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

Provenance: Provenance: Private Collection, U.S.A.

ABOUT THE WORK

National artist Fernando Amorsolo’s ability to showcase beauty gave life to various facets of the Philippines. Amorsolo championed producing idealized representations of the country’s land and seascapes, also romanticized scenes and the common folk, driven by his love for the country and the everyday beauty that surrounds him and is present even in the mundane. He also held himself to the highest technical standards. His canvases are filled with rich colors and textures of significant representations of everyday Filipino life in the illuminated idyllic country scenes. His use of tropical light to evoke a characteristic glow is also his major technique contribution to Philippine painting. Here, fishermen in a vinta are depicted catching fish in the middle of the sea, and the waves that reflect the shimmering light are meticulously rendered in colors and textures to capture the effects of the winds to the body of water. Philippine sunlight becomes a highlight, a constant feature in the master painter’s masterpieces, also dawn as a background with uniquely rendered clouds with a color palette that adds more drama and life to the sky. His signature chiaroscuro technique is at work in this painting. The universal beauty of the sea and sky shine through this detailed painterly technique. It is indisputably true that throughout his life, Amorsolo has made a form of art and accurate representations that people from all walks of life can appreciate and relate to.