Fernand

o
Amorsol
o
(18921972)

Fernando Amorsolo was the

son of Pedro Amorsolo -- a
bookkeeper -- and Bonifacia
Cueto. He spent his youthful
days in Daet, Camarines
Norte. When his father died
in 1903, Bonifacia moved the
entire family to Manila to live
with a first cousin, painter
Fabian de la Rosa.

To raise money, young

Amorsolo sold watercolor
postcards to a bookstore which
paid him 10 centavos a piece,
while his mother did
embroidery work. Somehow,
he managed to complete his
schooling at the Liceo de
Manila,
where he earned honorable
mention in drawing and

 At 17 he enrolled at the University

of the Philippines (UP) School

where his uncle Fabian De La Rosa
taught. While a student, Amorsolo
lived in a rented accesoria and, in
order
to
survive,
joined
competitions and did illustrations
for publications, including Severino
Reyes' first novel, Parusa ng Diyos
(God's
Punishment).
He
also
designed chairs for the Bureau of
Public Works

AMORSOLO AND DE LA ROSA

 During college he was

influenced by the works of the

Spanish painter Diego de
Velasquez as well as other
European painters including
John Singer Sargent, Anders
Zorn, Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida
and Ignacio Zuluaga
He was one of the first
graduates of the University of
the
Philippines
in
1919,
receiving several medals for

 Upon graduation, he became

an instructor at the UP School

of Fine Arts, while at the
same time working for the
Bureau of Public Works. For
the next 38 years, he was
with UP.
In 1922, he made his first
important
painting,
Rice
Planting which became one
of the most popular images
of the Commonwealth Period.

 Amorsolo designed the logo for

Ginebra San Miguel (Markang

Demonyo) depicting St. Michael
vanquishing the devil. The log is still
in use in its original form today. The
owner of the beverage company,
Don Enrique Zobel, who is an ardent
patron of the arts, was so impressed
by his work that he offered to send
Amorsolo to the Academia de San
Fernando in Madrid for further
studies with a generous stipend for
himself and his family.

 Despite

his exposure to Western

influences, Amorsolo retained his
Filipino consciousness. He was drawn
more towards the gentle rolling hills
and rice fields of the Philippines
rather than the cosmopolitan world
of Europes proud cities. Even his
illustrations of Spanish women were
drawn
with
slender
physiques,
narrower hips, and smaller breasts
more typical of Filipinas rather than
full
bodied
Caucasian
women.

After his stint in Madrid,

Amorsolo came home to the
Philippines ready to apply what
he learned. American
servicemen, officials, and
businessmen sought out his
paintings to bring home to the
States as a token of
remembrance for their stay in
the Philippines. One of
Amorsolos client was Capt.
Robert Kennedy who brought
home to the U.S. a few of
Amorsolos pieces and had them

 The gallery owners inquired about the

artist which led to Amorsolos first oneman show in New York in 1925. Of the 40
pieces, 24 were immediately purchased.
Amorsolo often uses his family members
to pose for his paintings. At one time, he
made his house helpers pose for him and
paid them for posing for him. His
daughter asked why he had to pay them
additional on top of their regular salary.
He replied, "We have hired them to do
housework and not to pose for me.
Therefore,
they
should
be
compensated for posing for my
painting".

AMORSOLO,
PALAY MAIDEN (1920)

AMORSOLO,
MAKING OF THE PHILIPPINE FLAG

 Amorsolos first wife passed

away in 1931 leaving him with

six children. He had six more
children by a common-law
wife. In 1935, he married Maria
del Carmen who gave him
eight more children.
Fortunately, his reputation was
growing as fast as his brood
and his work was more than
enough to provide for his large

AMORSOLO,
LAVANDERA (1936)

AMORSOLO,
FRUIT GATHERER (1950)

AMORSOLO, PRINCESS URDUJA

AMORSOLO,
INA AT ANAK

 When World War II broke out in 1941 and

the Japanese occupied Manila, Amorsolo

lived in the city along with his family.
Amorsolo rented a house near Raon street
for his wife and children. He and some
male relatives lived at their Azcarraga
(now Claro M. Recto Ave) residence which
was near a Japanese garrison. During the
war, Amorsolo witnessed Filipino civilians,
soldiers brought to Far Eastern University
(FEU) to be jailed. According to some
witnesses, when American forces attacked
Manila, all of the prisoners at FEU were
slaughtered by the Japanese soldiers.

 Some

of the subjects of Amorsolos

paintings during World War II were about
suffering and destruction. A few of these
paintings are: The rape of Manila
(1942), Bombing of Intendencia (1942)
and The Explosion (1944). One of his
famous war era painting is the Defense
of a Filipina Womans Honor where it
showed a Filipino man holding a bolo
about to defend his wife and daughter
from being raped by an unseen Japanese
soldier. His wartime paintings are
considered among his finest work and
were exhibited at Malacanang Palace in

AMORSOLO,
BOMBING OF INTENDENCIA (1942)

AMORSOLO, DEFENSE OF A
FILIPINA WOMANS HONOR (1945)

 After the war, Amorsolo went back to

painting the bright sun-drenched countryside

scenes for which he was most well-known.
He reached the peak of his popularity in the
late 1940s and 1950s garnering numerous
awards.
Amorsolos paintings were in such high
demand that he photographed his art works
and placed them in an album. Prospective
patrons could then choose from his art
catalogue and Amorsolo would paint them.
Amorsolo did not create exact replicas of his
trademark themes but instead recreated the
paintings by varying some elements.

AMORSOLO,
ANTIPOLO FIESTA (1947)

 Amorsolo by then was so

sure of his strokes when he

painted that he is able to
finish painting a picture in a
very short period of time. At
one point, he was able to
finish ten paintings a month.
It is believed that part of his
motivation to finish a high
number of paintings was to
support his large family.

Some group of artists criticized Amorsolos

machine-like efficiency in producing
paintings. In the midst of a swarm of
criticism, Amorsolo never raised his voice
and put up a defense. There was no
shortage of people who stood up to defend
the artist. Among Amorsolos staunchest
supporter was his best friend, Guillermo
Tolentino, the finest sculptor in the
Philippines. When Amorsolo was asked why
he never spoke up in his own defense, the
artist responded that he had already
matured as an artist. He had nothing left to
prove and was comfortable painting what he
wished in the form of expression that he

Amorsolo worked until the last

year of his life. Age was starting to
catch up with him. He was afflicted
with diabetes and arthritis in
addition to his heart condition. His
eyesight was also beginning to fail
him and he had to undergo a
cataract operation. In his later
works, his failing vision led to
wayward brush strokes of red and
blue lines where a mound of earth
should be. Despite these
challenges, the quality of his
output remained high and his

 Four

days after
the artist died,
then
President
Ferdinand Marcos
posthumously
conferred
on
Amorsolo the title
National Artist for
Painting.

THANK YOU
FOR
LISTENING!!!

THE END