PROPERTY FROM THE ALFONSO T. ONGPIN COLLECTION

ABOUT THE WORK

Jose Pereira is one of the pre-war painters who produced genre works during the first quarter of the century. He took up painting at the UP School of Fine Arts from 1923-25. A friend of the art patron Alfonso Ongpin, Pereira was among the staff of the Philippines Free Press and became its chief artist later on, producing a weekly cartoon for the publication, but left due to tuberculosis in 1938. His style is marked by bold washes and dramatic atmosphere, as seen in this 1930 work titled Botocan, with a note to Ongpin. Pereira’s works are noted to be reminiscent of Fernando Amorsolo’s style, specifically the master artist’s backlighting techniques. However, what sets his works apart from Amorsolo’s pieces is his “sweeter” color palette that reveals his penchant for orange hues mixed with pink. In this work, viewers are led to a simpler time in an idyllic landscape through rich impastos and dazzling colors of nature.