EP40: The Artistic Legacy of Juvenal Sansó | Spain-Manila, Incubus, Leuers, Amorsolo, Medal of Merit

“Mirabile dictu!” - wonderful to say! – that three Spaniards left a rich and lasting legacy in Philippine modern art: Fernando Zobel, from the Zobel de Ayala family; Betsy Westendorp-Brias, who was married to the Filipino-Spanish Antonio Brias; and the recently departed Juvenal Sanso, who emigrated to the Philippines with his family at the young age of four in 1934, just before the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War (1938-1939). The State awarded all three Spaniards the Presidential Medal of Merit, the second-highest honor next to the Order of National Artist. At the University of the Philippines, School of Fine Arts, Juvenal Sanso studied alongside peers such as Jose Joya, a future National Artist; Celia Diaz, who later married Senator Salvador Laurel; and Jose “Pitoy” Moreno, who became known as the “Fashion Czar of Asia.” Although Sanso ventured to Rome and Paris for further studies in art, the Philippines remained close to his heart. In Paris, his works often referenced Philippine images and places, capturing the essence of bamboo fish traps (the “baklad”) in his paintings and engravings. However, Sanso is especially renowned for his vibrant floral landscapes and depictions of the rocky Brittany seacoast in Northwestern France. Throughout the decades, until his final return to the Philippines at the turn of the century, Juvenal Sanso regularly returned as a “balikbayan” (a returning resident), holding solo exhibitions showcasing his recent works. Despite the diverse subjects he explored, Sanso proudly claimed, “I think my works are among the most Filipino you can find.” #philippineart #philippinecontemporaryart #philippinepainting #philippinesculpture #mastersinart #philippineartscene #philippineartists #philippinegallerists #artists #gallerists #oiloncanvas #acryliconcanvas #art #philippineartandculture #philippineheritage #philippinehertiageconservation #auction #auctiondarling #angkiukok #nationalartist #philippinenationalartist #lostconversations #articulateph #cidreyes #cubism #melvinmangada #nationalmuseumofthephilippines #museumfoundationofthephilippines #mfpi #victorioedades #edades #firstasianmodernist #firstfilipinomodernist #thirteenmoderns #artmovement #fernandoamorsolo #hernandoocampo #hrocampo #isalorenzo #silverlens #silverlensgallery #silverlensnewyork #art #angelitoantonio #marcelantonio #normabelleza #bencab #benedictocabrera #bencabmuseum #victorioedades #edades #fatherofphilippinemodernart #professoredades #amorsolo #lostconversations #hernandoocampo #hrocampo #philippineabstractart #imeldaendaya #imeldacajipeendaya #endaya #philippinefeminist #philippinefeminism #feminisminart #vicentemanansala #manansala #manansalaart #pacitaabad #abadartist #trapuntoart #markjustiniani #justiniani #venicebiennale #salingpusa #pintoartmuseum #agnesarellano #arellano #arellanoart #sanso #juvenalsanso #sansoart #artmovement #spanishfilipinoart