About the Artist
Amorsolo's Education
Amorsolo studied at the art school of the Liceo de Manila, where he earned honors in painting and drawing. After that, he entered the University of the Philippines School of Fine Arts, where de la Rosa taught. During his years there, he was much influenced by Spanish painter Diego de Velazquez and other European painters. To make ends meet, he joined competitions and did illustrations for different publications, like Severino Reyes’ first novel, Parusa ng Diyos. He graduated in 1914 with several medals for excellence.
After graduating, he joined the UP as an instructor while he worked as a draftsman at the Public Works and as chief artist at the Pacific Commercial Company. He taught for 38 years and was director of the School of Fine Arts from 1938 to 1952, when he retired to devote his time to painting. He also did work illustrating children’s textbooks and magazines.
He had further artistic training in 1916, when businessman Enrique Zobel de Ayala gave him a grant to study at the Academia de San Fernando in Madrid. From the 1930’s to the 1950’s, his peak years, he widely exhibited both here and abroad. Some of the exhibitions are the Exposicion de Panama in 1914, a one-man show at the Grand Central Gallery in New York City in 1925, and a one-man retrospective at the National Museum in 1948. Aside from these, he also received many honors and distinctions for his works.
Amorsolo's First Masterpiece
Amorsolo's first successful work art happened in 1908. His painting entitled, “Leyendo El Periodico”, bagged the second place in an art painting contest dubbed as “Bazar Escolta”. This was an art competition, organized by the Asociacion Internacional de Artistas. To hone his painting skills with utmost perfection.
Bazar Escolta (1908)
Amorsolo's Popularity
Planting Rice (1946)
Amorsolo soon established his own art studio. He painted numerous paintings which to date, his painting “Rice Planting” in the year 1922 had been chosen to be used in tourist brochures and posters during the Commonwealth regime. At the onset of the 1930’s, Amorsolo’s popularity had become unstoppable, here and around the world. In effect, his bright and positive pastoral images had been a trendsetter in the field of Filipino painting. Moreover, this stature has given Fernando Amorsolo to meet some of the elite members of the Philippines. They were Luis Araneta, Antonio Araneta and Jorge Vargas.
In later years, Fernando Amorsolo‘s paintings were used as covers and pages of textbooks for children. Unknown to many, there was a time when Amorsolo had to shift to the art of photography, for his other artworks.
Rice Planting (1922)
Amorsolo's Other Works
Within the Vatican City, three Amorsolo's paintings are displayed. One is hung at the Vatican Radio headquarters and the remaining two are at the Propaganda Fire—a missionary congregation. The paintings at the congregation serve as an important symbol of the Filipino contribution to the spread of the Catholic faith to other countries.
Amorsolo also painted a series of historical paintings on pre-Colonial and Spanish Colonization events. Making of the Philippine Flag, in particular, was widely reproduced. His The First Baptism in the Philippines required numerous detailed sketches and colored studies of its elements. These diverse elements were meticulously and carefully set by the artist before being transferred to the final canvas. For his pre-colonial and 16th-century depiction of the Philippines, Amorsolo referred to the written accounts of Antonio Pigafetta, other available reading materials, and visual sources. He consulted with the Philippine scholars of the time, H. Pardo de Tavera and Epifanio de los Santos.
The Making of the Philippine Flag
Amorsolo also painted oil portraits of Philippine General Emilio Aguinaldo, Philippine presidents, and other prominent Filipino individuals.
Amorsolo's Achievements
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1908 – 2nd Prize, Bazar Escolta (Asocacion Internacional de Artistas), for Levendo Periodico
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1922 – 1st Prize, Commercial and Industrial Fair in the Manila Carnival
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1929 – 1st Prize, New York’s World Fair, for Afternoon Meal of Rice Workers
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1940 – Outstanding UP Alumnus Award
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1959 – Gold Medal, UNESCO National Comission
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1961 – Rizal Pro Patria Award
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1961 – Honorary Doctorate in the Humanities, from the Far Eastern Univeristy
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1963 – Diploma of Merit from the University of the Philippines
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1963 – Patnubay ng Sining at Kalinangan Award, from the City of Manila
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1963 – Republic Cultural Heritage Award
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1972 – Gawad CCP para sa Sining, from the Cultural Center of the Philippines
Amorsolo's Death
Amorsolo died of heart failure at the age of 79 on April 24, 1972. Four days after his death, Amorsolo was honored as the first National Artist (Visual Arts) at the Cultural Center of the Philippines by then President Ferdinand E. Marcos.
Unfinished painting of Fernando Amorsolo
The timeless and priceless legacy of Fernando Amorsolo in the world of Filipino painting is like a blank canvas which is too expressive, when painted with paramount and revealing masterpieces which distinctively highlights the ingenuity of the Filipino.