawings, has long obsessed me,” Joya admitted. This piece exhibits three honey brown-skinned figures: a young mother or so it seems–clad in traditional Filipino clothing for women, the baro’t saya, carrying an undressed toddler, with a little girl in sando clinging onto her. Depicting a familiar countryside scene, this 1988 pastel-on-canvas work shows Joya’s exceptional talent in the arts, going back to his roots in figurative arts after years of venturing into the world of abstraction. (Jessica Magno)
Family by the Sea signed and dated 1986 (lower right and verso) pastel on paper 19" x 12" (48 cm x 30 cm) Accompanied by a certificate issued by Mr. Alexander Richard Joya Baldovino confirming the authenticity of this lot
Steve signed and dated 1988 (lower right) pastel on paper 19" x 12" (48 cm x 30 cm) Accompanied by a certificate issued by Mr. Alexander Richard Joya Baldovino confirming the authenticity of this lot
Sanctuary signed and dated 1985 (lower right and verso) acrylic collage 21 1/2" x 14 1/2" (55 cm x 37 cm) Accompanied by a certificate issued by Mr. Alexander Richard Joya Baldovino confirming the authenticity of this lot
PROPERTY FROM THE DR. AND MRS. ROBERTO MACASAET COLLECTION New York City signed and dated 1968 (lower left) acrylic on paper 25 1/2" x 19 1/4" (65 cm x 49 cm) Accompanied by a certificate issued by Mr. Alexander Richard Joya Baldovino confirming the authenticity of this lot
Enhancement signed and dated 1980 (lower right) acrylic on canvas 20” x 15” (51 cm x 38 cm) Accompanied by a certificate issued by the Mrs. Josefa Joya-Baldovino confirming the authenticity of this lot
Untitled / Abstract signed and dated 1960 (upper left) oil on wood 11” x 17” (28 cm x 43 cm) Accompanied by a certificate issued by Josefa Joya-Baldovino confirming the authenticity of this lot PROVENANCE: León Gallery, The Spectacular Mid Year Auction 2018, Makati City, 9 June 2018, Lot 79. Joya’s Abstract Expressionist Bravura This untitled 1960 work comes from the same prolific period as (in fact, only a year after) the iconic "Space Transfiguration," Joya's beloved favorite and awardwinning piece (it won second prize at the 1959 AAP Annual). In 1960, when Joya produced the work at hand, he once again emerged victorious, winning the third prize for "Horse of Life" and the "Purchase Award" for "Church Silver." The lot at hand captures the same dynamic bravado of Space Transfiguration's brush strokes. Here, we see Joya fully embracing his abstract expressionist identity rooted in his oriental sensibilities. The onset of the 1950s is considered formative for Jose Joya's burgeoning artistry. In the early years of the decade, Joya graduated magna cum laude at the University of the Philippine School of Fine Arts, becoming the first student to achieve such distinction. In 1954, he traveled to Europe armed with a scholarship at Madrid's Instituto Cultura Hispanica, where he only stayed for nine months. Afterward, Joya embarked on an artistic field trip, visiting museums in France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and England. His creative senses would be reawakened upon seeing the works of the great European masters. "You can just imagine the tremendous impact of all these works of art on someone like me who came from the other side of the globe," Joya said in a 1973 interview with Cid Reyes and published in the latter's Conversations on Philippine Art. Joya was granted a Smith-Mundt-Fulbright scholarship grant to study his master's in fine arts at Michigan's Cranbrook Academy of Art. There, Joya encountered, for the first time, the dynamic impulse and vigorous strength of the Abstract Expressionist visual language that had been raging in the American art world, espoused by the likes of Pollock, de Kooning, Kline, Rothko, and Motherwell. "In America, I got exposed to the New York School of Painting," Joya said to Cid Reyes in a September 1973 interview published in the latter's Conversations on Philippine Art. "From the American abstractionists, I learned spontaneity and energy, the dynamic approach to abstraction." During his Cranbrook period, Joya produced his first abstract expressionist work, titled Poetry in Color, which Leonidas Benesa describes in the book Joya: Drawings as a work filled with "an explosion in color" and a "natural result of his experiences and experiments with gesture drawing, which fill[ed] up several sketch pads and sketchbooks." It is the same creative and kinetic quality that can be seen in the work at hand. Characterized by a kinetic impulse so dynamic in technique, this particular piece stands as a singular testament to Joya's virtuoso that gives prominence to the unbridled gush of emotions rather than the rigidity of academicism to which he had previously been attuned to while in college. It can be remembered that during his Cranbrook years, Joya discovered how a single twig soaked in ink and then calligraphed on paper can result in a gush of expressiveness rooted in harmony with nature. Like the old Chinese masters, this "liberated his imagination," as Benesa puts it. Joya's Oriental sensibilities—a sublime oneness with nature that pays reverence not only to its physical, realistic form but, moreover, its elements that come into play and the metaphysical energies that are dynamically captured in a single bravura of a calligraphic stroke—is perhaps his most important legacy to Philippine art, captured in this microcosm of his great art that is this 1960 piece. One year after this 1960 work, Joya would be granted the most prestigious Republic Cultural Heritage Award, the precursor to the Order of National Artists. Joya's abstract expressionist virtuoso would climax at the 1964 Venice Biennale, the Philippines historic, first-ever participation at what is dubbed "The Olympics of the Art World." (Adrian Maranan)
Jade Day signed and dated 1984 (lower right and verso) acrylic collage 14 1/2" x 22" (37 cm x 56 cm) Accompanied by a certificate issued by Mr. Alexander Richard Joya Baldovino confirming the authenticity of this lot Jose Joya started working on his career-defining and artistry-changing acrylic collages in the early 1970s as a significant part of an increasing drive towards Filipinization in his art, which coincided with the resurgence of nationalistic ideals beginning in the late 1960s. They are characterized by Joya’s usage of finely grained, diaphanous rice papers reminiscent of the kiping and represent the artist’s reconnection with nature as an integral part of the praxis of abstraction—a sublime oneness with nature’s dynamic forces resulting in a gush of unbridled expressiveness. In the monograph Joya by Joya: Book of Drawings, the artist subtly touches on the origins of his creative love affair with the kiping and the integration of Filipino elements in his art. “With the imposition of martial law in the country in 1972 came the travel ban, virtually confining my travels exclusively to the Philippines,” Joya writes. “Paradoxically, it served to open my eyes to the beauty and potentials of my own country. A penetrating insight and concern for traditional values and culture gripped me. More than at any other stage in my artistic development, I came face to face—and celebrated—my identity as a Filipino.” In this work titled Jade Day, Joya uses the titular gemstone as a metaphor for harmony, stability, abundance, and peace and quiet. In Chinese culture, jade is also believed to possess powers to ward off evil and bad luck. Joya’s use of translucent rice papers cut in varying patterns seemingly shows the smooth feel and versatility of jade, which in turn likely symbolizes the versatility of rice paper—a medium that further pushed Joya’s virtuoso as an artist beyond the traditional mediums of oil and acrylic. The different shades of green and its complementary colors that Joya employs allude to jade’s representation of harmony, a plausible representation of the solidarity of the Filipino nation amid a diversity of cultures. As with the popular gemstone, Joya imbibes a distinctiveness that not only gave a novel touch to his abstraction but, moreover, gifted an indelible legacy that emphasizes the indivisibility of one’s Filipino sensibility and an inherent connection to nature, the endless fountain of creative inspiration. Joya’s language of abstraction expounds on an expressive language that combines his lived experiences with the cultural heritage he shares with his fellow people. And as Joya’s surname means “jewel,” so is his brilliant legacy to Filipino art encapsulated in the sheer luster of this work that is Jade Day. (Adrian Maranan)
Moon And Sand, Pinatubo signed and dated 1991 (lower left) acrylic - collage 15" x 23" (38 cm x 58 cm) Accompanied by a certificate issued by Mr. Alexander Richard Joya Baldovino confirming the authenticity of this lot Jose Joya takes inspiration from the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo in this work titled Moon and Sand, Pinatubo. Considered one of the most destructive natural disasters in the history of humankind, the eruption of the then-longthought-to-be dormant volcano was also the second-largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century, only behind the 1912 eruption of Alaska’s Mount Novarupta. The aftermath of the disaster revealed once-fertile environs, particularly in Central Luzon, now covered with thick layers of lahar. More than 800 lives were taken, along with over 20,000 people that were evacuated. Of the latter, 10,00 were rendered homeless. The massive release of aerosols and dust into the stratosphere also caused a significant decrease in the global temperature of approximately 0.4 degrees Celsius. Back to the work at hand, Joya’s use of fine rice papers evoking the kiping is a practice the artist integrated into his art starting in the early 1970s. For the artist, it is an integral part of not only an intimate reconnection with his native culture but more so with nature, from which Joya had first learned how to experiment with abstraction. In doing so, Joya not only reminds the viewer of nature’s power in influencing and illuminating man’s path towards creative liberation; it is nature who possesses the most potent forces of both creation and destruction in this ever-evolving physical world. (Adrian Maranan)
Mother and Child signed and dated 1991 (lower right) pastel on paper 19 1/2" x 12 1/2" (50 cm x 32 cm) Accompanied by a certificate issued by Mr. Alexander Richard Joya Baldovino confirming the authenticity of this lot PROVENANCE Private collection, Manila The first among equals, Jose Joya’s occasional foray into the figurative portrays a different side of the artist past his abstractions. His drawings and sketches not only show his mastery of line and form but also his predisposition for the proletarian. “[Nothing] has ever fascinated me as much as run-down structures like barong-barongs, rugged landscapes, nudes of both sexes and all ages, as well as costumed country folk,” says Joya in his monograph Joya by Joya: Book of Drawings. Painted in 1991, Joya’s Mother and Child shows the artist’s fascination for the common folk. He indigenized the often Western vision for the mother and child, turning the commonly light-skinned pair into a scene washed in warm brown reminiscent of the subject’s supple skin. The mother's humble baro't saya denotes a simple barrio living, recontextualizing the ethereal version of the mother and child into the “humble and downtrodden” as Joya himself puts it. (Hannah Valiente)
PROPERTY OF A VERY DISTINGUISHED FAMILY Morning Mist, Hangchow signed and dated 1973 (lower right and verso) oil on wood panel 48" x 64" (122 cm x 163 cm) Accompanied by a certificate issued by Mr. Alexander Richard Joya Baldovino confirming the authenticity of this lot PROVENANCE The Luz Gallery EXHIBITED The Luz Gallery, Joya: New Paintings, Makati, 8 - 27 November 1973 LITERATURE Kalaw-Ledesma, Purita and Amadis Ma. Guerrero. The Struggle for Philippine Art. Manila: Purita Kalaw-Ledesma, 1974. Captured in a black-and-white photograph (page 132) at the opening night of Joya's 1973 exhibition at The Luz Gallery titled "Joya: New Paintings." Joya’s Triumphant 1970s By the 1970s, Jose Joya was not only the brightest name in Philippine art but the most “booked and busy” of them all. Joya had become the first-ever Filipino visual artist to be granted the Rockefeller scholarship fund—in fact, twice successively: the John D. Rockefeller III Foundation grant in 1967 and the Ford Foundation Assistance in 1968. Joya also participated in a 1970 traveling exhibit that visited New York, the Smithsonian Institute, the Denver Art Museum, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Minneapolis, and Atlanta. Upon returning to the Philippines, Joya mounted a homecoming exhibition. In 1970, he was anointed as an Associate Professor and new Dean of his alma mater, the UP College of Fine Arts. In 1971, he added another award to his string of accolades—the “Patnubay ng Kalinangan Award,’ bestowed by the City of Manila during its 4th centennial celebrations. Two years later, in 1973, Joya would be listed (along with Rod. Paras-Perez) in the prestigious London-published “International Who’s Who in Art and Antiques.” Winding back just a few years, in 1964, Joya, along with Abueva, represented the Philippines in its historic first participation at “The Olympics of the Art World”—the Venice Biennale. Joya’s Visit to the People’s Republic of China In mid-1972, as chairperson of the Philippine First Educators’ Group Delegation, Joya flew to China for a 16-day trip to formally present a letter of invitation to the Art Society of Peking to attend the Southeast Asian Regional Artists Conference, of which he was also secretary-general. Joya was also tasked to travel to Hong Kong to invite its artists to the conference and personally request that the influential Asia Magazine publish a special issue of Southeast Asian art. In China, Joya found more than spare time to immerse himself in Chinese culture and society, sketching people and places and visiting iconic landmarks: the Great Wall, Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, and the Peking Palace of Fine Arts. He also visited major cities: Beijing, Canton, Nanjing, Shanghai, and Hangzhou, from which Joya drew inspiration for the work at hand, Morning Mist, Hangchow. Painted on February 4, 1973, almost a year after his Chinese sojourn, this work shows Joya’s fondness for his visit to China. “In fact, I had just left the border when I thought of going back. That’s how much I liked the place,” Joya said in a 12 July 1972 Manila Bulletin interview. Joya likely depicts in this work Hangzhou’s famed West Lake, which, especially on mornings, becomes laden with mist, seemingly transforming the lake and its surrounding landscapes into a Chinese ink-wash painting. West Lake has inspired many painters and poets since the 9th century and was declared by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 2011 for influencing garden design in China, Japan, and Korea. Joya’s employment of a cool and sweet pastel-like palette illuminated by a bluish-gray tone captures this scenario. Festive Homecoming Celebrations at The Luz Gallery Morning Mist, Hangchow would become part of Joya’s blockbuster exhibition at the Luz Gallery in November 1973, from which the owner acquired the work. Titled “Joya: New Paintings,” it showcased oil paintings and was the show that first introduced to the public his career-defining acrylic collages. The work encapsulates Joya’s consummate evolution from his artistry-defining abstract expressionism of the ‘50s and ‘60s to geometric expressionism characterized by a succession of weaved block-like forms, which borrowed elements from the seriality of Pop Art, the dominant art style in America in the 1960s when Joya pursued his Rockefeller grant. Joya and His Rediscovery of the Filipino Sensibility But Joya’s venture into geometric expressionism aligns more with a Filipino sensibility. While Pop Art’s seriality critiques mass production, consumerism, and media saturation, Joya’s geometric abstraction was influenced by an intimate reconnection with the cultures of his motherland. In 1967, when Joya had just settled in New York for his scholarship, he became engrossed with the study of Philippine history— probably a sign of part homesickness, part curiosity, and part reawakening in him. "At this time, the study of Philippine history engaged me,” Joya says in Leonidas Benesa’s Joya: Drawings. “Digging into rare sources, I came across materials that gave light facets to Philippine history." Furthermore, this reinvigorated spirit in Joya coincided with the resurgence of nationalistic and progressive ideals during the tumultuous 60s (also the era of the wars of national liberation against imperialism in many nations like Cuba, Vietnam, and the Philippines), in which the search for a pre-colonial past became intertwined with the concept of nation-building and the decolonization of Philippine history. Joya’s interest also coincided with the rise of nationalist historiography fostered by the eminent Teodoro Agoncillo and Renato Constantino. Said Joya in Benesa’s book, "Artists respond to interests prevailing during their times." Joya had even envisioned a design center at the UP campus laden with indigenous designs. As Dean, he also espoused the idea that “art has a big role to play in these troubled times, and the artist must realize that he, too, has a social commitment.” “Before they get a diploma from the state university,” Joya says in the Panorama interview, “I will require them to serve the communities in terms of sharing the things that they have learned in school. This country can be a leading producer in local handicrafts, and our artists can certainly improve the design.” (Philippine Panorama, 3 January 1971) Iconography inspired by old coins, anting-anting, and pre-colonial articles, such as pottery shards and metal fragments excavated in archaeological sites, e.g., Santa Ana, Manila in the late 1960s (in which nationalist anthropologist F. Landa Jocano formed part of the archaeological team), was Joya’s first answer to an increasing nationalistic impulse in his art. The shapes—which Joya says are “rich in visual vocabulary” and would later transform into the recognizable block-like forms in the early 1970s, evident in Morning Mist, Hangchow—and their seriality evokes the dynamic rhythm of repetition and progression found in Philippine indigenous art, particularly in weaving, embroidery, and ornamentation. Notice in Morning Mist, Hangchow the incised markings evoking various old Philippine alphabets, “almost as if they were cryptic Malayan symbols,” as Joya puts it in Cid Reyes’ ‘Conversations on Philippine Art.’ “I have always thought that we Filipinos suffer from too much Western influences. It is good for us to start rediscovering our past.” In doing so, Joya transforms the entire composition into that of a meditative space, an avenue to reclaim our past and redefine the present. Joya had liberated his art from the Western influences of the Abstract Expressionist school and had now identified himself and his art with the collective cultural psyche of his native motherland. Joya’s incorporation of indigenous elements, thus emphasizing his Filipino sensibility, proved to be the pinnacle of artistic maturation for the artist. Joya’s renewed interest in Philippine culture and history birthed his newfound creative expression. His integration and consolidation of various indigenous elements not only underscores the virtuoso of Joya but more so, a heightened understanding of the collective cultural—harmony in solidarity, as evoked by his contiguous forms. As Francia Jr. writes, “[Joya] takes us out of the temporal sphere or plane into the purer and eternal one.” Despite the foreign subject matter, Morning Mist, Hangchow is a sublime articulation of a Filipino visual language that would reach a high point in his monumental 1976 painting “Pagdiriwang” (PICC Collection), which Joya said is “the celebration of the Filipino’s struggle to discover himself and assert his own position in the universal society of men...a tribute to the Filipino’s pride in his own identity.” (Adrian Maranan)
Seated Man signed and dated 1982 (lower right) pastel on paper 22 1/2" x 15 1/4" (57 cm x 38 cm) Accompanied by a certificate issued by Mr. Alexander Richard Joya Baldovino confirming the authenticity of this lot “The humble and the downtrodden” find themselves on the center stage of Jose Joya’s canvases. “They seem to me, to offer a broad range of stimulating forms [...] mirroring their true character,” he writes in his monograph Joya by Joya: Book of Drawings. This honest portrayal is evident in his 1982 Portrait of a Man. Clearly an image of a native Filipino man (as evidenced by the dark curly hair and the deep brown skin), Joya puts into the forefront the oft-forgotten Filipino natives. His mastery of line and form shows the sturdiness of the Filipino man who often worked on taxing physical labor as a means of livelihood. In Portrait of a Man, Joya not only localizes a common portraiture, he also calls to attention his dexterity in his craft with Rodolfo A. Salaveria saying, “If Joya had merely produced drawings, he could still count among the major artists of the country." (Hannah Valiente)
Mother and Child signed and dated 1990 (lower right) pastel on paper 19 1/2" x 12 1/2" (50 cm x 32 cm) Accompanied by a certificate issued by Mr. Alexander Richard Joya Baldovino confirming the authenticity of this lot PROVENANCE Private collection, Manila Joya's occasional dabbling into the figurative, primarily through his sketches and drawings, evidently brought out the foremost Filipino abstractionist's inherent connection to nature and the intersectionality of his cultural and proletariat roots. It is not only a way of seeing but a manner of inward contemplation, reflecting his relentless search for identity, both on a personal and cultural level. "Brown is quintessentially Filipino and beautiful. It is my favorite color for drawing...," Joya writes in the monograph Joya by Joya: Book of Drawings. Painted on Christmas Day, the date of creation of this Mother and Child piece points out to religious undertones, yet its composition evokes the native, evidenced by the traditional baro't saya worn by the mother. The figures are clearly an image of the Filipino masses (note the mother's humble clothing). In depicting such subjects, Joya not only indigenizes an enduring subject (In Philippine art, the theme of the "mother and child has long been associated with the iconography of Mary and Jesus, usually Western in orientation) but returns the hallowed holiday season back to its humble origins, void of any rampant commercial associations and leaning more on its essence: the celebration of dignified humility and compassionate humanity. (Adrian Maranan)
Female Nude signed and dated 1976 (lower right) pastel on paper 23" x 15 1/2" (58 cm x 39 cm) Accompanied by a certificate issued by Mr. Alexander Richard Joya Baldovino confirming the authenticity of this lot
Female Nude signed and dated December 2, 1985 (lower right) pastel on paper 11 3/4" x 19" (30 cm x 48 cm) Accompanied by a certificate issued by Mr. Alexander Richard Joya Baldovino confirming the authenticity of this lot
PROPERTY FROM THE DON EUGENIO “GENY” LOPEZ JR. COLLECTION New York City signed and dated 1968 (lower right) colored marking ink 33" x 26" (84 cm x 66 cm) Accompanied by a certificate issued by Mr. Alexander Richard Joya Baldovino confirming the authenticity of this lot
Untitled / Abstract signed and dated 1960 (lower right) oil on wood 11” x 18” (28 cm x 46 cm) Accompanied by a certificate issued by Josefa Joya-Baldovino confirming the authenticity of this lot PROVENANCE: León Gallery, The Spectacular Mid-Year Auction 2018, June 9, 2018, Lot 67 WRITE UP: This is another work that comes between his 1959 “Space Transfiguration” stage and the Yeseria stage. In 1957, Joya went to the United States for further studies. He was exposed to the abstract expressionist movement as it was becoming an establishment there. At the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan, Joya fell under the influence of his mentor, Zoltan Sepeshy. Sepeshy was a firm believer in this aesthetic. Joya’s abstract expressionism - sometimes known as action painting — was of a more dramatic, bravura laden type. Instead of the palette knife or syringe, he started to use huge brushes and trowels, much like a mason. This work was done in 1960, just two years before the 1964 Venice Biennale, but it paved the way for the period of “breaking loose in Venice”. In 1972, Alfredo Roces told Cid Reyes: “After his travels and scholarship abroad, Joya introduced these large scale canvases, something not very common at the time. He has carried on with his abstract expressionist paintings, very poetic and lyrical. Then after that, he started to use more vigorous forms, which are closer to the works of de Kooning and characterized by slashes.” Also, in 1972, Manuel Duldulao told Cid Reyes: MD: “He was beginning to make a name for himself in the art scene. At that time, to hang a Joya abstraction in your wall was to risk the ridicule of your friends. Cid Reyes: “Why?” MD: “Joya’s paintings were then considered visual atrocities. People thought they were done by a child in fifth grade. They were shocked to heart that you had to pay for these paintings. Now the same friends who used to laugh at me 10 years ago are in for another shock.” He was of course referring to the sky-high prices that buyers had to pay for a Joya, and that was 1972. Joya’s abstract expressionist reputation — of New York school - was still to be given a wider audience with his participation in the 32nd Venice Biennial in 1964, for which had painted very large works in thick paint applied in semi automatist, gestural manner. Art critic Eric Torres described such works as expressive not much of statements as of states of feeling. “Most of the participating countries had constructed their own pavilions and each cost about P200,000. Because this was the first time that the Philippines had participated in this Biennale, we had been allotted an adequate but small room by the host country. However, this space was good only for one exhibit.” But what a huge, lasting legacy from such a small exhibition room. And in the same vein, what an equally huge, lasting legacy from the 1950s New York School.
PROPERTY FROM THE COLLECTION OF A VERY DISTINGUISHED GENTLEMAN Autumn in Edo signed and dated 1985 (lower right and verso) acrylic-collage 16" x 28" (41 cm x 71 cm) Accompanied by a certificate issued by Mr. Alexander Richard Joya Baldovino confirming the authenticity of this lot WRITE UP: Although Jose Joya initially gained renown as a landscape painter and realist, he would go on to become a pioneer of abstract expressionism in Philippine art. This reorientation of his artistic journey came aptly at a time when the abstract expressionists of New York— the likes of Rothko, Pollock, and de Kooning— were making waves in the Western art world for their masterful skill in bringing out the expressiveness of paint without rendering figurative subjects. While Joya had only studied in New York briefly from 1956 to 1957, the abstract expressionist ethos of the time would manifest in a full transformation of his artistic vision. Although the abstract expressionists were generally known for their experimentations in paint, what we have here is a gestural collage that combines acrylic and rice paper. Joya takes the abstract expressionist ethos and brings out the possibilities of feeling from an experimental combination of mediums. Taken as among the artist’s visual travelogues, the result is a gestural collage that evokes a unique sense of place— a memory of the landscape recalled as a patchwork of impression and feeling. (Pie Tiausas)
PROPERTY FROM THE DON EUGENIO “GENY” LOPEZ JR. COLLECTION Yellow Abode signed and dated 1961 (lower right) oil on canvas 32" x 32" (81 cm x 81 cm) Accompanied by a certificate issued by Mr. Alexander Richard Joya Baldovino confirming the authenticity of this lot PROVENANCE: The Luz Gallery Finale Art File EXHIBITED: The Luz Gallery, Christmas Group Show, Manila, December 22, 1961 - January 6, 1962 WRITE UP: The very surname of Jose Joya denotes “jewel”—a crowning gem in the annals of Philippine art. Joya’s success is attested by his many accomplishments throughout every decade of his career. He triumphantly closed his formative years of the 1950s when he won the First Prize for Non-Objective Painting at the 1958 Art Association of the Philippines (AAP) Annual Competition and Exhibition and the Second Prize at the 1959 Annual for his now-iconic work Space Transfiguration. With the dawn of the 1960s, Joya’s success only went from strength to strength, constantly flexing his creative virtuoso. And it is in that festive atmosphere that Joya created this spirited work titled Yellow Abode. Yellow Abode is a valuable memento from the same prolific year when Joya was granted two of his most important awards in his lifetime: the Republic Cultural Heritage Award, precursor to the National Artist Award (he was awarded the latter posthumously in 2003) and the Ten Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) Award. Writes Ileana Maramag in her article “Top Young Men of 1961 Named”: “Joya was selected for his accomplishments as the leading young (30) non-objective artist in the country today. An exponent of non-figurative art in the Philippines, his works have consistently won prizes too lengthy to list. Earlier this year, he won the Republic Cultural Heritage Award.” Yellow Abode is characterized by turbulent, dynamic strokes and rich slabs of impastos, much like the painter who had then become wealthy in accomplishments. The piece was among the works included in a Christmas group exhibition at the Luz Gallery that formed part of the first anniversary celebrations of Arturo Luz’s brainchild (The Luz Gallery celebrated its first anniversary on December 4, 1961). The onset of the 1960s can be seen as a budding climax, starting from Joya’s formative years of the 1950s to being a champion of a lyrical type of abstract expressionism characterized by a dynamic oriental sensibility. Joya’s Cranbrook period from 1956-57 unleashed his abstract expressionist powers; he would abandon any traces of representation in his paintings. A quick investigation of Joya’s works during this period would reveal the artist’s earliest explorations of abstract expressionism. “It was only during the late 1950s or early ‘60s that I started doing these Abstract Expressionist paintings,” Joya said to Cid Reyes in a September 1973 interview and published in the latter’s Conversations on Philippine Art. “From the American abstractionists [Pollock, de Kooning, Kline, Rothko, and Motherwall], I learned spontaneity and energy, the dynamic approach to abstraction.” At Cranbrook, away from the confines of academicism espoused by his alma mater, the UP School of Fine Arts, Joya sketched everything he saw. Eventually, he would yield to nature’s “magic” and use twigs soaked in ink in his sketches. This discovery gave Joya a creative power so surreal that his imagination and emotions seemingly ran unbridled from within. This was the birth of Joya’s abstract expressionist finesse. Although then living in the Occident, this discovery in Joya was undoubtedly Oriental in sensibility, for Abstract Expressionism traces its roots in the spontaneous calligraphic drawing found in ancient Chinese scroll painting and its sublime oneness with nature’s dynamic forces and elements that drew Joya in. Even Joya himself admitted in the Reyes interview that calligraphy has always played “a very extensive” role in his paintings; a single calligraphic stroke results in an inner landscape of the mind, born from nature and one with nature. With paint applied in spontaneous, calligraphic-like slashes, Yellow Abode epitomizes Joya’s embrace of that oriental sensibility. There is a central core, characterized by invigorated impastos, from which the painting derives energy. Joya states this is “a strong sense of oriental occult balance” or asymmetrical balance. From the central core of heavy impastos, slabs, streaks, and strokes of paint project themselves, evoking a strong sense of movement and thus creating dynamic balance. As with the subject of Yellow Abode, Joya depicts not the physicality of the titular “abode” but its essence. It is an “abode” in the spiritual sense in which solid swathes of yellows, the imperial color of prosperity in oriental culture, signify an endless source of power. As “abode” is defined as a place of dwelling from a denotational viewpoint, Joya’s Yellow Abode sublimely expresses a place of dynamic contemplation; a reinvigorating haven for rest and calm; a return to his oriental roots. Art critic Leonidas Benesa, writing in the book Joya: Drawings, notes that Joya practiced this “oriental occult balance” in the years immediately preceding and succeeding the 1964 Venice Biennale, considered the apex of Joya’s career. “A landscape in the Chinese artist’s way,” characterized by wedding observation with developing “an unconscious feeling” for the “rise and fall of the visual motion…the socalled breathing spaces of Chinese calligraphic art,” as Benesa puts it. This “oriental occult balance” in Joya’s artistic praxis would signify his transition into pure, lyrical painting centered on the dynamics of the inner mind, a retreat into an abode of enlivening meditation and self-expression. Thus, Yellow Abode is both a reminder of Joya further honing his creative muscle and what’s yet to come in his career. Much like Yellow Abode, Joya would become an abode himself—a wellspring of creative power, a powerhouse of Philippine art. (Adrian Maranan)
Picnic at the Great Wall II signed and dated 1973 (lower right) oil on wood 48" x 64" (122 cm x 163 cm) Accompanied by a certificate issued by Mr. Alexander Richard Joya Baldovino confirming the authenticity of this lot PROVENANCE The Luz Gallery EXHIBITED The Luz Gallery, Joya: New Paintings, Makati, November 8 - 27, 1973 WRITE UP: In mid-1972, Jose Joya, during his deanship at the University of the Philippines College of Fine Arts (he was appointed in 1970 and would serve until 1978), embarked on a 16-day visit to China as chairperson of the Philippine First Educators' Group Delegation to the country. Joya was part of the Southeast Asia Regional Artists Conference, and he was tasked to formally present a letter of invitation to the Art Society of Peking to attend the said conference. While in China, Joya visited the cities of Canton, Beijing, Nanjing, Hangzhou, and Shanghai, where he came face- to-face with contemporary Chinese aesthetics, particularly socialist art. In the book Joya: Drawings, eminent art critic Leonidas V. Benesa writes that while in China, Joya also "...did several sketches of ordinary people...as well as familiar sights and landmarks by the Pearl and Yangtze waterways." In a September 1973 interview with Cid Reyes and published in his Conversation on Philippine Art, Joya, himself one of the most traveled Filipino artists, also revealed that his trip to China was among the most memorable. Joya's lingering memories of his Chinese sojourn are evident in this 1973 work, Picnic at the Great Wall. Here, we see Joya's trademark geometric block-like forms that resemble the ancient stones and bricks of the Great Wall of China. The composition is predominantly bathed in varying shades of yellow, with golden yellow serving as the standout hue. In Imperial China, golden yellow was a color reserved for the emperor. The color also refers to the yellow sediments of the Huang He River, popularly known as the “Yellow River,” the birthplace of Chinese civilization. In the work at hand, Joya employs yellow as a historic reference to the Great Wall as the paramount symbol of Imperial China’s commitment to safeguard its territory and civilization. Picnic at the Great Wall would be exhibited at a landmark 1973 show at The Luz Gallery aptly titled “Joya: New Paintings.” Esteemed poet, painter, printmaker, and titan of Philippine literature Hilario Francia, Jr. would comment on the show in his The Philippines Daily Express column dated November 30, 1973. He writes: “...It is evident now that his [Joya’s] art and craft has finally reached a high point of development—requiring skills of a high order—that the observation of critic Leonidas Benesa that Joya is the foremost ‘exponent of pure painting’ is now adequately supported by his latest and most outstanding performance to date.” Furthermore, this work shows Joya's abandonment of the abstract expressionist language that characterized much of his paintings from the 1950s to the late 1960s. Picnic at the Great Wall epitomizes Joya's transition from dynamic and vigorous abstract expressionism to spontaneous, lyrical geometric expressionism characterized by a further exploration of calligraphic-like patterns. Benesa notes that "... by 1967, the enthusiasm of the artist as a painter of abstract expressionist landscapes...appeared to have run its course...” Joya's employment of geometric expressionism was a conscious attempt to integrate indigenous elements into his art. Although influenced by the serial style of Pop Art, which was the dominant style in America in the late 1960s when Joya pursued his Rockefeller and Ford scholarships, Joya's block-like figures, with their contiguous repetition and pattern, resemble more the recurring geometric patterns and shapes found in the art—particularly in textiles weaving and ornaments—of the indigenous peoples of the Philippines. Joya's employment of such can be traced back to 1967, upon his second New York sojourn. Of this, he says in the Benesa book: "At this time, the study of Philippine history engaged me. Digging into rare sources, I came across materials that gave light facets to Philippine history." This he had done as a contemplative search for personal artistic identity within the context of the collective cultural. It was in line with his creative pursuit of wedding his Filipino sensibility that flows through his blood with his landscapes of the psyche, "of the noumena rather than the phenomena," as Benesa puts it. Interestingly, prior to this work at hand, Joya had also envisioned a design center at the UP campus integrating indigenous design/folk art. Various factors also influenced Joya's venture into his native sensibilities: the nationalistic fervor of the 1960s characterized by the fueling dissent against US imperialism and solidarity with the wars of national liberation (particularly in Cuba, Vietnam, and the Philippines). Also, Joya's interest in Philippine history by the late 1960s coincided with its reevaluation from a nationalist historiographical standpoint, with Teodoro Agoncillo and Renato Constantino at the helm. As Joya says in the Benesa book, "Artists respond to interests prevailing during their times." When Joya painted this work, the artist added a string of local and international recognitions to his ever-strengthening accomplishments. In 1973, he was awarded a "Citation for Meritorious Contribution to Art" by the influential Art Association of the Philippines during its 25th anniversary. That same year, the UP Alumni Association honored him with the "Most Distinguished Professional Award in Fine Arts." Just a year prior, in 1972, Joya was listed in the "International Who's Who in Art and Antiques" by London's Melrose Press. (Adrian Maranan)
Red Reefs signed and dated 1988 (lower right & verso) acrylic, collage 22 3/4” x 15 3/4” (58 cm x 40 cm) Accompanied by a certificate issued by Mr. Alexander Richard Joya Baldovino confirming the authenticity of this lot WRITE UPA pioneer in the Filipino Modernism, Jose T. Joya is one of the leading artists in the field of Filipino abstract expressionism. He was a professor and dean of the University of the Philippines School of Fine Arts, revamping the program’s curriculum during the 1960s and influencing the next generation of artists for years to come. With the advent of the seventies, Joya experimented with new art styles. In this 1988 piece entitled Red Reefs, his relationship with color, depth, and opacity is at full display with the work showing his mastery of order and balance. An artist who was trained in the traditional form of Amorsolo, Joya eventually branched out into modernism. His journey as an artist led him to Spain and America, further improving his skills. However, despite his foreign influences, Joya proved himself as an ingenious artist, integrating into his works the Western art practice and transforming them to reflect his local Filipino inclinations. (Hannah Valiente)
PROPERTY FROM THE COLLECTION OF A VERY DISTINGUISHED COUPLE Solar Valley signed and dated 1976 (lower right and verso) sponge painting, acrylic on canvas 30” x 24” (76 cm x 61 cm) Accompanied by a certificate issued by Josefa Joya Baldovino confirming the authenticity of this lot PROVENANCE: León Gallery, The Kingly Treasures Auction 2015, December 5, 2015, Lot 116 WRITE UPIn the field of Filipino Abstract Expressionism, perhaps no artist is lauded more than Jose T. Joya. Academically trained at the University of the Philippines College of Fine Arts, Joya embarked for graduate school abroad, following in the footsteps of other Filipino artists whose trip abroad drastically inspired their artistic career going forward. “His trip in Europe helped him undergo a complete reorientation,” Leonidas V. Benesa stated in his book Drawings by Joya, “a reversal of attitude and of vision, a rejection of intellect in favor of intelligence, of mind in favor of imagination. He had to undergo this or else perish as an artistic entity and come home defeated by Europe.” Joya’s metamorphosis in Europe is not merely a change of technique but a total psychological change. He was gradually influenced by American abstraction and the emerging Philippine modernism. In this 1976 work entitled Solar Valley, the eventual National Artist shows off his mastery of the abstraction. His attention to color and texture takes the forefront as Solar Valley takes advantage of its complementary color scheme and overlapping layers of paint to create a cohesive piece. It is a vibrant and expressive piece that feels right at home with the rest of Joya’s oeuvre. Joya’s works have been included in the Philippine Art Gallery, the Venice Biennale, the Museum of Philippine Art, the National Museum, and the Ayala Museum. (Hannah Valiente)
