FERNANDO AMORSOLO, 1892-1972

Ang Pintor Ng Ginintuang Pilipino

“Mabilis magbago ang liwanag ng araw, at kailangang mabilis ka upang mahuli mo sa larawan
ang damdamin nuong nagsimula ka...” --Fernando Amorsolo, ukol sa paggamit niya ng
natural ng liwanag sa pagpinta.

“Ang kanyang mga larawan ay sumasabog sa dilaw at mapulang liwanag ng araw kaya nabihag
niya ang lubusang ganda ng kalikasang Pilipino...” --Eloisa May P. Hernandez, The
American and Contemporary Traditions in Philippine Visual Arts

“Itinanghal niya ang magbubukid sa isang sukdulang paraiso, kung saan laging mapagbiyaya ang
kalikasan, at walang nakakaranas ng gutom o gulo. Inibig ng lahat ang kanyang dalagang
Pilipina, nakangiti, maputi, nakabihis ng lumang gawing damit na hindi kumukupas sa araw o
nasisira sa paggawa sa bukid...” --Thinkquest

SA PACO, Manila isinilang Amorsolo nuong 17 taon gulang. Habang

si Fernando Cueto
Amorsolo nuong Mayo 30,
1892, kina Bonifacia
Cueto at Pedro Amorsolo,
isang bookkeeper, subalit
lumaki siya sa Daet,
Camarines Norte. Nang 13
taon gulang si Amorsolo,
namatay ang ama at inilipat
ni Bonifacia ang familia sa Manila upang
matulungan ng pinsang-buo, siFabian dela
Rosa, isang kilalang pintor. Nagsilbi sa kanya
si Amorsolo, at upang makadagdag sa bahay,
nagpinta pa ng
mga postcards sa watercolor at ipinagbili sa
isang tindahan ng aklat, 10 sentimos bawat
isa, samantalang nag-borda (embroider) ang
kanyang ina. Nuong 1909, nag-aral si
Amorsolo sa Liceo de Manila, kung saan
kinilala ang galing niya
sa pagguhit (drawing)
at pagpinta (painting), at nakatapos sa kahit
gaanong hirap.
Sa paaralan ng sining (School of Fine Arts)
nag-aaral, nakisukob siya sa isang
upahang accesoria(apartment) at upang
kumita, sumali siya sa mga paligsahan at
gumuhit nang upahan, gaya ng “Parusa ng
Diyos,” ang unang nobela ni Severino
Reyes. Nag-design pa siya ng
mga upuan (sillas, chairs) para sa Bureau of
Public Works, kung saan siya nakapasok
bilang tagapag-guhit (draftsman). Nakatapos
siya nuong 1914, isa siya sa mga unang
graduate ng UP, nagkamit pa ng
mga medalla na parangal.
Nuong 1916, nabigyan siya
ng pabuya (grant) ni Enrique Zobel de
Ayala upang mag-aral sa Escuela de San
Fernando sa Madrid, España, at dumaan siya
sa New York, sa America upang magsuri ng
iba’t ibang hilig (styles) sa pagpinta.
Nakahiligan niya ang pagpinta ng lipas
nang maestro, si Diego de Velazquez, at iba
pang dating bihasa sa Europa at America.
Patuloy siyang namasukan sa Public
Works kahit nuong nagsimula siyang nagturo
sa paaralan ng sining ng UP, - tumagal nang
ng University of the Philippines (UP) 38 taon. Tulad ng kanyang Tio Fabian,
nagtuturo nuon siDela Rosa, kaya duon naging director rin siya ng paaralan, mula
pumasok si nuong 1938 hanggang 1952.

Napangasawa niya si Salud Jorge nuong 1916.

Nagkaruon sila ng 6 anak bago namatay si Salud nuong
1931. Sunod napangasawa ni Amorsolo si Maria del
Carmen, at nagka-8 anak sila.

Nuong 1922 natapos ni Amorsolo ang unang sikat niyang

larawan, ang “Rice Planting,” natanyag sa buong
kapuluan at America, at nalathala sa mga calendario,
mgakaratola (carteleras, billboards) at mga lathalang
pang-turista. Sumikat siya at nagmistulang gigante ng
pagpinta sa Pilipinas mula nuong 1930s hanggang 1950s
nang gumihit siya ng marami, at iba’t ibang larawan ng
mga tao, kalikasan at mga yugto ng kasaysayan ng Pilipinas. Umabot ang palabas ng kanyang
mga guhit hanggang sa New York, sa America, at sa Belgium, sa Europa. Gumuhit din siya para
sa mga aklat paaralan, mga nobela, mga disenyo (designs) para sa mga bahay kalakal
(comerciantes, companies), at mga cartoon para sa mga pahayagan at magazine, tulad ng The
Independent, Philippine Magazine, Telembang, Renacimiento Filipino atExcelsior.

Siya ang unang naglarawan at nagpalawak ng pagpinta ng

mga gawi ng mga Pilipino, - fiesta, pangisda, pagtanim at
pag-ani, pamimili, paglalaba, pagluluto. Ginuhit din niya
ang mga kabanata sa kasaysayan ng bayan, tulad
ng Sikatuna, Early Filipino State Wedding, First Mass
in the Philippines, The Building of Intramuros at
angBurning of the Idols. Hindi mabilang ang dami ng
kanyang mga katha kahit ngayon. Ang kanyang mga
paglarawan ay nalathala sa maraming aklat paaralan at
mgacalendario, at kinagisnan ng maraming bata bilang
sining ng Pilipinas.

Itinangi si Amorsolo dahil ‘nabihag’ niya ang uri ng

liwanag sa Pilipinas. Gumamit pa siya ng paraang tinawag na ‘backlighting,’ - sa likuran ng tao
inilagak ang araw kaya naguhit sila sa ginintuang liwanag. Naging favorito siya ng mga
Amerkano na nais ipakita sa mga nasa America ang anyo ng kanilang sakop na kapuluan.
Marami ang nagbayad nang mahal upang magkaruon ng kanyang mga larawan, o ipaguhit ang
kanilang mga larawan sa kanya. Sapat na ang kita niya mula nuong 1930 kaya hindi na siya
tumanggap ng trabajo mula sa mga bahay kalakal.
 Naging napaka-tatag ang sining ni Amorsolo, kaya
nang mag-iba ng hilig (style) ang mga sumunod
na pintor, ang mga tinawag na mga Moderno,
tinawag itong “aklasan,” o mistulang “paghimagsik”
laban sa tinawag na Amorsolo school of painting.
Silang dalawa ni Guillermo Tolentino, ng UP rin,
ang tinaguriang maka-luma (conservatives) ng mga
“naghimagsik” na kinabilangan nina Victorio
Edades, Galo B. Ocampo at Carlos ‘Botong’
Francisco. Subalit walang bawas ang paghanga at
parangal kay Amorsolo tanang buhay niya, lalo na’t
dinaan niya sa dami dahil napaka-sipag at napaka-bilis
niyang magpinta. Karaniwan, 10 larawan ang
natatapos niya buwan-buwan. Para sa pavilion ng
Pilipinas sa Exposition sa Paris nuong 1931, nakatapos siya ng 3 likha, kasing-laki ng tao, nang
wala pang isang buwan. Bumagal lamang ang gawa niya nuong bandang huli, nang dapuan siya
ng diabetes at kulaba (cataract) sa mata; namatay pa mandin ang 2 anak na lalaki.

Yumao si Amorsolo sa Manila nuong Febrero 26, 1972. Nuong 1973, siya ang kauna-unahang
hinirang ng pamahalaan na Taga-likha ng Pilipinas (National Artist of the Philippines).

Kung daan-daan ang mga

larawang pininta niya, marami ay
nawala na o hindi na matunton,
libu-libo naman ang
mga drawing at sketches na
ginawa niya. Buong buhay,
walang tigil ng pagguhit si
Amorsolo - kamay, paa, kampay
ng bisig, tungo ng ulo, pihit ng
leeg. Marami ay pag-aaral ng
paglarawan ng mga karaniwang
gawain sa bahay at bukid - dose-
dosena ang mga larawan niya ng
pagtanim at pag-ani.

Makaluma ang hilig sa pagpinta,

makaluma din ang kilos at anyo ni
Amorsolo. Pinarangalan niya ng ‘po’ kahit ang mga estudiante niya. Aninaw ito sa kanyang mga
larawan. Mahinahon at marangal ang kanyang mga larawan, kahit na ang mga babaing naglalaba,
naliligo at nagpapaligo ng mga anak sa ilog, o nakababad sa putik at nagtatanim sa bukid.
Magalang at tahimik, bihira magsalita, tinangka niya, maniwaring matagumpay, na maunawaan
ang kanyang larawan sa una at isang tingin.
Tinanggihan niya ang ‘ganda’ na tanghal sa Europa at ibang bayan. Humugis siya ng sariling
wari ng ‘gandang’ Pilipina: Bilugan, hindi pahaba ang mukha. Buhay, hindi mapungay ang mga
mata. Maigsi subalit pansinin ang ilong. Matambok, hindi nakausli, ang mga labi. Hindi maputi
ang balat tulad ng taga-Europa, hindi madilim na kayumanggi ng karaniwang Malay, kundi
makinis at malinaw na hambing sa mga pisnging namumula sa hinhin. Walang galit o pangit sa
mga larawan ni Amorsolo, ang nagbigay buhay sa ‘ginintuang’ Pilipino.

Ang pinagkunan
The American and Contemporary Traditions in Philippine Visual Arts, by Eloisa May P.
Hernandez, www.ncca.gov.ph/culture&arts/cularts/arts/visual/visual-american.htm
Amorsolo’s Brush with History, by Ambeth
Ocampo, www.lopezmuseum.org.ph/artscene_zeroin_amorsolo_01.html
Fernando Amorsolo, library.thinkquest.org/20213/data/amor2.htm

Fernando Amorsolo was born on May 30, 1892 in Calle Herran in Paco, Manila to Pedro Amorsolo and
Bonifacia Cueto. Although born in the nation’s capital, Amorsolo would spend most of his childhood in the small
town setting of Daetin Camarines Norte where his love for the simple rural life would become the foundation for
his artistic output for which he is most well-known.

The Early Years

Amorsolo’s earliest memories would bring him back to a quiet life in the countryside. When he was only seven
months old, his father moved the family to Daet to work as a bookkeeper for two abaca firms. Pedro was able to
earn a modest income, enough to keep his family comfortable.

Fernando showed early signs of his artistic talent. He would go out to the coast to draw pictures of the ships by the
wharves. It was his mother who recognized the young Amorsolo’s talent. She would send her son’s drawings to her
cousin Fabian dela Rosa, a prominent painter in Manila. At this early age, Amorsolo displayed an affinity for the
rural landscape --- a reflection of his own small world.

Tragedy struck early in Amorsolo’s life. One night, when Fernando was still very young, his father was awakened
by shouts coming from outside his window. It was the head of the revolutionary movement fighting against the
Spaniards demanding that Amorsolo’s half brother, the eldest son Perico, join the group. Against his father’s
wishes, Perico relented and went down to join the rebels. The family never saw him again. After the failure of the
1896 uprising, neighbors told the family that they saw Perico, bound with a bamboo pole strapped to his back, being
taken to jail. He was later executed by the Spaniards. Shattered with grief by the death of his son, Amorsolo’s
father Pedro never recovered from the ordeal and died of a heart attack a few years later.

Amorsolo’s penchant for depicting an idealized world is viewed by his critics as the work of someone who has never
experienced pain in his life. It is apparent that the artist’s preference was not due to a lack of exposure to the ills of
society but to a conscious effort to hang on to what is pure and good before the harsh realities of the world shattered
his peaceful life in the countryside.

His father died when Amorsolo was eleven years old. Before he passed away, Pedro made his wife promise to give
Fernando a proper art education. The widowed Bonifacia gathered her family and returned to Manila in hopes of
finding better prospects to provide for her family. Her cousin Don Fabian dela Rosa opened his doors to the
family. It was here that Amorsolo had his first real exposure to the art world.

To make ends meet, Bonifacia did embroidery to feed her family. Fernando made himself useful by assisting Don
Fabian in his studio. It was during this time that Amorsolo received his first art instruction from Don Fabian. The
family’s limited financial means made it difficult for the artist to receive consistent formal art instruction. He earned
money the only way he knew how. Amorsolo drew sketches and sold them for 15 centavos a piece to help his
family and to pay for his schooling. Despite the family’s financial difficulties, in 1914, he finally earned his degree,
with honors, as a member of the first graduating class of the University of the Philippines School of Fine Arts.

Amorsolo lived during a turbulent time in the Philippines. He came of age during a transition period in Philippine
history. The former Spanish colony became a territory of the United States of America. As American influence
slowly crept into Filipino culture in the bigger cities, the artist yearned for the life he knew during his early
childhood days in Daet. This clearly manifested itself in his artistic output where he clearly showed a partiality
towards the rural setting where American culture was slow to trickle down. His paintings would embody an affinity
for the traditions and lifestyle he knew during the
Spanish era. His canvases were filled with scenes of fiestas, old churches and rituals that were the legacy of the
Philippines’ former colonial masters.

*Sculpture*
GUILLERMO TOLENTINO

BONIFACIO MONUMENT

The monument commemorates the most proletarian of all Filipino heroes, Andres Bonifacio. The monument
likewise marks the first encounter between Andres Bonifacio and his revolutionary group called Katipunan with the
Spanish soldiers on August 3, 1896. The monument was immortalized by the great Filipino national artist
Guillermo(Botong)Tolentino in 1933 together with Guillermo Masangkay, one of Bonifacio's generals adapting the
facing of Bonifacio's Statue towards his birthplace in Tondo, Manila, which is situated on the south of Caloocan.
OBLATION

No symbol is more closely identified with the University of the Philippines than the statue of the Oblation. The
naked figure of a young man in a symbolic gesture of sacrificial offering of service to country and humanity has
become a landmark in every campus of the University. For the hundreds of thousands of UP Alumni, the Oblation
has become their major symbolic link with Alma Mater. The Oblation is also the major rallying point for all kinds of
dissent, protest actions, and social criticism, as well as expressions of public service, nationalism, and patriotism.
For the autonomous units and all the campuses of the University of the Philippines, the Oblation is the enduring
symbol of their unity in mission, vision and traditions.

The Oblation, a masterpiece of Filipino sculptor Guillermo E. Tolentino, was commissioned in 1935 by President
Rafael Palma, first Filipino president of the University. His order was for professor Tolentino to translate the second
stanza of Rizal's "Last Farewell" into a monument which would be the identifying landmark of the University.
*Sculpture*

VICTORIO EDADES
National Artist for Painting (1976)
(December 23, 1895 – March 7, 1985)

Painting distorted human figures in rough, bold impasto strokes, and standing tall and singular in
his advocacy and practice of what he believes is the creative art, Victorio C. Edades emerged as
the “Father of Modern Philippine Painting”. Unlike, Amorsolo’s bright, sunny, cheerful hues,
Edades’ colors were dark and somber with subject matter or themes depicting laborers, factory
workers or the simple folk in all their dirt, sweat and grime. In the 1930s, Edades taught at the
University of Santos Tomas and became dean of its Department of Architecture where he stayed
for three full decades. It was during this time that he introduced a liberal arts program that offers
subjects as art history and foreign languages that will lead to a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts.
This development brought about a first in Philippine education since art schools then were
vocational schools.

It was also the time that Edades invited Carlos “Botong” Francisco and Galo B. Ocampo to
become professor artists for the university. The three, who would later be known as the
formidable “Triumvirate”, led the growth of mural painting in the country. Finally retiring from
teaching at age 70, the university conferred on Edades the degree of Doctor of Fine Arts, honoris
causa, for being an outstanding “visionary, teacher and artist.”

Reflections on The Builders by Victorio C. Edades

When Victorio Edades came home from the United States of America, he saw that art was stale
in the Philippines. It seemed that everyone had grown too fond of Amorsolo’s bucolic, festive,
and picturesque scenes and thus academic artwork was the artistic status quo. The 19th century
Filipino impressionists seemed to have disappeared; no one has heard of Dadaism, cubism, and
surrealism among art circles in Manila. Society was stuck Amorsolo’s paintings that felt worlds
apart because they were too perfect. There was no color or texture out of place that could be
cause for discussion.
Edades’ paintings were a shock to the nation: heavy brush strokes, dark scenes and figures,
somewhat “exaggerated” features of the human body… His paintings weren’t exactly pretty
things to look at. They weren’t picturesque, unlike the ones everyone else was used to. But that
was what Edades wanted to point out. He knew that everyone has a different expression or
perception of reality, and it was their very right to share it. Supporters of Tolentino’s sculptures
and Amorsolo’s portraits raised their eyebrows, but many others were on the side of change, on
the side of self-expression. The 1930s became the era for the most pivotal episode in all of
Philippine art history: the great debate between the Classicists against the Modernists.

On December 23, 1895, Victorio Edades, the so-called "Father of Modern Art in the
Philippines" and named National Artist in 1976, was born in Dagupan, Pangasinan.
Edades traveled to the United States and enrolled at the University of Washington in
Seattle, taking up architecture and later earned a Master of Fine Arts in Painting.

His desire to paint in modern manner developed after he attended a travel art exhibition
in the U.S., featuring modern European artists such as Cezanne, Matisse, Picasso and
the Surrealists.

EDADES. The Builders.

"The Builders" (1928) is one of Victorio Edades' major works that he exhibited in 1928 during his
one-man show. Edades executed this upon his return to the Philippines from studies in the United
States. In his campaign for modernism, this is one of his paintings that shows his enhanced
knowledge and skill in modern art. This artwork emphasized linear and structural composition above
other pictorial elements, conveying the essence of men engaged in labor through the contortion of
the bodies.