Self-Portrait by Napoleon Abueva
Besides skill, a body as solid as a prizefighter, a carpenter, and a mason makes an outstanding sculptor. An immense amount of strength and resistance is needed to endure this chosen passion.
Boholano National Artist Napoleon V. Abueva had his first mild stroke in 1985. Despite the health challenges, Abueva chose not to be complacent but further executed his creativity. In times of illness, the industrious artist carved wood on his bedside to restore flexibility. Crafting self-portraits and religious images became a form of therapy – perhaps a Source Of Hope, to survive and thrive as a person and as an artist.
Among Abueva’s exceptional pieces before he passed on last February 16, 2018, is this self-portrait, made of kamagong wood and completed in 2005.
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