PETA #1 - ART ANALYSIS

Three Women in a Anita

Landscape Magsaysay- Ho
 DESCRIPTION

Three Women in a Landscape is a rare and early painting in

Magsaysay-trademark Ho's egg tempera on canvas, created between
1950 and 1954. The measurements are 61 x 48.5 cm (24 x 19 in.).
Magsaysay-work Ho's may be split into decades. In the 1950s, her art
was shown at The Philippine Art Association among other well-
known Neo-Realist painters. During this period, she created her most
famous picture, which depicted brilliant and dark contrasts of Filipina
women hard at work. Magsaysay-Ho highlights this with strong, bold
lines and form simplification: triangular kerchiefs wrapped around
angular faces, quickly formed limbs and legs, all having a powerful
gestural character despite their shortness. The axis of the artwork is
vertical. These paintings appear to be coordinated and have a really
lovely aesthetic. The almost cubist patterning of their garments, the
backdrop trees, and the contrasting color gradients reveal Magsaysay-
modernist Ho's mindset.
 ANALYSIS

Anita Magsaysay-Ho was a Filipino painter who was widely

regarded as one of the most important and gifted Philippine
modernists. In 1958, the Manila Chronicle assembled a panel of
experts who named her one of the six most outstanding painters in
Philippine history. The beauty of Philippine women engaged in
ordinary chores is celebrated in Magsaysay-best-known Ho's
canvases, which frequently contain both realist and stylised
characteristics. Magsaysay-Ho was born in Manila in May 1914, the
daughter of engineer Ambrosio Magsaysay and Armilla Corpus.
Ramon Magsaysay, Anita's first cousin, was President of the
Philippines from December 1953 until his death in an aircraft crash in
1957. She began her education at the University of the Philippines
School of Fine Arts at the age of 13 with Fabian de la Rosa, Vicente
Rivera y Mir, and Fernando and Pablo Amorsolo, accompanied by a
nanny. Her landscape instructor was Fernando Amorsolo, and her
drawing instructor was Pablo Amorsolo. Anita painted whenever she
could and had a home studio where her children could draw, play the
piano, and listen to music while she worked.

During the early 1940s, Magsaysay – Ho's paintings reflected

Fernando Amorsolo's influence, both in subject matter and brightness.
Her paintings have developed towards modernism as they went
towards cubist distortion and stylized visual rhythms. She was named
one of the "Thirteen Moderns" by artist Victor Edades and was
dubbed the "female Amorsolo" at one time.
 Magsaysay-exhibition Ho's at the prestigious Philippine Art
Gallery (PAG) in the 1950s gained her public exposure and praise.
Her work was categorized with those of other Neo-Realists such as
Lydia Arguilla and Nena Saguil. Anita's paintings from this time
period depicted women at labor, whether they were picking fruit,
gathering and sheaving grain, or selling fish in the market. Bold
brushwork and dramatic contrasts of dark and bright tones formally
energized her paintings.

In the 1960s, the space of Magsaysay-paintings Ho's expanded,

and the resulting pictures were more relaxed, with clearly defined and
separated individuals. Her work's lines softened, and her modeling
became more consistent. These paintings appear to be choreographed
and have a really elegant appearance.

Magsaysay-Ho experimented with a new style influenced by

Chinese calligraphy in the 1970s. Her paintings were frequently
embellished with finely controlled ink blots that resembled rock
formations, flora, or waves. They were most effective when they
harmonized human movements with the calligraphic interest given by
the ink blots.

The artist went through a "Green Period" in the late 1980s.

Green-hued fruits and veggies coexist with feminine forms that
resemble plants or fruits. These paintings depict ladies with oval
features, high cheekbones, and narrow eyes. Following the green
paintings, another series included half-figures surrounded by baskets,
fruit, and birds. These figures are sturdy and elegant, drawn in an
Asian palette that balances out sharp contrasts between hues like
burnt sienna and yellow-green.
 INTERPRETATION

The painting shows the collective nature of Filipino culture. The

feeling of solidarity is the primary aspect being conveyed in
Magsaysay-Ho’s painting. Christies.com, an auctioning website, has
an excellent one-sentence summarization of the painting. Describing
it as “A show of solidarity within the communal nature of Filipino
society particularly amongst the women.”

This can be deduced through the main subject of the painting, and
their task at hand. The three women are depicted to be harvesting
fruit together, showing a sense of teamwork and as stated earlier,
solidarity. Magsaysay-Ho’s subjects are usually women paired up
with other women. Her art loves showing the relevancy of women in
the culture, which throughout history, is often looked down upon.
 JUDGEMENT

Three Women in a Landscape is one of Magsaysay-Ho’s paintings

early on in her career around the 1950’s. For these purposes, it shall
be compared with her other works, as well as how well the medium
was used on the painting. Firstly, the art doesn’t seem remarkable. It
is a somewhat cubist painting with contrasting colors, and it doesn’t
have much ‘attractiveness’ when looking at it from a distance. It
looks flat and unmeaningful from the first glance. However, realizing
the medium it is on explains why the art appears this way. The
medium is ‘egg tempera on board’ and has become one Magsaysay-
Ho’s distinctive features. It is significantly harder to control than
standard oil paint, and the painting shows proficiency in using the
medium early on in her career. Compared to other pieces in her early
career such as Four Women in 1947, you can see the levels of
improvement in over 3 years. However, Three Women in a
Landscape, compared to more recent art such The Many Colors of
San Francisco in 1997, it seems Magsaysay-Ho’s more recent art has
a more natural, prettier, vibrant, and overall, attractive feel. Based on
the evidence above, Three Women in a Landscape was not her best
art, but it certainly was not her worst
CITATIONS
Remembering Anita Magsaysay-Ho (1914–2012). (2015, October 21).
Geringer Art, Ltd. https://www.geringerart.com/remembering-
anita-magsaysay-ho-1914-2012/

ANITA MAGSAYSAY-HO. (n.d.). Christie’s. Retrieved September 14,

2021, from https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-anita-magsaysay-
ho-5803376/

Pinto, S. (2021, September 14). A Look Back at Anita Magsaysay Ho:

Her Life, Art, And Philosophies. Tatler Asia.
https://www.tatlerasia.com/culture/arts/anita-magsaysay-ho-her-
life-art-and-philosophies

Four Women by AnitaMagsaysay-Ho. (n.d.). Artnet. Retrieved

September 14, 2021, from http://www.artnet.com/artists/anita-
magsaysay-ho/four-women-0iuJNm3p6MSwdLaZfFKRJA2

The Many Colors of San Francisco by AnitaMagsaysay-Ho. (n.d.).

Artnet. Retrieved September 14, 2021, from
http://www.artnet.com/artists/anita-magsaysay-ho/the-many-
colors-of-san-francisco-r0N9vKlMDJZ_DCZurZwssw2