Oodaalolly Remembers Fernando Cueto Amorsolo
The foremost artist of 20th Century painting in the Philippines
Acclaimed for a peerless realist technique honed from the best traditions of the Spanish school, he was popular with art patrons and the public, and he left a prolific legacy.
Image: Master Study of Fernando Amorsolo's self-portrait, charcoal on paper, 8.5'' x 11" by Fernando Montejo
He was a quintessential artist. It is estimated (conservatively) that he created more than ten thousand works. He lived through personal hardship—losing his father at a young age left his family in financial straits—and national hardship—surviving revolution and war.
When he died, he was named the first National Artist of the Philippines in recognition of his contribution to Philippine art and his portrayal of the nation’s character.
In the 50 years since his passing, the impact he has had on the Philippines cannot be overestimated.
We honor his memory by looking back at his life and art.
“Fernando Amorsolo was born in the city, but his soul was of the country.”
The Artists' Beginnings
Manila, Philippines—May 30, 1892: Pedro Amorsolo and Bonifacia Cueto welcome Fernando into their lives and, as it would turn out, into the history books.
Shortly after, the family relocated to the village of Daet in Camarines Norte, which, although a settlement long before Spanish occupation, at the time, had a more rural character than the cosmopolitan European-modeled city of Manila. This rural/urban dichotomy would eventually be an Amorsolo trademark in his work.
The Cultivation and Growth of the Artist
Amorsolo showed artistic talent as a child. Bonifacia quickly recognized her son’s latent abilities and often sent Fernando’s drawings to Fabián de la Rosa, a prominent painter in Manila, who also happened to be her cousin.
In 1903, at eleven years old, a heart attack—precipitated by the killing of his older sibling by the Spanish during a rebellion—ended his father’s life. Soon afterward, Bonifacia decided to return to Manila, where Don Fabián opened his doors to the widow and her family. Here he received an unofficial education by assisting Don Fabián in his studio, where Amorsolo had his first real glimpse into the world of art and artists.
For the next decade after his father’s death, finances were a constant concern (Amorsolo drew sketches and sold them for 15 centavos each to help pay for schooling), but, in 1914, he finally earned his degree, with honors, as a member of the first graduating class of the University of the Philippines School of Fine Arts.
The Begining of a Career
Even as a student, many of his professors at the University of the Philippines thought that his brushwork and skill surpassed their own. So after he graduated, his alma mater extended him a teaching position.
In quick succession, the young man met and married Salud Jorge, and, in 1917, they had a daughter, Virginia. At this time, Don Enrique Zobel, a prominent businessman, became Amorsolo’s patron and commissioned him to create the artwork for Ginebra San Miguel.
Amorsolo impressed Zobel with how he personified the new “pure” and “stainless” (the highest distinctions of commercial products during that time) brand image into the new label design. He expressed a willingness to cover all Amorsolo’s expenses to study at the Academia de San Fernando in Madrid, including a stipend for his family.
“Marca Demonio”
Fernando Amorsolo, created the official logo of Ginebra San Miguel. The homage to Ginebra San Miguel’s namesake, St. Michael the Archangel, remains one of the most recognizable brand identities to this day.
The Artist Abroad
To his surprise, when Amorsolo arrived at the Academia, he was welcomed not as a student but as a member of the faculty. Fernando Amorsolo would be teaching artists in Spain.
He took advantage of the spectacular museums and art galleries when not guiding his students. He spent over seven months in Madrid and studied the works of masters including Diego Velasquez, El Greco, Goya, Manet, and Monet.
While in Spain, it could be said that he developed and honed his preferred painting techniques. He adopted elements of Diego Velasquez’s brushwork, painterly style, and mastery of color. Amorsolo was also a student of Sorolla. He appreciated his use of the sun to draw out heightened colors and dramatic contrasts between light and shade. This amalgamation of technique and experience set Amorsolo’s work apart from his contemporaries, especially in the Philippines.
A Triumphant Return
Amorsolo set up a studio upon his return to Manila. He painted prodigiously, and during the 1920s and especially in the 1930s, his work was exhibited widely in the Philippines and abroad. The artist soon found that his paintings were in great demand among Americans— servicemen, government officials, and businessmen—seeking to bring back mementos of their stay in the, at the time, US-controlled territory.
He suffered a personal setback when his wife passed away in 1931, leaving him with six children. However, four years later, he married Maria del Carmen with whom he had another eight children. He is reported to have been a sensitive father, enterprising provider, and all-around family man.
War Comes to Manila
Just as his career reached new highs, World War II engulfed the Philippines. After the onset of hostilities, Amorsolo painted scenes depicting a war-torn nation and a Manila utterly destroyed by three years of Japanese occupation and American artillery.
Amorsolo tried to shield his family from the horrors playing out in the city and was able to move them to another house while he lived alone in a studio along Azcarraga—now Recto avenue—located near a Japanese garrison. He painted wartime scenes that documented the suffering and destruction he witnessed.
Hope in the Ruins of Manila
oil on canvas
86 x 121 cm. (33 7/8 x 47 5/8 in.)
Painted in 1945
After years of occupation, the Battle of Manila began on February 3, 1945. The month-long campaign resulted in the death of over 100,000 civilians and the complete devastation of the city. It was the scene of atrocity after atrocity committed against Filipino civilians by the Japanese soldiers.
Recalcitrant Japanese set fire to buildings and neighborhoods, and the American forces fired artillery shells at the dug-in enemy, leveling buildings, destroying infrastructure, and killing tens of thousands.
Amorsolo was a witness to this humanitarian catastrophe. He documented the destruction in Manila and the pain, tragedy, and death experienced by the Filipino people.
Here is a journal entry two days after the American campaign to liberate Manila from the Japanese:
“I am alone in the house without sleep. Que puñeta, how can one sleep with this infernal noise? … Maring [the painter’s wife] desires to see the American invaders of Manila. Everything is late. I do not know. I will wait to see another passing tank. Meanwhile some looting occurred in the neighboring house.”
Further Context
This book is a heartbreakingly detailed and wrenchingly graphic account of the horror inflicted upon the Filipino people during the Battle of Manila and adds details and background to the scenes Amorsolo painted.
Today, Amorsolo is known for his idealized depictions of rural life and surrounding environs. His critics often find fault in this aspect of his work. But, his preference for depicting these brighter subjects was not due to a lack of exposure to tragedy, as his critics claim, but is perhaps a protective response to the indescribable barbarism he witnessed and experienced.
His wartime paintings explored dark themes—depictions of human suffering and tragedy dominating his canvases—the ebullient smiles and noontime sun replaced by faces broken by suffering illuminated by the flames and embers of Manila's burning ruins.
Some of his rawest yet most brilliant paintings were done during this difficult period yet, have received far less acclaim than many of his other works. However, his wartime paintings are considered among his finest and were exhibited at Malacanang Palace in 1948.
New Beginnings for Amorsolo and the Philippines
Fernando Amorsolo's post-war output from the 1950s onward saw the artists' rapprochement with the themes and imagery he previously explored. We see his masterful ability to depict the effects of tropical light and shade upon a range of different subjects, emitting a particular warmth from the canvas.
This return to form coincided with the Philippines' independence from the United States. His work transcended being art, becoming the visual identity of the young republic—a grand repeat of what he had done for San Miguel at the beginning of his career. An Amorsolo painting symbolized a Filipino culture unique and apart from that imposed on it by its former colonial masters.
His realist technique singular portrayal of Filipino people and places represented his vision of beauty and human dignity and rose to become the aspirational identity of the nation.
Filipino Identity
“Not all people in the countryside could dress in typical baro’t saya everyday. But he painted them in native dress anyway: that’s why he became a National Artist, it was really for our country.”
Amorsolo believed it was his duty to represent the Philippines truthfully in all its strengths and weaknesses, and there was a strong sense of nationalism embedded in his approach. He thought it was historically important to capture significant events and scenes of everyday life.
Amorsolo Departs
The passage of time brought the afflictions of old age, but Amorsolo worked until the last year of his life. Though challenged by health issues, his output remained high, and his popularity never waned.
However, he was greatly affected by two painful losses late in his life. In 1964, his eldest son Fernando, Jr. died from asthma and tuberculosis. The artist was so grief-stricken that he could not bear to attend the funeral. Then, in 1971, his youngest child Milo died in a car accident. The losses proved debilitating, and a year later, Amorsolo's heart gave out, and he died on April 24, 1972.
Ocean sunset
oil on panel
18½ x 25½ in. (46 x 63 cm.)
Painted in 1937
Capturing the brilliant tropical sunlight of the landscape, Fernando Cueto Amorsolo is the undisputed master of the romantic landscape genre within the Philippines. He displayed a rare ability to capture quintessentially Filipino elements with great skill and sophistication: a provincial vista of lush foliage, rippling rivers under rich tropical sunlight, robust workers in the field, and women in traditional native outfits or elaborate Maria Clara gowns.
The prevalence of his works within the Philippines cannot be adequately articulated, as they adorn the walls of national museums and prominent private collections; are reproduced on wall calendars, posters and postcards; and inspire succeeding generations of artists even until today.
Without Fernando Amorsolo, the face of modern Philippine art would have been drastically different.
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