(Cooperation) / Oil on canvas / 81.28 x 157.48 cm / Artist: Romulo Galicano / United Laboratories Inc Collection

This horizontal work by Galicano dwells on a bayanihan scene, here the collective effort of fisherfolk mainly engaged in towing their boats laden with fish toward the shore, possibly of Laguna Lake. A genre work portraying occupational activity, it contains numerous human figures divided into two groups. In the foreground, a small fishing boat with a seated young woman and two male rowers leave for the open waters for their morning catch; in the middle ground and background, a crowd of fisherfolk help one another in sorting out the fish. The artist creates a casual, informal atmosphere, avoiding the posed look, by painting the fisherfolk with their backs turned to the viewer and by shadowing their faces. Only the young woman’s face is clearly visible as she smiles at an implied presence, while she raises her white bandana against the sun. Her figure is rendered with a luminosity that is echoed by the sparkling waters and balanced by the white shirts of the fishermen at her back. As the only female figure, she becomes the focus of the painting, although she is situated slightly off-center to maintain the informal charm of the work.

Reared in Cebuano realism, Galicano shows his mastery of the human figure in the wide range of positions and gestures and their fluid interactions, enhanced by the skillful use of tones that bring out highlights and contrasts in this fine example of genre.