Fernando Amorsolo: Lavanderas
Fernando Amorsolo (1892 - 1972)
Lavanderas
signed and dated 1948 (lower right)
oil on canvas
20" x 26" (51 cm x 66 cm)
Opening bid: PHP 5,000,000
Accompanied by a certificate issued by Mrs. Sylvia Amorsolo-Lazo confirming the authenticity of this lot
Provenance: Private collection, USA
ABOUT THE WORK
Fernando Amorsolo is a name that needs no introduction, inside and outside of art circles. Arguably the biggest and most famous Filipino artist, Amorsolo courts the Philippine countryside in his extensive oeuvre, turning in romantic visage of the pastoral landscapes and exceptional genre scenes that evoke the oft-forgotten past. Throughout his career, Amorsolo returns again and again to his favored subjects and among that list are the lavanderas. Often in a hidden, covered river, Amosolo’s titular lavanderas are often depicted with a batya or a tub, with children running around their mothers as they wash their laundry in the river. This particular piece, a Lavanderas work from 1948, portrays a group of four women dressed down to their simple clothes as they hand wash their clothes. Behind them are two children playing on the shore, safely nestled in their own world. Their brown skin shines supple under the Philippine sun, making the clear water sparkle under its light. As he turns the banal chore of laundry into a fundamentally social activity, Amorsolo’s Lavanderas is teeming with the artist’s impeccable sense of colors and sunlight. The famed Amorsolo light shines on the figures and into the sparkling clear water, producing a blinding glare that is beautifully realistic. His talent with refraction elevates this piece to another level – as he melds his intimate and practical knowledge of light and shadows to create an almost photographic image of the scene. “His iconic lavanderas – youthful, graceful, and modest – represent an ideal of Filipino, not European, beauty,” his daughter Sylvia Amorsolo-Lazo speaks of his father’s famous bathers. Indeed, his Lavanderas shines upon the beauty of the Filipino art scene, providing a romantic view of the pastoral Philippine countryside.
Lot 92 of the Leon Gallery live and online auction on November 30, 2024. Please see leon-gallery.com and leonexchange.com for more information and to place an online bid.
Fernando Amorsolo: Lavanderas
Fernando Amorsolo (1892 - 1972)
Lavanderas
signed and dated 1948 (lower right)
oil on canvas
20" x 26" (51 cm x 66 cm)
Opening bid: PHP 5,000,000
Accompanied by a certificate issued by Mrs. Sylvia Amorsolo-Lazo confirming the authenticity of this lot
Provenance: Private collection, USA
ABOUT THE WORK
Fernando Amorsolo is a name that needs no introduction, inside and outside of art circles. Arguably the biggest and most famous Filipino artist, Amorsolo courts the Philippine countryside in his extensive oeuvre, turning in romantic visage of the pastoral landscapes and exceptional genre scenes that evoke the oft-forgotten past. Throughout his career, Amorsolo returns again and again to his favored subjects and among that list are the lavanderas. Often in a hidden, covered river, Amosolo’s titular lavanderas are often depicted with a batya or a tub, with children running around their mothers as they wash their laundry in the river. This particular piece, a Lavanderas work from 1948, portrays a group of four women dressed down to their simple clothes as they hand wash their clothes. Behind them are two children playing on the shore, safely nestled in their own world. Their brown skin shines supple under the Philippine sun, making the clear water sparkle under its light. As he turns the banal chore of laundry into a fundamentally social activity, Amorsolo’s Lavanderas is teeming with the artist’s impeccable sense of colors and sunlight. The famed Amorsolo light shines on the figures and into the sparkling clear water, producing a blinding glare that is beautifully realistic. His talent with refraction elevates this piece to another level – as he melds his intimate and practical knowledge of light and shadows to create an almost photographic image of the scene. “His iconic lavanderas – youthful, graceful, and modest – represent an ideal of Filipino, not European, beauty,” his daughter Sylvia Amorsolo-Lazo speaks of his father’s famous bathers. Indeed, his Lavanderas shines upon the beauty of the Filipino art scene, providing a romantic view of the pastoral Philippine countryside.
Lot 92 of the Leon Gallery live and online auction on November 30, 2024. Please see leon-gallery.com and leonexchange.com for more information and to place an online bid.