Sculptor and painter Graciano Nepomuceno, from the Philippines, was a leading sculptor and -santero (icon maker) of the country during the early 1900s. He studied wood carving, sculpturing and painting under the leading local artists of the time. He preferred to work with the local Molave wood. His famous works included the figure of San Francisco in Quiapo Church and the bust of Jose Rizal done in bronze relief. In addition to this, he produced realistic polychrome figures of peasant types, such as a woman holding a clay pot, and a grey-haired man proudly holding a rooster. Animal subjects also fascinated Nepomuceno, and one of his best known sculptures portrayed a man grappling, and subduing, a crocodile. Nepomuceno also created the ceiling reliefs in Malacañang Palace, the official residence of the President of the Philippines. He also transposed famous paintings, such as Leonardo da Vinci’s “Last Supper”, into carved reliefs, mainly working with the local Molave wood. The work submitted to the 1948 Olympic art competitions was a wooden sculpture of a boy playing sipa, a popular local game played with a rattan ball. The sculpture is now kept in the magazine of the National Museum in Manila.
Philippines