A survey of Gavel&Block’s July edition catalogue reveals an upbeat mood brought by the vibrant colors in its art section. Foremost among the highlights is H.R. Ocampo’s untitled oil on canvas abstract from 1978, a burst of sunshine with streaks of yellow and orange hues set off by rich brown colors. Just as energizing is Jose Joya’s “Blue Shrine” from 1976, an important piece that exemplifies the artist’s bold experimentation with rice paper, which he deftly layered over pastel and azure planes.

So many other paintings are splashed with exuberant colors and imagery that they instantly take you to a happy place. There’s Ibarra dela Rosa’s fantastical bed of flowers (imagine taking a nap surrounded by his fabulously outsize flora) and Manuel Baldemor’s mixed media work titled “Makulay at Masayang Nayon,” which suggests an urban ideal awash in just about all the colors of a rainbow. Norma Belleza’s landscape, meanwhile, shows a tranquil lakeside rimmed with flowers, with summer clouds framing a mountain on the horizon.