Vicente Manansala

Vicente Silva Manansala (January 22, 1910 – August 22, 1981) was a Filipino cubist painter and illustrator. One of the first Abstractionists on the Philippine art scene, Manansala is also credited with bridging the gap between the city and the suburbs, between the rural and cosmopolitan ways of life. His paintings depict a nation in transition, an allusion to the new culture brought by the Americans. Manansala, together with Fabian de la Rosa, are among the best-selling Philippine artists in the West.

He was a member of the prominent Cruz, Manansala, Lopez family clan. He is considered one of the 13 Moderns, a group of modernists associated with Victorio Edades.

Early life

Manansala was born on January 22, 1910, in San Roque, Macabebe, Pampanga. From 1926 to 1930, he studied at the University of the Philippines School of Fine Arts. In 1949, Manansala received a six-month grant from UNESCO to study at the École des Beaux-Arts in Banff and Montreal, Quebec, Canada. In 1950, he received a nine-month scholarship to study at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris by the French government. He also trained at the Otis School of Drawing.

Later painting career

Manansala's paintings are the best and were celebrated as the best of the barrio and the city together. 1950. Jeepneys Magsasaka Pounding Rice Kalabaw (Carabao), oil on canvas, , 1965 Murals "Stations of the cross " in the Church of the Parish of the Holy Sacrifice Bangkusay Seascape. 1940. Oil on canvas. . Pila Pila sa Bigas (Left and Right), 1980. Oil on canvas. . Planting the First Cross Seal of the Arellano University Slum Dwellers Bayanihan Balut Vendors Jansen Rodriguez Pamilya Reclining Mother and Child Dambana The Musicians