Napoleon-Abueva BUSINESS 10217|very helpful

Background of the Artist Napoleón Isabelo Veloso Abueva, a Filipino artist, was born January 26, 1930. He is a sculptor given the distinction as the Philippines' National Artist for Sculpture. He is also entitled as the "Father of Modern Philippine Sculpture". He was awarded National Artist of the Philippines in the field of Visual Arts. He finished his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Sculpture at the University of the Philippines (UP) in 1953, continued his studies abroad and helped shape the local sculpture scene in the Philippines. Napoleon Abueva’s long and fruitful career as a sculptor has lent him the official title of the National Artist of the Philippines, and the unofficial recognition of being the father of contemporary Filipino sculpture. Abueva’s influence on Filipino art has been immense, and his skill as a sculptor spans materials as varied as wood, bronze, coral, and stone. We explore the life and work of the Philippines’ most talented and recognized modern sculptor. Abueva’s own style is at the same time incredibly varied and instantly recognizable – many of his sculptures that now sit in public places in the Philippines and abroad convey a sense of realism with their intimately physical presence, lifelike forms and evocative gestures. The theme of motherhood, or the archetype of the mother, is present in his art collection, and serves as a good point of comparison for his varied techniques. One of these, a bronze statuette, represents a mother kneeling, and raising her child high up above her head in a gesture of exaltation, emboldened still further by the natural shine of the material – the scene is resplendent and conveys the pride of motherhood and relationship between mother and child in all their glory. Another realistic piece “Childbirth” made from bronze, is an honest and simple representation of labour, to the point where its straightforward frankness becomes almost uncomfortable to the viewer as the woman in the sculpture holds her newborn in her right hand, the left still holding on to the umbilical cord. On the other hand, one of Abueva’s most widely known sculptures sharing this theme, titled Mother and Child, is a confident example of Abueva’s whimsical departures from Realism. But Abueva’s sculptures, in addition to representing his unique vision, frequently seem to serve a specific function. Somewhat humbly, he insists that “sculpture is actually manual labor,” and infuses much of his work with a practical purpose. Abueva’s career spans over six decades, and he shows no sign of slowing down. In an interview he once said that “the artist must possess the inner drive, passion, and loneliness of a long distance runner to go very far.” This d