Untitled (from the 'Larawan' series),2003 Acrylic on canvas 119 1/4 x 81 1/4 cm (47 x 32 in) Serious collectors of Philippine art have identified this series as arguably National Artist BenCab's most important. Borne out of his nostalgia for Filipino culture while living in London, and inspired by turn of the century Philippine photographs, his exploration into these vestiges of a bygone era resulted in paintings such as this 2003 incarnation. In creating the Larawan series, BenCab aimed to merge the past and the present through technique. Focusing on a contrast between the intricate detailing of folds and the draping of the woman's dress on one hand, and a flattened graphic perspective of her environment on the other. The woman is painted in a wash of sepia tones, while bright geometric shapes frame her figure. The result is an elegant nod to local tradition and culture through a distinctively modern lens.