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

Provenance: Private Collection, USA

ABOUT THE WORK

The great Fernando Amorsolo is a prominent figure in the arts for his paintings that depict bucolic landscapes and beautiful dalagang Filipina, but he was much more than that. He was a versatile artist noted for his deft hand with almost all sorts of media. As observed in the lot at hand, the so-called “Grand Old Man of Philippine Art” also excelled in portraiture. A portrait is a representation of a person, it was the only way to record the appearance of someone before the invention of photography. Furthermore, portraits have been used to show the power, status, wealth, and even the beauty of the person. Amorsolo has painted oil portraits of prominent individuals, among the notable names are Philippine Presidents: Emilio Aguinaldo, Manuel L. Quezon, and Elpidio Quirino. The Portrait of a Girl is dated 1936. Earlier in the 1930s, Amorsolo’s works were well-exhibited here and abroad. He also served as the director of the University of the Philippines College of Fine Arts, starting from 1938 until 1952. Four years after the creation of this oil portrait, Amorsolo received the Outstanding University of the Philippines Alumnus Award in 1940. (P.I.R.)