Alfredo Roces notes in his landmark 1975 monograph Amorsolo: “[Amorsolo’s] color studies are among his most appealing works because they contain the spontaneity of the moment…The brushstrokes are vigorous…the colors pure, the composition unmarred by details.” The statement bears weight with this charming 1936 color study, which Amorsolo made during his “Golden Period.” The work depicts the Amorsolo muse, the dalaga, rendered all smiles in the middle of the day’s toiling. The carabao emphasizes the old Filipino adage “stronger than a water buffalo,” aligning with the Amorsolo theme of the pastoral idyll.
As with Roces’ sentiments on Amorsolo’s color studies, the work at hand possesses the immediacy of the maestro’s first impressions on a subject, evidenced by a quick and loose rendering of details that points out to first-hand and on-the-spot encounters between the artist’s mind and his medium. Therefore, Amorsolo’s color studies are glimpses of the gravitas of the maestro’s expeditious and dynamic dexterity. (Adrian Maranan)
PROPERTY FROM THE COLLECTION OF A DISTINGUISHED FAMILY
Provenance: Private collection, Manila