Luksong-Tinik (Jumping over Thorns) 1973

Curator: Vicente Manansala's 1973 acrylic on canvas, “Luksong-Tinik (Jumping over Thorns)," just radiates energy. The Cubist influence is clear, but there’s a distinctly Filipino dynamism, a pulse to it that grabs you. Editor: My first thought? This image brings to mind a dance ritual, almost, a test of grace or some rite of passage. The thorn looks deceptively harmless—but its symbolism hints at something much deeper, far beyond children's play. Curator: It does have that feeling, doesn't it? Manansala doesn’t just depict the game; he elevates it. The almost geometric breakdown of the figures captures the movement perfectly—you can practically feel the jumper's anticipation, and the other girls supporting with hands and feet, that careful placing to create the "thorns." Editor: Absolutely. The ‘thorn’ of interlocking hands and feet carries multiple layers. The upraised limb motif speaks to protection or creating barriers but, also a playful menace – reminiscent of folkloric guardians or threshold figures—ever testing boundaries. The game transforms into this microcosm of communal effort but there is a dare: Can you cross this invisible boundary without injury? It is the essence of life's challenges, right there! Curator: Yes, exactly. And look how the color palette enhances that! Warm, earthy tones… reds, yellows. Grounding. But that figure in blue soaring overhead, framed against an ethereal light—there's a spiritual quality to that figure, as if in flight or aspiration. It feels significant somehow...like there's more to it than pure playfulness. Editor: Blue has such enduring connections with transcendence—wisdom, journeys into the unknown… Think of pilgrimage iconography; blue robes marking one on their way. So this leaping figure...it’s about so much more than simply overcoming the thorn barrier in the game. She's the one taking the greatest risk. Curator: Looking at it this way definitely reframes how I understand the whole painting. So thanks for sharing the additional context, really opens up new channels of appreciation. Editor: My pleasure! It's in tracing those old motifs that you begin to feel how art can weave together cultural memories, bridging different moments in time.