A Descriptive Analysis of Ang Kiukok’s Fishermen

In 2017, an easel painting titled Fishermen was sold for the incredible amount of 65 million pesos in an auction held by Leon Gallery, the Philippines’ most premiere and trusted auction house. Although that is an incredible price for any painting, it would not have been as such had it not been for the national fame and reputation of its painter, the National artist Ang Kiukok (1931–2005). I first came across this painting while browsing through an <a href="https://www.philstar.com/lifestyle/arts-and-culture/2017/06/04/1706762/ang-kiukok-bluechip-piece-leon-gallery-auction" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">article</a> in the Philippine Star newspaper and was impressed by its angular composition. It was then I decided to write an <a href="https://liberalarts.oregonstate.edu/wlf/what-ekphrasis" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">Ekphrastic</a> article about this particular painting. Made in 1981, Ang Kiukok’s painting is measured at 40 x 80 inches, which makes a significantly wide artwork that can decorate an adequately spacious wall. The painting depicts a group of three fishermen catching several fish with a large net during what appears to be a late afternoon, as a blood-red sun hangs up in the center of the artwork amidst an entirely dark brown background. The three fishermen are all naked and possess abstract anatomy and are portrayed in imposing but awkward poses. The fisherman on the left-most part of the canvas is the most ordinary-looking out of the trio. He stands upright and tall, a shadow blanketing his face and much of his upper body as both his arms stretch a triangular-shaped net. In the triangle-like space in between his two legs is a single large fish hopping in mid-air as it is caught by the man’s portion of the net. <a href="https://medium.com/@funkyboy/a-descriptive-analysis-of-ang-kiukoks-fishermen-a2248477aded">Click Here</a>