Pioneers in Philippine Art

When I first heard about this exhibition, I was disappointed to learn that the works of Carlos “Botong” Francisco would not be part of the show. That said, the 38 paintings and sketches by Juan Luna, Fernando Amorsolo and Fernando Zobel, now on display at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, is an impressive collection spanning 100 years of Philippine Art.

Each of these three artists studied and honed their craft in Europe or the United States. As such, their works reflect Western art trends of their respective periods. Juan Luna lived both in Madrid and Paris. His Woman with Shawl (1880-1890) and Lady at the Racetrack (1880-1890) show influences of the Impressionist style of painting. Impressionism had burst into the art scene in France in 1884, precisely the time Luna won the First Gold Medal for his painting, Spoliarium, at the Exposicion de Bellas Artes in Madrid. Luna’s later sketches of Ragamuffin and Study for People and Kings show his foray into the social realism genre, nearly a century ahead of the social realist movement in the Philippine art scene.

Fernando Amorsolo is perhaps the best known of the three due in part to the calendars which featured his paintings and which were widely distributed in the Philippines. Amorsolo portrayed his ideal Filipina woman in Palay Maiden and Balintawak Maiden with Banga (1926) with these qualities: “My conception of the ideal Filipina woman is one with a rounded face, not of the oval type. The eyes should be exceptionally lively. The nose should be of the blunt form and strongly marked. The Filipina beauty should have a sensuous mouth...not…white complexioned nor of the dark brown color…but of the clear skin…which we often witness when we meet a blushing girl.”

While studying in Europe, Amorsolo admired the works of Joaquin Sorolla who is known as the “painter of sunlight”. Amorsolo infused his idyllic landscapes with the bright light of the tropics.

Not all of Amorsolo’s paintings are happy and beautiful. From his window at his home on Azcarrraga Street, he sketched what he saw first hand of Japanese occupied Manila. The burning of the ship, Intendencia and the destruction of Rizal Avenue are immortalized in the Bombing of the Intendencia (1942) and Rizal Avenue in Ruins (1945).
.
Through his works, Amorsolo gave a newly independent nation (1946) and its people a sense of identity after many years of colonization, first by the Spaniards, followed by the Americans.

Fernando Zobel brings Philippine Art to the modern period. His early works like Bridge over Charles River IV (1949) is a study in abstract art. Self Portrait on the Wall (1954) and Oriental Carpet with Paul Haldeman (1955) is in the style of post-Impressionist painter, Henri Matisse and German Expressionist, Beckmann. In White Syringe Piece. Zobel uses a hypodermic syringe to trace lines that hint of movement and emotion.

Zobel’s artistry triumphs in the Icaro, (1962). Monumental wings tell the story of a bird plummeting to his death. Zobel’s Icaro soars.

Pioneers in Philippine Art reveals, not surprisingly, that Philippine art as represented by the works of Luna, Amorsolo and Zobel could hold its own when hung next to a Manet or a Sorolla or a Pollock.

The exhibition will be on view till January 7, 2007 at the Asian Art Museum, 200 Larkin Street, San Francisco. For more information visit www.asianart.org.

* * *

For more information on the works of these artists check out these websites:
http://www.lopezmuseum.org.ph/bio_luna.html
www.fernandocamorsolo.com
www.fernandozobel.com

The Art of Carlos Botong Francisco - Progress of Medicine in the Philippines

Pre-colonial period Pag-unlad ng Panggagamot sa Pilipinas (The Progress of Medicine in the Philippines) is a group of four large-scale paintings depicting healing practices in the Philippines from pre-colonial times to the modern period. Carlos Botong Francisco was commissioned in 1953 by Dr. Agerico Sison who was then the director of Philippine General Hospital (PGH) together with Dr. Eduardo Quisumbing of the National Museum, Dr. Florentino Herrera, Jr. and Dr. Constantino Manahan. These oil on canvas paintings measure 2.92 meters in height and 2.76 meters in width (9.71 ft x 8.92 ft) and were displayed at the main entrance hall of PGH for over five decades. Owing to its location, the artworks were in a state of "severe deterioration" at the beginning of the 21st century from exposure to heat, humidity, dirt, dust, smoke, insect stains, grime, termites and an oxidized synthetic resin used in an earlier restoration. These canvases were restored three times, the last was

Filipino Struggles in History - Carlos Botong Francisco

In 1968, Antonio Villegas (then Mayor of Manila), commissioned Carlos "Botong" Francisco to paint the history of Manila for Manila City Hall. The series of large scale paintings was called Kasaysayan ng Maynila (History of Manila). The paintings deteriorated over time and no attempt was made to preserve these historical canvases until 2013 when Mayor Amado Lim sent them to the National Museum for extensive restoration. Four years later, in 2017, Mayor Joseph Ejercito Estrada and the Manila City Council signed an agreement with the National Museum to leave the paintings at the museum so they may reach a larger audience in exchange for museum grade reproductions to replace the originals. Kasaysayan ng Maynila was later renamed Filipino Struggles in History and is now on display at the Senate Hall of the National Museum . Carlos "Botong" Francisco died in March 1969, a few months after completing the paintings. He is one of the first Filipino modernists and

8 Heritage Houses of Iloilo

Lizares Mansion The province of Iloilo on the island of Panay has a rich trove of heritage houses, left over from the sugar industry boom in the 19th century. Iloilo also had the largest port in the Philippines at that time which facilitated the export of sugar to foreign shores and deposited money in the hands of the sugar barons. The barons dropped their earnings into the acquisition of properties in Negros and the construction of beautiful homes in Iloilo, many of which are located in the vicinity of the Jaro Cathedral. The Lizares Mansion was built in 1937 by Don Emiliano Lizares for his wife, Concepcion Gamboa and five children. The family fled to safety when World War II broke out and the house was occupied by the Japanese military. The family returned to the house after the war but left once again after the demise of Don Emiliano. It was sold to the Dominican order in the 1960s and was converted in 1978 to a private school, Angelicum School. The mansion now houses the

TravelswithCharie

Search This Blog