Lot description
Fernando Amorsolo (1892 - 1972) Market Scene signed and dated 1947 (lower right) oil on canvas 16” x 20” (41 cm x 51 cm) Leon Gallery wishes to thank Mrs. Sylvia Amorsolo-Lazo for confirming the authenticity of this lot Provenance: Private collection, Manila In his widely celebrated Philippine landscape and genre masterpieces, National Artist Fernando Amorsolo exhibits his unwavering commitment to the classical notion of the idealist approach on art-making—to an artistic truth grounded on balance, beauty, and harmony. To this day, Amorsolo’s masterpieces featuring life in the countryside are treasured by various collectors, and the artist’s legacy is acknowledged in the country and abroad. As he immortalized picturesque scenes in the countryside, he also captured familiar activities in rural communities and the charms of life far from the city’s everyday scenes, from farmers planting rice to folks resting under the mango tree. Among his celebrated oeuvres, his depictions of locals going about their daily lives are undoubtedly his most iconic. Whether they are harvesting the fields, celebrating amidst their neighbors, or, as evidenced by this particular piece, simply going about their usual routine, Amorsolo would invariably paint his subjects with a characteristically evident sense of idyllism. Amorsolo would also utilize his signature backlighting or chiaroscuro technique to achieve a characteristic glow on his local figures and countryside settings, also heightening the visual impact of other details in each painting.
