His Book

Widely known as “Bencab,” Filipino artist Benedicto Cabrera occupies a secure and permanent place in the history of contemporary Philippine art. Premised on the strength of draftmanship and driven by images that have struck emotional chords in the national consciousness, his art possesses that rare quality: an authentic kinship between artist and audience.

The first section of the book, “Hand Over Heart: A Life for Bencab” is written by Palanca Hall of Famer and personal friend, Krip Yuson. It is a biographical narration of the artist's colorful and adventurous life journeys. Characterized by struggles, both personal and artistic, all leaving their indelible imprints on his art, Bencab's life is set against the background of his country's cultural and socio-political transitions. Emerging on the art scene in the sixties, Bencab was instantly hailed by the media and a growing horde of collectors as the Golden Boy of Philippine Art.

Now in his 60s, Bencab is still at the peak of his creative powers, he has arrived at another stage of maturity. Now a long-time resident of Baguio, in the highlands of Cordillera in northern Philippines, Bencab is immersed in a community that cherishes and revitalizes age-old customs, traditions and lifeways. Indeed, it is a life that has all the makings of a legend.

Multi-awarded art critic Cid Reyes explores and examines the colonial and contemporary aspects of Filipino identity in Bencab's works. Entitled “The Art of Being Filipino,” the essay argues for the aesthetic potency and significance of all Bencab's visual themes. The “Sabel” and the “Larawan” series are the two major subjects, recurring obsessively through the decades.

Inspired by a real-life scavenger, the “Sabel” image becomes the artist's vehicle for the transmission of intensely emotional moods. When pushed to the limits of abstraction, the “Sabel” image serves as a fertile ground for the investigation of shape and structure.

Based on colonial photography, the “Larawan” images hauntingly suggest parallel scenarios between the past and present. The artist's stronges suit - portraiture, the study of the human face and figure - emerges triumphantly in these veritable tableaux of our ancestors.

Over 200 full-color reproductions document the richly varied achievements of Bencab, arguably the most talented artist of his generation.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Alfred A. Yuson has authored 14 books of poetry, fiction, essays and children's stories. He has received various literary distinctions, including the Palanca Hall of Fame Award and South East Writers Award. He is currently the Chairman of UMPIL or Writers Union of the Philippines, a columnist for the Philippine Star, and a professional lecturer on Poetry and Fiction at the Ateneo de Manila University.

Critic-painter Cid Reyes studied at De La Salle University, the Academia di Belle Arti in Rome, and the Citylit Institute in London. He is the author of Conversations on Philippine Art, The Graphic Art of Bencab, Thirty Years of Malang's Women, Dr. Gregorio Lim: His Life in Art, Valeria, and books on National Artists Arturo Luz and J. Elizalde Navarro. He is co-author of Art Philippines and Southeast Asian Art Today. He won the Art Criticism Award of the Art Association of the Philippines in 1978. Reyes was named Art Critic of the Year by Art Manila Newspaper. He writes a weekly art column, Gallery-Hopping for TODAY.