LAPU-LAPU AND BULAKNA, painted by Mabini artist Rodolfo Pasno ca.1957, in as-found condition on a facebook group.
Will wonders never cease? I just found these paintings on a Facebook group--and they were for sale. The original description noted that these were portraits of Lapu-Lapu and his wife Bulakna. One look and I knew they were painted in the familiar Mabini tradition---paintings of ethnic types done in pairs, made for the burgeoning tourist market in the 50s-60s.
The paintings were done by the late artist Rodolfo Pasno, who used to work in the Mabini area and who had an atelier at the Pistang Pilipino, the mecca of things Filipiniana. The pair measured 16" x 20", with missing frames. There were a few issues with these paintings, common with vintage ones--there were some chips and paint losses, but the canvasses were still tightly drawn on their stretchers.
I also suspected that the backgrounds of the portraits were painted over, but this flaw does not detract from the powerful artistry of the paintings, as gleaned from the vibrant colorations and confident brush strokes of the artist.
Restretched, cleaned-up and reframed, the two Pasno portraits now hang on the stairwell of my condo, an addition to my growing collection of midcentury Mabini works, that is slowly, but surely being appreciated by a growing legion of art collectors.
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