Lot description
Fernando Amorsolo (1892 - 1972) Town Fiesta signed and dated 1947 (lower right) oil on masonite board 12" x 16" (30 cm x 41 cm) PROPERTY FROM THE DON ANSELMO TRINIDAD COLLECTION León Gallery wishes to thank Mrs. Sylvia Amorsolo-Lazo for confirming the authenticity of this lot LITERATURE Roces, Alfredo R. Amorsolo: 1892 -1972. Filipinas Foundation, Inc. Makati City. 1975. p. 175 The second of the Amorsolo works from the collection of Don Anselmo Trinidad is a ‘peacetime’ narrative. Painted in the same year as the Burning of Manila, it appears at first glance to be in sharp contrast to that vista of fiery destruction. On closer examination, however, Town Fiesta is in a far more somber mood than Amorsolo’s usual sun-dappled vistas of green rice fields and farmers briskly at work. The sky is sometime before daybreak, before the first rosy streaks of a recognizable Amorsolo sunrise appear. The work is most rare precisely because Amorsolo would produce only a very few such night scenes. Adding to the pensive mood of the tableau is a white dog that sits watchfully on one side. And yet, Amorsolo musters a feeling of hope. A lantern in the form of a Christmas star illuminates a scene of plenty. The golden light that bathes the town and its people is not a godly sunshine but is entirely man-made, asserting that only men should chart their own destiny. Fruits from a now-fertile land overflow from the baskets arranged by the wayside. There is song and music from a musician on a guitar; a clay jar of spirits is also on one side. Family and friends form a protective loving cocoon. Life is good and filled with cheer. In the distance, the faithful follow a procession led by their saints into what is hoped to be a bright future for all.
