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Sari-Sari signed and dated 1982 (lower left and verso) oil on canvas 15 1/2" x 18" (39 cm x 46 cm) PROVENANCE Liongoren Art Gallery   Antonio Austria has carved his name as one of the most promising contemporary painters, his brilliantly colored, simplistic images offering a sense of familiarity and comfort. Austria finished Fine Arts from the University of Santo Tomas and taught painting there for 27 years. After retiring from the academe, he dedicated his life to being a full-time artist. He participated in group exhibits at several local and international galleries and had held his first one-man show in Gallerie Dominique in 1979. Primarily done in oil paint, Austria’s pieces bear his signature colorful and simple art style of figures resembling a child’s handiwork. With a distinct folk charm, his paintings feature the Filipinos’ day-to-day objects and everyday scenes, including jeepneys, sari-sari stores, and vendors, thus providing masterpieces that evoke a strong sense of nostalgia and sentimentality. Antonio Austria’s unique art style, reminiscent of a child’s oil pastel drawing, has not gone unnoticed. These pieces received numerous awards and recognition, including a spot on the list of the inaugural Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Thirteen Artists Awards in 1970. (Jessica Magno)