Fish
signed and dated 1971 (lower right)
watercolor on paper
17" x 36" (43 cm x 91 cm)

Accompanied by a certificate issued by Finale Art File confirming the authenticity of this lot
PROVENANCE: Private collection, Manila



Ang Kiukok’s body of works can best be described as visceral. Entering the University of Santo Tomas with little formal artistic training, his style takes heavy inspiration from the esteemed artists he had the pleasure of being a student of, the most notable of which is National Artist Vicente Manansala whose cubistic influence is evident in Kiukok’s works.This affinity for the Cubist style is noticeable in his 1971 Fish. Heavy with his usage of black in this work, Kiukok breaks the monotony of the color with splashes of blues and reds. The fish in question, much like many of his subjects, is broken down to its barest essentials, sharp and angular with a distinct foreboding sense. The still fish is splayed open on what one could assume is a table, its internal skeletal structure on display for all to see.Sardonic wit is a staple in the works of Kiukok. Unafraid of heavy-handed symbolism and hard-hitting subjects, his works are unapologetic with their angst. In 1976, five years after he created Fish, Kiukok received the Patnubay ng Sining at Kalinangan from the City of Manila, one award in the long list of accolades gained by the National Artist. (Hannah Valiente)