Fruit Vendors
signed and dated 1951 (lower right)
oil on canvas
24" x 34" (61 cm x 86 cm)

Accompanied by a certificate issued by Mrs. Sylvia Amorsolo-Lazo confirming the authenticity of this lot
PROVENANCEAcquired directly from the artist by Edward J. Nell



In the 1950s, Fernando Amorsolo faced another momentous period in his illustrious career. Already an established artist by then (the “Amorsolo school” of classical realism is a household name, a style of painting that up-and- coming artists want to either uphold or raze), Amorsolo stepped down as the director of the University of the Philippines School of Fine Arts, choosing to focus his full time to painting. This marked almost 40 years he had rendered to the university as a professor.By this time, the sexagenarian (meaning 60 years old) Amorsolo had also undergone a great ordeal during the war. The 1940s saw the Battle of Manila, an event Amorsolo was unfortunately familiar with as he stayed at their Morayta home which was located right across from a Japanese garrison.This stay at Morayta almost became a death sentence for him. Amorsolo was diabetic and the ongoing battle made medications extremely difficult to procure. When the war concluded in 1945 and the Americans made rounds at the war- worn city in search of the sick and the injured, Amorsolo was found lying in bed in a dim corner of his studio.The result is a 1940s frenzy of Amorsolo’s recollection of the war, his way of keeping records of the atrocities he was facing.Fruit Vendors, done in 1951, is done during Amorsolo’s return to his idyllic subjects following his war period paintings. His famed Amorsolo sunlight shines on the lone dalaga in the scene, washing the other characters with the backlight. Following the war, Amorsolo’s pastoral paintings take on vastly different meanings; they now become images of the past untouched by the atrocities of the war, a paradisial return to nature. They now symbolize the Philippines in its simplicity and beauty.Amorsolo’s romantic idealism is evident in Fruit Vendors. It resonated then and continues to do so until today; the fast-paced modern lifestyle has many yearning for simpler days away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Amorsolo’s Fruit Vendors provides the perfect reprieve from the busy life – it reminds us to slow down and appreciate the little things. (Hannah Valiente)