Feast of Saints
signed (lower right) dated 2004 (verso)
acrylic on canvas
36" x 48" (91 cm x 122 cm)
León Gallery wishes to thank the artist for confirming the authenticity of this lot



The vividly illustrated works of Marcel Antonio are both captivating and mysterious as they lure the viewer into a world of dreams and nostalgia. His use of color, texture, and symbolism leaves one with a profound and irrefutable sense of wonder and longing. Now a revered mid-career Filipino artist, he continues to render humanity with a sincere exacting approach in his narrative and pseudonarrative figurative paintings. In Feast of Saints, Antonio presents us with a work that reflects the modern condition as well as a critique of the standards that once preceded it. In the piece, we see two women partaking in libations; their gestures and poses suggesting that the setting is an intimate and casual setting. In the background we see a man, topless and bare-chested, who is either on the verge of removing his garments or putting them back on. Meanwhile to the right we see a woman approaching the man in the middle; or perhaps leaving an unseen affair beyond the realm of the canvas. The artist presents us with an off-hand snapshot that attempts to capture the unhurried and genuine underpinnings of life. Far from the poised and almost sacred connotations suggested by the work’s title, Antonio seemingly posits that the essence of the human experience can be found in the spontaneous instances of our interactions. (J. D.)