Leon Gallery wishes to thank Mrs. Sylvia Amorsolo-Lazo for confirming the authenticity of this lot

Provenance: Provenance: Private Collection, U.S.A.

ABOUT THE WORK

Fernando Amorsolo, the country’s foremost 20th century master painter of landscapes, was also a great portraitist. He has painted commissioned portraits of well-known figures—masterpieces that are handed down from one family generation to another, serving as treasures that remind them of their prominent loved ones. His daughter, Sylvia Amorsolo Lazo, wrote in the book Amorsolo: Love and Passion (Volume 1: Portraits): “When looking at an Amorsolo portrait, any viewer would feel as if one is seeing the subject in person. Papa’s renditions also had the subjects’ eyes following the viewer in whatever position.” Fernando Amorsolo would request his clients to pose for him, as he took photos of them in his studio. Then he would choose the best pose for his envisioned composition. Lazo noted further his wide clientele, as the master portraitist once mentioned that “the Americans alone made up ninety percent of his total clientele in portraiture.” Amorsolo would also paint people from all ages and walks of life, in different positions and various attires, and would meticulously choose his desired layout and faithful color combinations for his portrait paintings, as seen in this particular portrait of a young girl in her white dress and best-behaved pose. Her charming gaze and smile shows a distinct personality masterfully translated into the canvas by the master portraitist.