PROPERTY FROM THE DON J. ANTONIO ARANETA COLLECTION

Literature:
Duldulao, Manuel D. The Philippine Art Scene.
Manila: Maber Books, Inc., 1977.
Full color photograph on page 243;
Catalogued in the caption on page 244

ABOUT THE WORK

Through his works, Fernando Amorsolo invariably manifests his love and adoration for his home country. In their daily chores and activities, Filipino folks always adorn an Amorsolo piece. His versatility is evident in the thousands of paintings and drawings he produced throughout his career, using various mediums such as oil, acrylic, pastel, charcoal, and graphite. His use of these mediums allowed him to capture the essence of his subjects in different ways. Apart from his scenic countryside paintings, he also made drawing studies of farmers doing their cyclic chores and city folk doing their daily routines. “Amorsolo sketched incessantly,” Rodolfo Paras-Perez writes in Amorsolo: Drawings. Indeed, the maestro produced numerous drawings and sketches throughout his career, aside from his sunlit, picturesque oil landscapes. Amorsolo’s command of his mediums is evidenced by this three-piece lot of pencil-on-paper drawings: a.) Barrio Scene, b.) Sabungero, and c.) Portrait of a Man, where he expertly presented the hard work and simplicity of country life. These works evoke a sense of nostalgia and appreciation for the past. With just a single grade of pencil and careful strokes and scribbles, Amorsolo created depth and brought life to his drawings. (Jessica Magno)