Ang Kiukok

Ang Kiukok was a Filipino painter known for his expressive, Cubist-like works. He often chose dynamic or disturbing subject matter, frequently depicting rabid dogs, crucifixions, and screaming figures in an abstracted geometric style. When asked why he often chose subjects full of such angry he once replied “Why not? Open your eyes. Look around you. So much anger, sorrow, ugliness. And also madness.”  Born on March 1, 1931 in Davao City, the Philippines, Kiukok gained both critical and commercial success in his home country throughout the 1960s. Some of his most gruesome paintings were made during the rule of Ferdinand Marcos, who held the Phillipines under martial law throughout the 1970s. Kiukok was awarded the title of National Artist by his home country in 2001, and continued to exhibit with success until his death on May 9, 2005 in Quezon City, the Philippines.