Mother and Child , Napoleon Abueva (1930 — 2018)

Despite having been named Esabelio Veloso Abueva upon his birth, the Father of Modern Philippine Sculpture would go on to assume the name Napoleon at the tender age of six. It was the nuns at the St.
Joseph Academy in his birthplace of Tagbilaran that fondly called him by that name, but it would later on prove to be more of a prediction of his future than just a nickname. Artists were greatly admired for their signi cant contribution to the development of French neoclassical art in the 18th century — so much so that Abueva’s namesake Napoleon Bonaparte supposedly said that “ if I were not a conqueror, I would wish to be a sculptor .”
And conquer Abueva did.
There is no better word to describe the sculptor’s career other than ‘triumphant.’ As the youngest person to have been conferred the title of National Artist for Visual Arts in
Sculpture, Abueva’s works can be found in the possession of discerning Filipino collectors and in important Filipino institutions — for example, masterpieces carrying his legacy, such as Magdangal and Siyam na Diwata ng Sining , proudly stand in his alma mater. His oeuvres bring out the best in everything the country has to o er, from the wide range of media that Abueva utilized in his lifetime, to the resulting artworks that demonstrate a distinctly Filipino sentiment.
The artwork on o er features a mother and child, a much beloved subject by artists all over. But where they would usually be posed serenely, such as the mother cradling her child, Abueva adds a touch of lifelike charm. The mother, dressed in what seems to be a traditional baro’t saya , lifts her child up above her head as if they are playing, causing her hair and her shawl to ow freely. The two only seem to acknowledge each other’s presence, blissfully unaware of their surroundings. Carved out of humble wood, Abueva reveals in the artwork’s simplicity not only his masterful hand, but also one of the most revered forms of love — one that is given by a mother.