Sea Breeze
signed and dated 1993 (lower right)
oil on canvas
32" x 48" (81 cm x 122 cm)
Accompanied by a certificate signed by the artist confirming the authenticity of this lot



Romulo Galicano started his painting career creating landscapes. From the late 1960s to the 1970s, Galicano traversed through the realms of Impressionist painting, greatly influenced by his first mentor, foremost luminary, and uncle, Martino Abellana. With his training under Abellana, Galicano acquired the painterly technique of directly observing nature as an eternal spring for artistic inspiration. This period was also his 'Dimasalang Group' era, where he painted with Emilio Aguilar Cruz, Andres Cristobal Cruz, Ibarra de la Rosa, and Sofronio Mendoza, figurative painters who practiced painting in plein air. In 1976, Galicano ventured into tonal paintings depicting atmospheric scenes of the seacoasts of his native Cebu, as well as Pangasinan. This style is very much evident in this 1993 piece depicting a group of fishermen after a day's bountiful catch. Here, Galicano expresses tranquility amid the laborious toiling in the vast sea. The work is poetic in form, where mood and shadow take the forefront. A subdued atmospheric effect evoking warmness can be discerned through the artist's application of dark tones, which dominate the composition. (A.M.)