Granadean Arabesque

Jose Joya is a painter and multimedia artist who distinguished himself by creating an authentic Filipino abstract idiom that transcended foreign influences. Most of Joya’s paintings of harmonious colors were inspired by Philippine landscapes, such as green rice paddies and golden fields of harvest. His use of rice paper in collages placed value on transparency, a common characteristic of folk art. The curvilinear forms of his paintings often recall the colorful and multilayered ‘kiping’ of the Pahiyas festival. His important mandala series was also drawn from Asian aesthetic forms and concepts.

The “Granadean Arabesque,” a masterpiece by National Artist Jose Joya, is a horizontal abstract painting which showcases different shades of yellow, and features broad strokes and swipes of impasto mixed with sand. It is a masterful execution of texture and composition, an embodiment of Joya’s talent as a mixed-media artist and pioneer of modern art in the Philippines. This 1958 oil on canvas with a size of 305 cm by 118 cm, was among the works of Joya showcased to represent the Philippines in the prestigious Venice Biennale in 1964. This was the first time that the Philippines participated in the world’s longest-running biennale and the leading showplace for contemporary art and the international avant-garde.

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