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

Provenance: Acquired directly from the artist by the original owner, 1937 Gifted from the above to the previous owner, 1937 Thence by descent to the present owners, 2019

ABOUT THE WORK

By the 1930s, Fernando Amorsolo had already become the brightest name in Philippine art. His works are not bolstered by his mere eminence and stature alone but by their gentle and lovingly pleasant atmosphere that powerfully transports the viewer into an idyllic Philippines, which, by that decade, had undergone rapid modernization brought about by constant innovations in aspects of technology, architecture, and lifestyle (entertainment, consumption, etc.), as epitomized by Calle Escolta, then Manila's financial and commercial heart. Amorsolo, who had been residing in Manila, earnestly longed for the idyllic charm of his childhood years in Daet, Camarines Norte. Amorsolo's penetrating nostalgia for his youth during his prime decades is especially evident in his continuous excursions into the countryside, painting en plein air and conversing harmoniously with the soothing spirit of the pastoral. Alfredo Roces writes in the book Amorsolo: "Through the thirties, Amorsolo remained highly imaginative and active, periodically going outdoors…Stimulated by the nostalgia around him for the changing country life, he painted rural life as genre rather than aspects of city life." Amorsolo's sweet sentimentality is particularly encapsulated in his lavandera paintings. In the book Amorsolo: Love and Passion, Sylvia Amorsolo-Lazo, the maestro's daughter, says that her father's lavanderas were primarily painted in Laguna, Bulacan, and the more tranquil environs of the Pasig River. Peacefully washing clothes by the river may have been one of the serene sights he had witnessed as a young boy; perhaps, he had even experienced it, accompanying his mother, Bonifacia, to the streams and relishing that sweet escapade. Beyond nostalgia, Amorsolo's technical flair is central to his lavandera works. As exhibited in this 1937 piece, the graceful swirling of the waters in the forefront is masterfully executed through delicate impastos. With his slick impressionistic strokes, sunlight is rendered accurately; its rays and patches are meticulously depicted throughout the canvas depending on the natural element limiting or permitting its penetration. For instance, the waters are almost devoid of substantial sunlight (except in the forefront) due to the towering bamboo curbing the sun's reflection. Meanwhile, the work's foreground possesses a luminous touch due to the absence of impediments; the sun's rays radiantly beam into the lady's posterior, and the water's smooth flow is glowingly evident. Lavanderas is the classic Amorsolo, an embodiment of an artist with an enduring ode to the pastoral roots of his motherland and a profound grip on his natural surroundings, resulting in an impeccable masterpiece. (Adrian Maranan)