All of blue
Color is the primary language of painting, the essential spirit of the medium. Minimalist artists have long considered this gospel truth: strip a painting to its core, and what remains is color. Yet, color is far from a mere visual phenomenon; it is a conduit for emotion and psychology, evoking ideas, memories, and profound feelings. Among the spectrum of hues, blue holds a particularly captivating allure—a color steeped in history, rarity, and meaning.
Blue, the last color to be named in the English language, is considered one of the rarest in the natural world. Its connections span the divine and the infinite, encompassing the vast expanse of sea and sky. This emotional and symbolic weight makes it a color of intrigue and majesty. In art, blue serves as both anchor and inspiration, creating works that are as powerful as they are contemplative.
At the upcoming “Kingly Treasures Auction” by León Gallery, scheduled for Bonifacio Day, Nov. 30, at its Eurovilla 1 headquarters in Makati City, the richness of blue will take center stage. The works on offer, whose catalog can be accessed at leon-gallery.com, explore the multifaceted nature of this compelling hue, from the eloquent depictions of figurative masters to the rhapsodic bursts of abstractionists.
One of the highlights is Fernando Zóbel’s luminous work “Azul sobre pardo,” a rare painting said to be one of only nine of its kind. Known for his distinct abstract language called “saeta,” Zóbel applied coruscating lines of varying depths onto canvas using a syringe, achieving a delicacy akin to calligraphy. In “Azul sobre pardo,” these lines float and dance against a striking blue space, reminiscent of Rothko’s color fields but layered with Zóbel’s unique depth and complexity. The “field” itself is not a flat expanse but a dynamic interplay of hues and layers, with a terracotta red aura illuminating the jagged borders of a central rectangle.
Zóbel’s work aligns with his career-spanning exploration of abstraction, currently celebrated in the Ayala Museum’s exhibition “Zóbel: The Future of the Past.” This luminous piece captures the meditative and infinite quality of blue, presenting a masterpiece where the color becomes a realm unto itself.
Blue also anchors the work of National Artist Vicente Manansala, whose “Neo-Realist Pangguinge” offers an intimate look at the artist’s early foray into realism filtered through cubism. The oil-on-wood painting depicts four men engaged in a card game, their expressions intent as they strategize and outsmart each other. A blue wall forms the backdrop, setting off the angularity of their faces and the light hues of their shirts. The composition is punctuated by a still life featuring two cups, a teapot, and a tablecloth that echoes the diamond-shaped table where the men place their bets. Here, blue serves as both a framing device and a quiet force, harmonizing the tension of the scene with its calming presence.
Abstract art finds its own expression of blue in Justin Nuyda’s “Mindscape Search - Strength in Unity.” Known for his meditative abstractions, Nuyda’s work features fan-like, striated forms that billow across a three-dimensional space, the blue palette evoking unity, strength, and boundless exploration. Similarly, Nena Saguil’s untitled piece immerses the viewer in her vision of the universe—a blue orb studded with dots, predating Yayoi Kusama’s signature polka dots. Saguil’s work reveals worlds within worlds, an intricate cosmic structure presided over by an all-seeing eye. For Saguil, blue represents an awake and sentient universe.
Across these works and others at the auction, blue emerges as both subject and background, a quiet yet commanding presence. It anchors compositions while imbuing them with a sense of infinity and transcendence. Whether illuminating Zóbel’s layered abstractions, framing Manansala’s neo-realist tableau, or propelling Nuyda’s and Saguil’s cosmic visions, blue transforms the canvas into a space of sensation and contemplation.
