Temple - M 19/16
signed and dated 2016 (lower right and verso)
acrylic on canvas
84" x 84" (213 cm x 213 cm)

Accompanied by a certificate signed by the artistconfirming the authenticity of this lot
PROVENANCEPrivate collection, Manila



Convictions and Concepts Albor's Transcendental AbstractionAugusto Albor creates his abstracts with layers upon layers, via overlays and underlays, pouring color over color. His works are reflections on the metaphysical, depicting tension and calmness in one composition such as his 2016 work Temple - M 19/16. Critic Cid Reyes noted that Albor “regards his paintings as emanations of his conviction and concepts.” Albor relies on an innate sense of color to craft his minimalist canvases, creating a delicate interplay of color and surface geometry. His artistic practice has evolved into a refined visual system, allowing for an infinite array of vibrant hues set against neutral backgrounds. Initially gaining public recognition for paintings characterized by spontaneous sweeps of blacks and grays, Albor skillfully integrates surface and depth, showcasing virtuoso painterly brushwork guided by the precision of grids. This technique transforms the canvas into a field of high-keyed blacks, enriched in specific areas with delicate accents of blues and reds. In Albor's artistic realm, the surface of his work conjures a world where matter is distilled into a corroded field of energy, perpetually in a state of flux, transformation, and emergence. This deliberate departure from representational art allows Albor to embrace the intrinsic essence of abstract elements, unfettered by the constraints of mimicking the natural world. In essence, Albor's paintings serve as a testament to his unbridled creativity, where the canvas becomes a space for the exploration of fundamental abstract concepts, portraying a world in constant evolution. In this work, Albor faces the abyssal void of meaninglessness in order to formulate new meaning beyond conventional and traditional forms of language and communication. With the presence of an overarching use of whites and greys, the work shows how irreconcilable differences, despite the fact that each side has been made impure by the other, are merely two sides of the same coin. This painting prompts a more conceptual version of duality without the mystical obfuscation. What the work achieves is a bold and illuminating statement on how fundamental separateness of light and dark is not an objective truth, but an obfuscation of a truly transcendental reality. (Jed Daya)