PROPERTY FROM THE JOSE MA. OSSORIO COLLECTION

Accompanied by a certificate issued by Mrs. Sylvia Amorsolo-Lazo
confirming the authenticity of this lot

ABOUT THE WORK

The classical bearings of Fernando Amorsolo are exalted in his lavandera and riverside paintings. With the nude as the ideal representation of beauty in the Classical-Romantic art tradition, Amorsolo localizes the dryads and naiads of the West and turns them into the brown-skinned lithe women and children as they bathe, wash, and dress themselves. His 1958 Bathers shows the scene's intimacy – despite the various states of undress of the bathers, there is a sense of modesty about them. Amorsolo’s composition locks the scene by depicting only the verdant green grass of the banks and the cool clean water, creating a bubble around the children as though the little part of the river they were playing in is an oasis unreachable by trials and suffering. His encompassing composition did not make the painting as a whole feel claustrophobic; instead, the closeness exudes warmth, a comfort in the tiny space created by the children for them to enjoy all by themselves. The beauty of Amorsolo’s riverside paintings lies in his captivating backgrounds. “Papa took his time going to these places for his on-the-spot sketching and paintings,” says his daughter Sylvia Amorsolo-Lazo in the second volume of Amorsolo: Love & Passion. “I think his lavanderas were mostly painted in the provinces of Laguna and Bulacan, and along the Pasig River.” Amorsolo, like many of the Romantics of his era, exalts the bucolic Filipino countryside. His Bathers focused on an aspect he revered whenever he painted his genre works; through his masterful intertwining of subject and environment, Amorsolo emphasizes the innocence in these children. Their childlike wonder manifests itself in their carefree enjoyment. As the vivid sunlight filters through the leaves and dapples across the river, one can easily imagine their past and enjoy for a brief moment the innocent enjoyment of the days long gone. (Hannah Valiente)