VICENTE MANANSALA (1910-1981)
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Famed painter and illustrator Vicente Silva Manansala was born in Macabebe, Pampanga, on January 22, 1910. Second of eight children of Perfecto Q. Manansala and Engracia Silva, young Vicente would learn the importance of hard work at an early age as a newsboy and shoe shiner in Intramuros. In his free time as a youth, he showed an early inclination to create through kite making and sketching on paper with charcoal. By the time he was 15, Vicente began studying the basics of painting under Ramon Peralta at a sign and poster painting shop.
He went on to enroll at the University of the Philippines School of Fine Arts from 1926 to 1930, where he perfected his basic mixing and painting skills with oils. The groundbreaking style and obvious skill he exhibited at U.P. earned Vicente an impressive number of grants as he pursued further technical training. He would receive funding from UNESCO and the French government which allowed him to attend the School of Fine Arts in Canada and France. While in Paris, he had the chance to study directly under Ferdinand Leger. Another grant came from the United States in 1960, which allowed Vicente to study stained glass in New York. In 1967, he studied at the Otis Art Institute, and in 1970, he received yet another grant from Germany to study in Zurich.
Putting his acquired skills to fruitful gain, Vicente would earn wages as an illustrator at the Philippines Herald and Liwaway, and served as a layout artist at Photonews and Saturday Evening News Magazine.
Vicente’s first solo exhibition was held in 1951 at the Manila Hotel. As an up and coming artist, Vicente’s style and chosen subject matter put him at the forefront of what would become the modernist movement in his country. He held a prominent role in the respected Thirteen Moderns led by Victorio Edades, and helped to instigate the neo-realist movement. In addition, Vicente stood as one of the Big Three modernist pioneers, along with Cesar Legaspi and H.R. Ocampo.
The end of World War II had brought about significant social awareness of cultural identities, which Vicente began to reflect in his own work with the necessary amount of delicacy. His canvases employed repetition of shape and form to depict everyday iconic moments of life in the city and the slums, and the intrinsic connection between members of family and society. Even his vibrant still lifes echo important messages of heritage, tradition, and connectivity. His unique approach to cubism utilizing translucent color would be coined as “transparent cubism”. Though he went through a black-and-white phase for a time, primarily for crucifixes and madonna and child paintings, he found a huge advantage in color manipulation which would become a vital element of his art. A few of the artists to be directly influenced by Vicente’s work included neo-realists Malang Santos, Norma Belleza, and Manuel Baldemor. He further influenced emerging artists like Antonio Austria, Angelito Antonio, and Mario Parial when he taught at the University of Santo Tomas from 1951 to 1958.
From as early as 1941, Vicente’s art was received with awards and accolades, starting with first prize at the National Art Exposition by UST. In 1948 he took third prize from the Art Association of the Philippines, and went on to place five more times, taking Best in Show with Give Us This Day in 1962. He also took the Republic Cultural Heritage Award in 1963 and the Patnubay ng Sining in 1970.
In total, Vicente held eight solo exhibitions, fronted three art movements, influenced countless artists, developed one original form of cubism, enjoyed one happy marriage to Hermenegilda “Hilda” Diaz and fathered one child before he succumbed to cancer in 1981. He was posthumously be named the National Artist in Painting the following year.
Affiliated Schools, Galleries, and Organizations:
University of the Philippines School of Fine Arts
Honolulu Museum of Art
Lopez Memorial Museum, Manila
Philippine Center, NY
Singapore Art Museum
Holy Angel University, Philippines
School of Fine Arts, Banff & Montreal
School of Fine Arts, Paris
University of Santo Tomas
Otis Art Institute
Some Known Works:
Madonna of the Slums
Jeepneys
Kalabaw (1965)
Bangkusay Seascape (1940)
Pila Pila sa Bigas (1980)
Planting the First Cross
Bayanihan
Balut Vendors
Seal of Arellano University
Slum Dewllers
He went on to enroll at the University of the Philippines School of Fine Arts from 1926 to 1930, where he perfected his basic mixing and painting skills with oils. The groundbreaking style and obvious skill he exhibited at U.P. earned Vicente an impressive number of grants as he pursued further technical training. He would receive funding from UNESCO and the French government which allowed him to attend the School of Fine Arts in Canada and France. While in Paris, he had the chance to study directly under Ferdinand Leger. Another grant came from the United States in 1960, which allowed Vicente to study stained glass in New York. In 1967, he studied at the Otis Art Institute, and in 1970, he received yet another grant from Germany to study in Zurich.
Putting his acquired skills to fruitful gain, Vicente would earn wages as an illustrator at the Philippines Herald and Liwaway, and served as a layout artist at Photonews and Saturday Evening News Magazine.
Vicente’s first solo exhibition was held in 1951 at the Manila Hotel. As an up and coming artist, Vicente’s style and chosen subject matter put him at the forefront of what would become the modernist movement in his country. He held a prominent role in the respected Thirteen Moderns led by Victorio Edades, and helped to instigate the neo-realist movement. In addition, Vicente stood as one of the Big Three modernist pioneers, along with Cesar Legaspi and H.R. Ocampo.
The end of World War II had brought about significant social awareness of cultural identities, which Vicente began to reflect in his own work with the necessary amount of delicacy. His canvases employed repetition of shape and form to depict everyday iconic moments of life in the city and the slums, and the intrinsic connection between members of family and society. Even his vibrant still lifes echo important messages of heritage, tradition, and connectivity. His unique approach to cubism utilizing translucent color would be coined as “transparent cubism”. Though he went through a black-and-white phase for a time, primarily for crucifixes and madonna and child paintings, he found a huge advantage in color manipulation which would become a vital element of his art. A few of the artists to be directly influenced by Vicente’s work included neo-realists Malang Santos, Norma Belleza, and Manuel Baldemor. He further influenced emerging artists like Antonio Austria, Angelito Antonio, and Mario Parial when he taught at the University of Santo Tomas from 1951 to 1958.
From as early as 1941, Vicente’s art was received with awards and accolades, starting with first prize at the National Art Exposition by UST. In 1948 he took third prize from the Art Association of the Philippines, and went on to place five more times, taking Best in Show with Give Us This Day in 1962. He also took the Republic Cultural Heritage Award in 1963 and the Patnubay ng Sining in 1970.
In total, Vicente held eight solo exhibitions, fronted three art movements, influenced countless artists, developed one original form of cubism, enjoyed one happy marriage to Hermenegilda “Hilda” Diaz and fathered one child before he succumbed to cancer in 1981. He was posthumously be named the National Artist in Painting the following year.
Affiliated Schools, Galleries, and Organizations:
University of the Philippines School of Fine Arts
Honolulu Museum of Art
Lopez Memorial Museum, Manila
Philippine Center, NY
Singapore Art Museum
Holy Angel University, Philippines
School of Fine Arts, Banff & Montreal
School of Fine Arts, Paris
University of Santo Tomas
Otis Art Institute
Some Known Works:
Madonna of the Slums
Jeepneys
Kalabaw (1965)
Bangkusay Seascape (1940)
Pila Pila sa Bigas (1980)
Planting the First Cross
Bayanihan
Balut Vendors
Seal of Arellano University
Slum Dewllers
