National Artist for Visual Arts (1990)
(April 2, 1917 – April 7, 1994)
Cesar Legaspi is part of the Thirteen Moderns and with other Neo-Realists like Vicente Manansala, HR Ocampo, Romeo Tabuena, Victor Oteyza and Ramon Estela, advocated modern art in the Philippines. Legaspi had a fascination of the human body (specifically the torso) after being hospitalized for a long period of time. He created a distinct style of representing the human form by overlapping various figures to create depth and following a central rubric from Cubism: delineate a dividing line within the artwork. Instead of deleting parts of a whole, components of the figures merge together to create a strong composition. He also applied this technique in his rock formation series and landscapes. Legaspi is part of the Neo-Realists who combined the elements of the mythical and the modern while keeping in mind his social commentary on injustices in the country.