Fernando Amorsolo
Procession, c. 1949
Oil on canvas
11 x 14 in.
Private collection
Fernando Amorsolo y Cueto (May 30, 1892 – April 24, 1972) was one of the most important artists in the history of painting in the Philippines. Amorsolo was a portraitist and painter of rural Philippine landscapes. He is popularly known for his craftsmanship and mastery in the use of light.
Amorsolo is best known for his illuminated landscapes, which often portrayed traditional Filipino customs, culture, fiestas and occupations. His pastoral works presented "an imagined sense of nationhood in counterpoint to American colonial rule" and were important to the formation of Filipino national identity.
Fernando Cueto Amorsolo, 1892-1972
PRINCESS URDUJA, c. 1935 lower right
Oil on canvas laid on board
66 by 51cm.; 26 by 20in
Private collection
Urduja was a legendary warrior princess recorded in the travel accounts of Ibn Battuta (1304 – possibly 1368 or 1377 AD), a Muslim traveler from Morocco. She was described to be a princess of Kaylukari in the land of Tawalisi. Though the locations of Kaylukari and Tawalisi are disputed, in the Philippines Urduja is widely believed to be from Pangasinan, and has since been regarded as a national heroine. More on Urduja
He was educated in the classical tradition and aimed "to achieve his Philippine version of the Greek ideal for the human form." In his paintings of Filipina women, Amorsolo rejected Western ideals of beauty in favor of Filipino ideals and was fond of basing the faces of his subjects on members of his family.
Fernando Amorsolo (1892 - 1972)
Family Under A Tree, c. late 1930s to mid 1940s
Oil on canvas
70 x 95 cm. (27 ½ x 37 3/8 in.)
Private collection
With a strong desire to celebrate and elevate the status of the family as the basis for Filipino values, Amorsolo painted numerous works with a traditional nuclear family at its core. Family Under a Tree (Lot 538) offers a close-up perspective of the scene as the child resting in his father’s lap is drawn to a degree of detail seldom seen in Amorsolo’s compositions. The complementary colours of the mother’s yellow scarf and her ochre dress are the key source of warmth for the scene, and Amorosolo achieves in capturing her maternal love and the familial bond in this endearing scene. More on this painting
Fernando Amorsolo (1892 - 1972)
Antipolo Fiesta, c. 1947
Oil on canvas
51 x 76 inches
Evelyn S. Dy
This painting depicts a rural scene where a group of people are shown celebrating a fiesta in Antipolo. The main focus is on a pair of dancers in the field surrounded by revelers both young and old. Abundant food is presented in basketfuls of assorted fruits on the benches and on the ground, as well as the traditional roasted pig or lechon being prepared by two men. Nearby is a house with huge windows from where dwellers watch the revelers. At the background is a huge church, a symbolic town structure. A vast number of townsmen complete the essence of a fiesta.
Antipolo, officially the City of Antipolo, is a 1st class component city and capital of the province of Rizal, Philippines. More on this painting
Fernando Amorsolo
The Tinikling Dance, c. 1957
Oil on canvas
56x76 cm
Private collection
Tinikling is a traditional Philippine folk dance which originated during the Spanish colonial era. The dance involves two people beating, tapping, and sliding bamboo poles on the ground and against each other in coordination with one or more dancers who step over and in between the poles in a dance. It is traditionally danced to rondalla music, a sort of serenade played by an ensemble of stringed instruments which originated in Spain during the Middle Ages. The locomotor movements used in tinkling are hopping, jumping and turning. More on Tinikling
Born on May 30, 1892, in Paco, Manila. Don Fabián de la Rosa, his mother's cousin, was also a Filipino painter. At the age of 13, Amorsolo became an apprentice to De la Rosa, who would eventually become the advocate and guide to Amorsolo's painting career. During this time, Amorsolo's mother embroidered to earn money, while Amorsolo helped by selling water color postcards to a local bookstore for 10 centavos each. His brother, Pablo Amorsolo, was also a painter. Amorsolo's first success as a young painter came in 1908, when his painting Leyendo el periódico took second place at the Bazar Escolta, a contest organized by the Asociacion Internacional de Artistas. Between 1909 and 1914, he enrolled at the Art School of the Liceo de Manila.
Fernando Amorsolo (1892 - 1972)
Baguio Market Place, c. 1934
Oil on canvas laid on board
47.5 x 65.5 cm. (18 ¾ x 25 ¾ in.)
Private collection
In Baguio Market Place Amorsolo presents the bustling activity of a market scene, and showcases the variety of life in the Philippines. Evident here is the strength of community, and the rich colours of the painting act to further convey the vitality of life found in the highland communities of Baguio. Man is placed in a harmonious balance with the lush landscape, and man’s activities here are seen to be in tandem with nature. More on this painting
Fernando Cueto Amorsolo, 1892-1972
MARKET SCENE, c. 1947
Oil on canvas fixed on board
41 by 51 cm; 16 by 20 in
Private collection
Fernando Cueto Amorsolo, 1892-1972
MARKET, c. 1936
Oil on canvas mounted on board
66 by 51 cm; 26 by 20 in
Private collection
Fernando Cueto Amorsolo, 1892-1972
BARRIO MARKET, c. 1961
Oil on canvas
55 by 75 cm.; 21 1/2 by 29 1/2 in
Private collection
After graduating from the Liceo, he entered the University of the Philippines' School of Fine Arts, where De la Rosa worked at the time. Amorsolo's most notable work as a student at the Liceo was his painting of a young man and a young woman in a garden, which won him the first prize in the art school exhibition during his graduation year. To make money during school, Amorsolo joined competitions and did illustrations for various Philippine publications as well as illustrations for editions of the Pasion. Amorsolo graduated with medals from the University of the Philippines in 1914.
Fernando Amorsolo
Planting Rice, c. 1960
Oil on canvas
24” x 34” (61 cm x 86 cm)
Private collection
Fernando Cueto Amorsolo, 1892-1972
PLANTING RICE, c. 1934
Oil on canvas mounted on board
47.5 by 65 cm; 18 3/4 by 25 1/2 in
Private collection
Fernando Cueto Amorsolo, 1892 - 1972
DALAGANG FILIPINA (FILIPINO MAIDEN) , c. 1951
Oil on canvas
55 BY 45 CM.; 21 3/4 BY 17 3/4 IN
Private collection
Fernando Cueto Amorsolo, 1892-1972
IN THE FIELD, c. 1955
Oil on canvas mounted on board
22 by 30 cm; 8.5 by 11 3/4 inches
Private collection
Fernando Amorsolo (1892 - 1972)
Harvesting at Sunset, c. 1935
Oil on canvas laid on board
48.5 x 66.5 cm. (19 1/8 x 26 1/8 in.)
Private collection
Harvesting at Sunset (Lot 544) is a striking and poignant painting that highlights the hard labour and satisfaction that a day’s work brings. The work includes one of Amorsolo’s iconic red and orange sunsets. Amorsolo’s respect for his subjects is clear here, and the farmer is rendered with an acknowledgement of both the weight of toil on his shoulders, as well as his confident, purposeful stride home after a fruitful harvest. More on this painting
Fernando Cueto Amorsolo, 1892-1972
WOMAN WITH A BASKET OF MANGOES, c. 1931
Oil on board
50.5 by 39.5 cm; 19 3/4 by 15 1/2 in
Private collection
In the present lot, the fading light of the evening sun filters through the tree leaves, dotting the surroundings with sepia tones. Amorsolo performs a close study of the woman seated on the tree roots carrying a basket of mangoes. The woman's gentle appearance is Amorsolo's glorification and idealization of Filipina beauty, the dalagang Filipina. Flushed apple cheeks, a sensual mouth and lively eyes are carved into her rounded face. Rays of evening sun kiss the basket of pears, and brush against her theatrically puffy-sleeved native costume, bringing out the contours of its folds. More on this painting
After graduating Amorsolo worked as a draftsman for the Bureau of Public Works, as a chief artist at the Pacific Commercial Company, and as a part-time instructor at the University of the Philippines (where he would work for 38 years). After three years as an instructor and commercial artist, Amorsolo was given a grant to study at the Academia de San Fernando in Madrid, Spain by Filipino businessman Enrique Zóbel de Ayala. During his seven months in Spain, Amorsolo sketched at museums and along the streets of Madrid, experimenting with the use of light and color. Through the Zóbel grant, Amorsolo was also able to move to New York City, where he encountered postwar impressionism and cubism, which would be major influences on his work, and where he would later hold a solo exhibition in 1925.
Fernando Amorsolo (1892 - 1972)
Afternoon Meal of the Rice Workers, c. 1958
Could not find his 1922 version
Oil on canvas
22” x 30” (56 cm x 76 cm)
Private collection
Amorsolo set up his own studio upon his return to Manila and painted prodigiously during the 1920s and the 1930s. His Rice Planting (1922) (See above), which appeared on posters and tourist brochures, became one of the most popular images of the Commonwealth of the Philippines.
Fernando Amorsolo
Hope in the Ruins of Manila, c. 1945
Oil on canvas
86 x 121 cm. (33 7/8 x 47 5/8 in.)
Private collection
Beginning in the 1930s, Amorsolo's work was exhibited widely both in the Philippines and abroad. His bright, optimistic, pastoral images set the tone for Philippine painting before World War II. Except for his darker World War II-era paintings, Amorsolo painted quiet and peaceful scenes throughout his career.
Fernando Cueto Amorsolo, 1892-1972
WAITING FOR A BOAT AT RIVER BANK, c. 1936
Oil on board
33 by 46 cm; 13 by 18 in.
Private collection
Fernando Amorsolo
Seascape, c. 1958
Oil on canvas
22” x 30” (56 cm x 76 cm)
Private collection
Fernando Cueto Amorsolo, 1892-1972
SUNSET IN MANILA, c. 1944
Oil on canvas
71 by 94 cm.; 27 3/4 by 37 in
Private collection
Amorsolo also became the favourite Philippine artist of United States officials and visitors to the country. Due to his popularity, Amorsolo had to resort to photographing his works and pasted and mounted them in an album. Prospective patrons could then choose from this catalog of his works. Amorsolo did not create exact replicas of his trademark themes; he recreated the paintings by varying some elements.
Fernando Amorsolo
Lavanderas, c. 1949
Oil on canvas
71 cm x 102 cm
Private collection
Lavanderas is a woman whose trade is laundry and associated tasks traditionally a housewife, a almost exclusive occupation of women. Although practically disappeared as a profession in Western and Westernized society , it continues to occupy an important sector of third world women and even in the most developed countries it is preserved as a paid hourly occupation. More on Lavanderas
Fernando Cueto Amorsolo, 1892-1972
YOUNG BATHERS BY A STREAM, c. 1959
Oil on canvas
81 by 60.5 cm.; 31 3/4 by 23 3/4 in
Private collection
His works later appeared on the cover and pages of children textbooks, in novels, in commercial designs, in cartoons and illustrations for the Philippine publications. He was the director of the University of the Philippine's College of Fine Arts from 1938 to 1952.
Fernando Cueto Amorsolo, 1892 - 1972
BATHING BY THE RIVER, c. 1941
Oil on canvas mounted on board
66 by 51 cm.; 26 by 20 in
Private collection
Fernando Cueto Amorsolo, 1892-1972
BATHING GIRLS, c. 1949
Oil on canvas
74.5 by 95cm.; 29½ by 37¼in
Private collection
Fernando Cueto Amorsolo, 1892-1972
NUDE WITH RED SCARF, c. 1940
Oil on canvas mounted on board
29.5 BY 20.5 CM.; 11 1/2 BY 8 IN
Private collection
Fernando Amorsolo
The Offering
Oil on canvas
36” x 30”
Private collection
During the 1950s until his death in 1972, Amorsolo averaged to finishing 10 paintings a month. However, during his later years, diabetes, cataracts, arthritis, headaches, dizziness and the death of two sons affected the execution of his works.
After being confined at the St. Luke's Hospital in Quezon City for two months, Amorsolo died of heart failure at the age of 79 on April 24, 1972. More on Fernando Amorsolo y Cueto
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