Jose Rizal
signed and dated 2011 (lower right)
acrylic on canvas
60” x 24” (152 cm x 61 cm)

In 1997, Asunción López Bantug, a descendant of our National Hero, published a book on Jose Rizal for young readers entitled “Indio Bravo.” Commissioned to do the illustrations for the book, quite fittingly, was Benedicto Cabrera -- Bencab -- which resulted in an offbeat series that detailed the life, family, and loves of Rizal. The works in this series were exhibited at the Luz Gallery.

An excerpt from his National Artist citation: “Bencab...upheld the primacy of drawing over the decorative color...delineating a portrait of his people and conceiving metaphors of their complex national history.”

Taking off from this series is this piece (dated 2011) that captures in a single, sweeping work, crucial moments in Rizal’s life from his youth to his execution. Arranged in a montage-like fashion, Rizal’s story comes alive thanks to Cabrera’s masterful grip of illustration and draftsmanship that is already second nature for the artist.