FERNANDO AMORSOLO (Philippines, 1892 - 1972).
"Philippine landscape with huts".
Watercolour on paper.
There is wear on the paper and small perforations in the lower left corner.
Provenance: John Glaine, Attaché to the British Embassy in Manila.
Garchitorena family, received as a gift in 1952.
Private collection in Madrid.
Signed in the lower right corner.
Measurements: 20 x 31,5 cm; 42 x 52 cm (frame).
One of the most important painters in the history of Philippine art, Amorsolo focused his art on reflecting the Philippine landscape, its people and customs. In this work the artist depicts the rural landscape of what might be a native village. However, there is no human presence of any kind. The palette is remarkable, with warm colours, worked with a soft, loose and vibrant brushstroke.
One of the most important painters in the history of Philippine art, Amorsolo focused his art on depicting the Philippine landscape, its people and customs. He was also a brilliant portraitist of the female figure. Particularly known for his great technique and masterful use of light, this painter began his training at the age of thirteen under the guidance of his uncle, the painter Fabián de la Rosa. His uncle was to become his guide and protector throughout his career. In his youth, Amorsolo earned his living by selling watercolour postcards, until 1908, when he achieved his first success, second prize in the International Association of Artists' competition with his painting "Reading the Newspaper". The following year he entered the Manila Lyceum to train as an artist. During his time as a student at the Lyceum he was awarded various prizes and honours, and after graduating he entered the School of Fine Arts at the University of the Philippines, where his uncle De la Rosa was working at the time. During this period at university Amorsolo was influenced by Velázquez, John Singer Sargent, Anders Zorn, Claude Monet and Renoir, although the most important influence was that of the contemporary Spanish masters Joaquín Sorolla and Ignacio Zuloaga. During these years, the young painter took part in various competitions, both inside and outside the university, and also began his career as an illustrator, working for various Philippine publications. He also illustrated Severino Reyes' first novel in Tagalog, "Parusa ng Diyos". In 1914 Amorsolo graduated with honours from the University of the Philippines, and soon began working as a draftsman for the Bureau of Public Works. He later became art director of the Pacific Trading Company, and taught part-time at the University of the Philippines, where he taught for thirty-eight years. Three years after finishing his studies in his native country, Amorsolo moved to Spain to study at the Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in Madrid, thanks to a scholarship from the businessman Enrique Zobel de Ayala. He spent seven months in Spain, where he devoted himself mainly to sketching in the museums and streets of Madrid, experimenting with light and colour. Zobel's grant also enabled him to visit New York, where the young painter discovered post-war Cubism and Impressionism, movements that were to exert a key influence on his work. On his return, Amorsolo opened his own studio in Manila, and by the 1930s his work had been exhibited all over the Philippines and abroad, making the young master the country's leading painter. He was also much sought after by American officers stationed in the Philippines, and indeed his popularity meant that his works were also disseminated through photographs and reproductions. In 1938 he was appointed director of the School of Fine Arts at the University of the Philippines, a post he held until 1952. An enormously prolific painter, from the 1950s until his death in 1972, Amorsolo produced an average of ten paintings a month. Four days after his death, he was decorated with the Order of the National Artists of the Philippines, the first person to receive this honour. Works by Fernando Amorsolo are now held in the National Museum and the Ayala Museum in Manila, among other public and private collections.