The Changing Tides

Provenance

Luz Gallery, Philippines.

Private Collection.

Notes

The present lot, Changing Tides, painted in 1973, belongs to a significant period in Sansó's artistic career. Marked by a longstanding engagement with the landscapes and seascapes of Brittany which became increasingly atmospheric and imaginative. Brittany paintings were informed by sustained observation of the French coastline, particularly its changing tides, rocks, water and shifting light. Rather than simply reproducing observed landscapes, however, Sansó transformed these studies through memory, imagination and instinct, creating works that occupy a space between observation and abstraction.

The year 1973 was an important moment in Sansó's Philippine exhibition history. He held a one-man exhibition at the Luz Gallery in Makati, placing this work within a period of active exhibition and recognition in the Philippines. His practice at this time demonstrates his increasing interest in translating natural phenomena into highly personal compositions of colour, atmosphere and movement.

Juvenal Sansó was born in Reus, Catalonia, Spain, in 1929, but moved with his family to Manila, Philippines, five years later. His early years in the Philippines played an important role in shaping his artistic development. He studied at the University of the Philippines School of Fine Arts and later at the University of Santo Tomas.

In 1951, Sansó gained early recognition when he was awarded first prize in both the oil and watercolor competitions of the Art Association of the Philippines for his respective works, Sorcerer and Incubus. In the same year, he also won third place in the Shell Art Competition. These achievements marked an important turning point in his career and encouraged him to pursue further artistic studies abroad.

Sansó subsequently traveled to Europe, where he established residence in Paris and continued his studies at the Academia di Belle Arti in Rome. He also enrolled at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris. His exposure to the European art world broadened his artistic perspective and contributed to the development of the distinctive style for which he would later become known.

Throughout his long career, Sansó exhibited extensively both in the Philippines and internationally. His works were presented in numerous solo and group exhibitions, including several retrospectives celebrating the breadth and evolution of his artistic practice. His paintings, characterised by their atmospheric qualities, rich textures, and often haunting imagery, reflect his sustained engagement with themes of nature, memory, isolation, and transformation.

Exhibited

Luz Gallery, Makati City, 1973, possibly exhibited.