Fernando Amorsolo | Genre painter

Fernando Amorsolo y Cueto (1892-1972) was one of the most important artists in the history of painting in the Philippines.

Amorsolo was a portraitist and painter of rural Philippine landscapes. He is popularly known for his craftsmanship and mastery in the use of light.

The volume of paintings, sketches and studies of Amorsolo is believed to have reached more than 10, 000 pieces.

Amorsolo was an important influence on contemporary Filipino art and artists, even beyond the so-called "Amorsolo school".

Amorsolo's influence can be seen in many landscape paintings by Filipino artists, including early landscape paintings by abstract painter Federico Aguilar Alcuaz.

Outside the Philippines, his exhibitions were held in Belgium, at the Exposicion de Panama in 1914, at a one-man show at the Grand Central Art Galleries in New York City in 1925, and at the National Museum in Herran on November 6, 1948.

During the 1931 Paris Exposition, Amorsolo exhibited one of his anecdotal paintings, The Conversion of the Filipinos. Amorsolo's entries at the Exposicion in Panama were a portrait of U.S. President Woodrow Wilson and the piece La Muerte de Socrates.

At the 1948 National Museum in Herran, Amorsolo exhibition was sponsored by the Art Association of the Philippines.

In 1950, Amorsolo exhibited two more historical paintings, Faith Among the Ruins and Baptism of Rajah Humabon at ssthe Missionary Art Exhibit in Rome.

In 1979, Fernando Amorsolo's legacy as a painter was celebrated through an exhibition of his works at the Art Center of the Manila Hilton.

His art was also featured in a 2007 exhibition in Havana. | © Wikipedia

Awards and achievements

1908 - 2nd Prize, Bazar Escolta tea and taki (Asocacion Internacional de Artistas), for Levendo Periodico;

1922 - 1st Prize, Commercial and Industrial Fair in the Manila Carnival;

1929 - 1st Prize, New York's World Fair, for Afternoon Meal of Rice Workers (also known as Noonday Meal of the Rice Workers);

1940 - Outstanding University of the Philippines Alumnus Award;

1959 - Gold Medal, UNESCO National Commission;

1961 - Rizal Pro Patria Award;

1961 - Honorary Doctorate in the Humanities, from the Far Eastern University;

1963 - Diploma of Merit from the University of the Philippines;

1963 - Patnubay ng Sining at Kalinangan Award, from the City of Manila;

1963 - Republic Cultural Heritage Award;

972 - Gawad CCP para sa Sining, from the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

In 1972, Fernando Amorsolo became the first Filipino to be distinguished as the Philippine's National Artist in Painting.

He was named as the "Grand Old Man of Philippine Art" during the inauguration of the Manila Hilton's art center, where his paintings were exhibited on January 23, 1969.

Fernando Amorsolo y Cueto, semplicemente noto come Fernando Amorsolo (Manila, 30 maggio 1892 - Manila, 24 aprile 1972) è stato un pittore Filippino, considerato uno dei protagonisti assoluti dello scenario artistico Filippino del XX secolo.

Tra i pionieri della pittura nel Paese, assieme a Juan Luna e Fernando Zóbel, Amorsolo fu ritrattista e pittore di paesaggi rurali filippini, particolarmente noto per il suo tocco “artigianale” e la maestria nell'uso della luce e dell'ombra.

Nativo del quartiere di Paco, terminò i propri studi presso il Liceo de Manila Art School nel 1909.

Dopo aver viaggiato in diverse città estere nel corso della sua giovinezza, dove fu esposto a tecniche e stili artistici di altri paesi, Amorsolo fece ritorno nella sua madrepatria con lo scopo di realizzare quadri che potessero illustrare al meglio l'identità e i paesaggi nativi.

Sia durante che dopo la seconda guerra mondiale, le sue opere rimasero punto di riferimento nel tentativo di restaurare l'identità nazionale filippina, dopo secoli di dominio straniero.

Amorsolo rimase attivo per tutto il corso della sua vita, realizzando una media di 10 quadri al mese dagli anni cinquanta sino alla morte avvenuta nel 1972 a causa di una malattia cardiaca.

Quattro giorni dopo la sua scomparsa, il Presidente Ferdinand Marcos decise di rendergli omaggio nominandolo primo artista nazionale nel campo delle arti visive, presso il Centro Culturale delle Filippine.