Bugaay, Rosen Anthony R.

BSIT1A

CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS ABOUT “PALAY MAIDEN”

BY FERNANDO AMORSOLO

Background of the Author

 Fernando Amorsolo was born May 30, 1892, in the Paco district of Manila.
 At 13 he was apprenticed to the noted Philippine artist Fabian de la Rosa, his
mother's first cousin.
 In 1909 Amorsolo enrolled at the Liceo de Manila and then attended the fine-
arts school at the University of the Philippines, graduating in 1914.
 During the 1920s and 1930s Amorsolo's output of paintings was prodigious.
 In 1939 his oil Afternoon Meal of the Workers won first prize at the New
York World's Fair.
 Amorsolo was noted for his portraits. He made oils of all the Philippine
presidents, including the revolutionary leader Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo, and other
noted Philippine figures.
 Amorsolo, who died in 1972, is said to have painted more than 10,000 pieces.
 Historical background of the document

 In his paintings of Filipina women, Amorsolo rejected Western ideals of

beauty in favor of Filipino ideals and was fond of basing the faces of his
subjects on members of his family.
 The picture on the top is entitled “Palay Maiden” (1920). Palay is tagalog
for grain, which is symbolic of the Philippines’ most staple crop. Maiden
bears significance to Amorsolo’s preference for beauty. Throughout his
pieces showing men, Amorsolo does not conform to a Western standard
of beauty; rather, he portrayed them to have:

“a rounded face, not the oval type often presented to us in newspapers

and magazine illustrations. The eyes should be exceptionally lively, not
the dreamy, sleepy type that characterizations the Mongolian. The nose
should be of the blunt form but firm and strongly marked. .. So the ideal
Filipina beauty should not necessary be white complexioned, nor of the
dark brown color of the typical Malayan, but of the clear skin or fresh
colored type which we often witness when we met a blushing girl.”
 Content presentation and analysis of the important historical
information found in the document

My analysis about Fernando Amorsolo’s painting which is “Palay Maiden” is

that he narrated the definition of Filipina beauty and Fernando Amorsolo’s paintings
are chosen because his subjects in the paintings achieve some kind of perfect beauty
in simplicity that the artist explores by way of an animated video. “Perlas ng
Silanganan (Pearl of the East)” is the title that is very appropriate to describe the
beauty of a Filipina woman. Fernando Amorsolo had a formula in achieving the
perfect Filipina beauty. He said "[The women I paint should have] a rounded face, not
of the oval type often presented to us in newspapers and magazine illustrations. The
eyes should be exceptionally lively, not the dreamy, sleepy type that characterizes
the Mongolian. The nose should be of the blunt form but firm and strongly marked. ...
So the ideal Filipina beauty should not necessarily be white complexioned, nor of the
dark brown color of the typical Malayan, but of the clear skin or fresh colored type
which we often witness when we met a blushing girl." Paintings are one of the leading
sources of entertainment back then. The interest in paintings declined in recent years
because of newer forms of entertainment like digital art, movies, video games and
internet. The artist thought that classical paintings can still be appreciated today, in a
different perspective.
 Contribution and relevance of the document in understanding the
grand narrative of Philippine history

The contribution of Fernando Amorsolos’ work which is “Palay Maiden” in

understanding the grand narrative of Philippine history work is that through this kind of
represents how the lives of our Filipino ancestors getting ruled by the Spaniards and on
how Filipinos live with cultures and traditions. His painting also helps students today to
provide essential information to resolve the new generation’s ignorance and it also
serves as inspiration for those who have the passion of becoming a painter to achieve
their dreams. The relevance of Fernando Amorsolo’s painting which is “ Palay Maiden”
today is that it provides valuable information about on what happened in the Philippines
history in terms of what they wore and what they did for a living..