Fernando Amorsolo was a famous Filipino painter known for his idyllic landscapes and portraits of rural Philippine life. He spent his youth in Camarines Norte and studied art at the University of the Philippines. Amorsolo became a renowned painter known for his depictions of rice farming, mothers and children, and bucolic scenes. Despite international acclaim, he remained devoted to portraying Filipino subjects and culture. Amorsolo had a prolific career, with his paintings in high demand both in the Philippines and abroad. He is regarded as one of the most influential Filipino artists.

2. Fernando Amorsolo was the son
of Pedro Amorsolo -- a
bookkeeper -- and Bonifacia
Cueto. He spent his youthful days
in Daet, Camarines Norte. When
his father died in 1903, Bonifacia
moved the entire family to Manila
to live with a first cousin, painter
Fabian de la Rosa.

3. To raise money, young Amorsolo
sold watercolor postcards to a
bookstore which paid him 10
centavos a piece,
while his mother did embroidery
work. Somehow, he managed to
complete his schooling at the Liceo
de Manila,
where he earned honorable
mention in drawing and painting.

4. At 17 he enrolled at the University of
the Philippines (UP) School where his
uncle Fabian De La Rosa taught. While
a student, Amorsolo lived in a rented
accesoria and, in order to survive,
joined competitions and did illustrations
for publications, including Severino
Reyes' first novel, Parusa ng Diyos
(God's Punishment). He also designed
chairs for the Bureau of Public Works

5. AMORSOLO AND DE LA ROSA

6. During college he was influenced
by the works of the Spanish painter
Diego de Velasquez as well as
other European painters including
John Singer Sargent, Anders Zorn,
Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida and
Ignacio Zuluaga
He was one of the first graduates
of the University of the Philippines
in 1919, receiving several medals
for excellence.

7. Upon graduation, he became an
instructor at the UP School of
Fine Arts, while at the same time
working for the Bureau of Public
Works. For the next 38 years, he
was with UP.
In 1922, he made his first
important painting, Rice Planting
which became one of the most
popular images of the
Commonwealth Period.

8. Amorsolo designed the logo for Ginebra
San Miguel (Markang Demonyo)
depicting St. Michael vanquishing the
devil. The log is still in use in its original
form today. The owner of the beverage
company, Don Enrique Zobel, who is an
ardent patron of the arts, was so
impressed by his work that he offered to
send Amorsolo to the Academia de San
Fernando in Madrid for further studies
with a generous stipend for himself and
his family.

10. Despite his exposure to Western
influences, Amorsolo retained his Filipino
consciousness. He was drawn more
towards the gentle rolling hills and rice
fields of the Philippines rather than the
cosmopolitan world of Europe’s proud
cities. Even his illustrations of Spanish
women were drawn with slender
physiques, narrower hips, and smaller
breasts more typical of Filipinas rather
than full bodied Caucasian women.

11. After his stint in Madrid, Amorsolo
came home to the Philippines ready
to apply what he learned. American
servicemen, officials, and
businessmen sought out his paintings
to bring home to the States as a token
of remembrance for their stay in the
Philippines. One of Amorsolo’s client
was Capt. Robert Kennedy who
brought home to the U.S. a few of
Amorsolo’s pieces and had them
framed at the Art Center Gallery in
New York.

12. The gallery owners inquired about the artist
which led to Amorsolo’s first one-man show in
New York in 1925. Of the 40 pieces, 24 were
immediately purchased. Amorsolo often uses
his family members to pose for his paintings.
At one time, he made his house helpers pose
for him and paid them for posing for him. His
daughter asked why he had to pay them
additional on top of their regular salary. He
replied, "We have hired them to do
housework and not to pose for me.
Therefore, they should be compensated for
posing for my painting".

15. AMORSOLO,
PALAY MAIDEN (1920)

16. AMORSOLO,
MAKING OF THE PHILIPPINE FLAG

17. Amorsolo’s first wife passed away
in 1931 leaving him with six
children. He had six more children
by a common-law wife. In 1935, he
married Maria del Carmen who
gave him eight more children.
Fortunately, his reputation was
growing as fast as his brood and
his work was more than enough to
provide for his large family.

19. AMORSOLO,
LAVANDERA (1936)

22. AMORSOLO,
FRUIT GATHERER (1950)

24. AMORSOLO, PRINCESS URDUJA

25. AMORSOLO,
INA AT ANAK

26. When World War II broke out in 1941 and the
Japanese occupied Manila, Amorsolo lived in the
city along with his family. Amorsolo rented a
house near Raon street for his wife and children.
He and some male relatives lived at their
Azcarraga (now Claro M. Recto Ave) residence
which was near a Japanese garrison. During the
war, Amorsolo witnessed Filipino civilians,
soldiers brought to Far Eastern University (FEU)
to be jailed. According to some witnesses, when
American forces attacked Manila, all of the
prisoners at FEU were slaughtered by the
Japanese soldiers.

27. Some of the subjects of Amorsolo’s paintings
during World War II were about suffering and
destruction. A few of these paintings are: “The
rape of Manila” (1942), “Bombing of
Intendencia” (1942) and “The Explosion”
(1944). One of his famous war era painting is
the “Defense of a Filipina Woman’s Honor”
where it showed a Filipino man holding a bolo
about to defend his wife and daughter from
being raped by an unseen Japanese soldier.
His wartime paintings are considered among
his finest work and were exhibited at
Malacanang Palace in 1948.

28. AMORSOLO,
BOMBING OF INTENDENCIA (1942)

29. AMORSOLO, DEFENSE OF A FILIPINA
WOMAN’S HONOR (1945)

30. After the war, Amorsolo went back to painting the
bright sun-drenched countryside scenes for which
he was most well-known. He reached the peak of
his popularity in the late 1940’s and 1950’s
garnering numerous awards.
Amorsolo’s paintings were in such high demand
that he photographed his art works and placed
them in an album. Prospective patrons could then
choose from his art catalogue and Amorsolo would
paint them. Amorsolo did not create exact replicas
of his trademark themes but instead recreated the
paintings by varying some elements.

31. AMORSOLO,
ANTIPOLO FIESTA (1947)

32. Amorsolo by then was so sure of
his strokes when he painted that
he is able to finish painting a
picture in a very short period of
time. At one point, he was able to
finish ten paintings a month. It is
believed that part of his
motivation to finish a high number
of paintings was to support his
large family.

33. Some group of artists criticized Amorsolo’s
machine-like efficiency in producing paintings. In
the midst of a swarm of criticism, Amorsolo never
raised his voice and put up a defense. There was
no shortage of people who stood up to defend the
artist. Among Amorsolo’s staunchest supporter
was his best friend, Guillermo Tolentino, the finest
sculptor in the Philippines. When Amorsolo was
asked why he never spoke up in his own defense,
the artist responded that he had already matured
as an artist. He had nothing left to prove and was
comfortable painting what he wished in the form of
expression that he chose.

34. Amorsolo worked until the last year of
his life. Age was starting to catch up
with him. He was afflicted with diabetes
and arthritis in addition to his heart
condition. His eyesight was also
beginning to fail him and he had to
undergo a cataract operation. In his
later works, his failing vision led to
wayward brush strokes of red and blue
lines where a mound of earth should
be. Despite these challenges, the
quality of his output remained high and
his popularity never waned.

36. Four days after the
artist died, then
President Ferdinand
Marcos
posthumously
conferred on
Amorsolo the title
National Artist for
Painting.

40. THE END