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The Filipino art community has been blessed by the visions of National Artist Benedicto "Bencab" Reyes Cabrera. With his name etched in the Filipino art scene, aesthetes and critics alike await his next works with much enthusiasm.
Dec 11, 2021 · Growing up in the Bambang district of Tondo, Manila, BenCab was surrounded by an assortment of colorful characters – among them, a scavenger who would go down in Philippine art history as his muse, Sabel.
Apr 9, 2024 · Evolution of Sabel: Over the years, Sabel has undergone various transformations in Cabrera’s art. From ethereal watercolors to bold, expressive strokes, each iteration unveils a new facet of her persona, capturing the essence of her ever-changing existence.
Sabel - BenCab Museum. “Sabel” is a major subject that recurs through BenCab’s works through the decades, inspired by a real-life scavenger, he photographed and sketched in 1965, the Sabel image has become the artists vehicle for the transmission of intensely emotional moods.
BenCab began sketching and painting Sabel, depicting her as the central character in his figurative paintings. His series of 'Sabel' paintings (1960s–ongoing) capture the movement and sway of the woman's clothes, which were made from scraps of material found on the street.
Jun 27, 2018 · Sabel (below) is a major figurative subject that recurs through BenCab’s works. Apparently, one day when BenCab was in his apartment in Bambang, Sta. Cruz, Manila, he saw a bedraggled scavenger wandering the street who was wearing scraps of plastic.
Travels to Singapore for Art Philippines: A Celebration, a group exhibition at the Empress Place Museum, with his entry Sabel, a large triptych. Exhibits 101 Drawings at The Luz Gallery, including a 20-foot long drawing, Pinoy Nuances.
In response to the political abuses of the Marcos era, specifically Martial Law, Cabrera witnessed in a brief return to the Philippines from 1972 to 1974, BenCab began to passionately create artwork that commented on social and political topics of oppression and freedom.
Here is Sabel, the scraggly scavenger wrapped in plastic sheets who haunted the Sta. Cruz district of Manila in the early 1960s when the artist was still living on Yakal Street. “She was married, but she was abandoned by her husband, which must have caused her derangement,” he speculates. “Nakikita ko siya from my window. She’d beg around for food.
Sabel Series: This series of artworks, which began in the 1960s and continues to this day, features depictions of “Sabel,” a mentally-ill woman whom BenCab encountered on the streets of Manila. The series captures the complexity of human emotions and the marginalized members of society.
