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Lot Essay
Fernando Amorsolo received his formal training at the University of the Philippines under the guidance of Fabian de la Rosa. Upon his graduation, the artist has successfully mastered the Greco-Roman notions of beauty, very much in the best traditions of the greatest masters of Filipino Academism, Juan Luna and F.R. Hidalgo.
The years between 1920 to 1940s stand out as the Golden Period of Amorsolo where his depiction of the landscapes and Filipinas reached a towering height. He is noted to approach nature directly, painting outdoors and capturing the 'fleeting moment' that reveals a splendour of colours under the evanescence of the tropical sunlight. Refined and repeated, expressed on so many canvases, it evolved into a body of works, which is referred to now as the 'genre painting of Amorsolo'.
The present lot typifies the genre work of Amorsolo hence, with the depiction of the idealised Filipinas and the picturesque representation of the rustic Philippines. Although critics have commented that these repetitive idyllic images are an over-simplification and sentimentalisation of rustic Philippines, it is however not justifiable to dismiss the artist's genuine rejection of the Greco-Roman idea of beauty and replaced it with his own understanding of an ideal Filipino beauty of both her people and the landscape. Fernando Amorsolo would be remembered as the first Filipino artist who depicted the Filipino sunlight in its most natural and genuine state.
The years between 1920 to 1940s stand out as the Golden Period of Amorsolo where his depiction of the landscapes and Filipinas reached a towering height. He is noted to approach nature directly, painting outdoors and capturing the 'fleeting moment' that reveals a splendour of colours under the evanescence of the tropical sunlight. Refined and repeated, expressed on so many canvases, it evolved into a body of works, which is referred to now as the 'genre painting of Amorsolo'.
The present lot typifies the genre work of Amorsolo hence, with the depiction of the idealised Filipinas and the picturesque representation of the rustic Philippines. Although critics have commented that these repetitive idyllic images are an over-simplification and sentimentalisation of rustic Philippines, it is however not justifiable to dismiss the artist's genuine rejection of the Greco-Roman idea of beauty and replaced it with his own understanding of an ideal Filipino beauty of both her people and the landscape. Fernando Amorsolo would be remembered as the first Filipino artist who depicted the Filipino sunlight in its most natural and genuine state.