Lot description
Fernando Amorsolo (1892 - 1972) Lavanderas signed and dated 1964 (lower right) oil on canvas 20" x 26" (51 cm x 66 cm) León Gallery wishes to thank Mrs. Sylvia Amorsolo-Lazo for confirming the authenticity of this lot PROVENANCE: Private Collection, USA As Fernando Amorsolo admired feminine pulchritude and expressed it in his art, the maestro’s Lavanderas were the ideal beautiful Filipinas who lived in a pastoral and intimate landscape of woods, streams and mountains. As seen on this masterpiece, they are poised in the act of bathing, dressing and washing laundry. And like the other lavandera paintings of Amorsolo, the women in this oeuvre are seated next to a batya - a round, shallow wooden tub; sitting next to it is a pottery or banga for carrying water. The swirling water on the other hand, exemplifies the artist’s skill at painting refraction while the background shore and stream are painted in cool grey - green hues which contrast with the brown tones of the rocks and the warm tones of the glistening orange - hued figure of the lavanderas. The color palette is subtle and highly effective. Amorsolo, as expected from the first National Artist, was able to paint an ideal pastoral scene of two beautiful Filipinas on a perfect sunny day.
