The Parisian Life by Juan Luna
Parisian Life (also known as Interior d’un Café), dated in 1892 is a work from a distinctive period. Even more importantly, it dates from the last year of painter Juan Luna’s own Parisian life, painted barely a few months before the artist would be caught up in dramatic events that could climax in September 1892.
The playful, relaxed mood of the work Parisian Life does not give the slightest hint of the tumultuous happenings to come in the artist’s life. Instead, it depicts a delicious slice of the artist’s personal Parisian life, capturing an expedition with two of his closest friends for a casual evening in a café, possibly Maxim’s.
Dr. Jose Rizal is depicted with his back half-turned, his distinctive profile making him unmistakable. Luna sits jauntily in the center, while Dr. Ariston Bautista Lin sits closest to the lady, betraying the most vivid expressions of the three. It is springtime in Paris, as suggested by the pale lavender of the woman’s frock and the flowers in her hat. Certainly, it is a moment of happiness and contentment for the three gentlemen.
Parisian Life encapsulates the intangible ideas of the Filipino national consciousness. The painter, novelist, and doctor were above all avant-garde thinkers of their time.
While it is inevitable to perceive the work as a striking cultural artifact, Parisian Life, even if it did not contain intimate portraits of the Philippines’ national heroes, it is a work of art of rare intrinsic beauty.
The work was known to have been publicly exhibited only once before its presentation at Christie’s Auction House, at the St. Louis Exposition (World’s Fair) of 1904 where it was bestowed a silver medal.
Parisian life has remained an elusive treasure of impeccable provenance, having remained in the hands of the original owner, Dr. Ariston Bautista Lin, and his family for over a century since it was painted.
The painting was acquired by the Government Service Insurance System at auction in Hong Kong on October 27, 2002, and remains part of its collection.
Reference: National Museum of Fine Arts
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