Anita Magsaysay - Ho

The painting is in good condition overall. The wooden panel is free from warping and cracking. There are indications of light wear and handling, but paint layers are well-preserved and stable. There are gentle craquelures notably on the white paint (center) and middle right (black paint). Under ultraviolet light examination, there are light networks of restoration on the child's white dress, figure's white sleeve (left), veil (middle) and apron (right). Framed.
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As the only woman among her contemporaries, Anita Magsaysay-Ho’s unique perspective and style have cemented her place within the classical works of the thirteen modern artists of the Philippines. Primarily drawing from impressionism, in the 50s she would later turn to modernism, a critical turning point in her career, as evidenced by her present artworks.

Anita’s work during this period would come to embody brisk decisive lines, simplifying her subject matters into compact geometric forms; a direct result of her tutelage under Kenneth Hayes Miller. Notwithstanding, the current piece entitled In the Procession, which depicts three women and a child huddled closely together with candles, conveys the strong notions of family, religion and tradition; powerful themes that have resonated throughout Filipino culture and history. The somber almost meditative aspect of the piece is further highlighted by Anita’s use of egg tempera; a delicate and almost translucent medium that provides softer tones of color to complement the pastoral settings. The use of darker colors, with regards to the black headdresses worn by the women, provides an interesting contrast and use of this medium, as it presents the viewer a gentle yet bold appearance.

"[Artist] emphasized movement and bustling interaction by means of bold, vigorous brushstrokes and strong tonal contracsts of light and dark. Brisk, decisive lines became a marked tendency to simplify forms into basic geometric shapes: triangles for the bandanas and rectangles for the skirts, thereby creating a lively counterpoint of sharp, angular forms… Here, the women briefly exchanging words and glances shift positions and carry out the stages of a process within a closed space that is entirely occupied by their figures…"

Alice Guerraro Gullermo, Anita Mangsaysay-Ho Isang PAG-ALAALA: A Retrospective, The Metropolitan Museum of Manila, Manila, Philippines, 1989, p. 18