During

Carlos Villa, During, 1982, acrylic on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase made possible through Federal support from the Asian Pacific American Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center and the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2023.26
Copied Carlos Villa, During, 1982, acrylic on canvas, 82 x 72 in. (208.3 x 182.9 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase made possible through Federal support from the Asian Pacific American Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center and the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2023.26

Artwork Details

Title
During
Artist
Date
1982
Location
Dimensions
82 x 72 in. (208.3 x 182.9 cm)
Credit Line
Museum purchase made possible through Federal support from the Asian Pacific American Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center and the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment
Mediums
Mediums Description
acrylic on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Figure — fragment — hand
  • Figure — fragment — face
  • Figure — fragment — foot
  • Figure — fragment — chest
Object Number
2023.26
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2023.26

Artwork Description

Paintings show the physical touch of their makers, usually using a brush or other tool. Here we see the literal imprint of the artist's body--where he pressed his chest, thighs, hands, and feet, wet with paint, against the canvas. The resulting imagery suggests a ritual or a dance.

Carlos Villa's face-print can also be seen, emerging from and disappearing into the background. Including his face was, for Villa, a way to affirm his identity as a Filipino American artist. As a student in the 1950s, Villa had been stung when a teacher told him, "Filipino art history doesn't exist." He went on to uncover--and create--this art himself. Recognizing Filipino culture as a mix of Indigenous, Asian, and Western influences, Villa developed a personal aesthetic that drew form and iconography from a wide array of cultural sources.