The Four Evangelistsca. 1960consisting of:a) St. Mark and the Lionb) St. John and the Eaglec) St. Luke and the Oxd) St. Matthew and the Angele) And a sculpture of the crucifixion in wood

all oil on canvas
18 1/4" x 12" (46 cm x 30 cm) eache) size: 20" x 21" x 1 3/4"(51 cm x 53 cm x 3 cm)overall: 38" x 76" (97 cm x 193 cm)
Accompanied by a certificate issued by Miriam Concepcion Lazaro,daughter of the artist confirming the authenticity of this lot



Before Florencio B. Concepcion veered his art towards an abstract expressionist style, the artist first traversed through the realms of figurative painting. Such is the case with the work at hand, in which Concepcion focuses on the themes of the religious and the spiritual. In this piece, Concepcion integrates his Catholic background through his sublime depiction of the four evangelists: Saint Matthew, Saint Mark, Saint Luke, and Saint John. In Christian tradition, the four evangelists are the authors of the four canonical Gospels of the New Testament, in which the titles are obtained from their respective names. The 2nd century Greek Bishop and Doctor of the Church, Saint Irenaeus, identifies the four evangelists as the “four pillars of the Church, the authors of the true Gospels.” In the work at hand, Concepcion attributes the traditional symbols associated with each of the evangelists: the Angel for Saint Matthew, the Lion for Saint Mark, the Ox for Saint Luke, and the Eagle for Saint John. These symbols are taken from the biblical books of Ezekiel and Revelation, in which the latter writes: “The first creature resembled a lion; the second, an ox; the third had the face of a man; while the fourth looked like an eagle in flight. Each of the four living creatures had six wings and eyes all over, inside and out. Day and night, without pause, they sing: ‘Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, He who was, and who is, and who is to come!’” A sculpture of the crucified Christ is placed at the center, symbolizing that the life of Christ—his birth, ministry, passion, death, and resurrection—is the centerpiece of the Gospels. (A.M.)