Under the Mango Tree
signed and dated 1945 (lower right)
oil on wood
12" x 18" (30 cm x 46 cm)

Accompanied by a certificate issued by Mrs. Sylvia Amorsolo-Lazoconfirming the authenticity of this lot




1945 was a critical turning point in history. The Second World War had just come to a tragic and devastating conclusion. In the Philippines, the Filipinos had finally tasted freedom and liberation, which they had longed for after three centuries of foreign dominance. The year would also mark a return to a sense of normalcy and freedom for Filipino artists to finally express their lingering creative expressions, which were curtailed during the Japanese occupation. Fernando Amorsolo, the most prominent and prolific Filipino painter during this time, was still in the course of his Golden Period, albeit in its twilight stage. At this juncture, the maestro found solace in the subjects of his earlier years, specifically the 1920s and the 1930s. One such theme was peasants enjoying and sharing the fruits of their harvest among themselves. This theme is encapsulated in this particular piece, aptly titled Under the Mango Tree. Amorsolo’s Under the Mango Tree embodies the spirit of Filipino communal living and solidarity. Especially in the context of the tragic post-war situation, Amorsolo emphasizes the necessity of rebuilding, preserving, and upholding the relationship between the Filipinos and their community. With the specter of war still lingering in the people’s psyche, Amorsolo, an artist imbued with a clear understanding of one’s social responsibility toward nation-building, fosters the conviction that our collective identity is rooted in our centuries of shared struggles. Having been fortunate enough to experience the taste of newfound sovereignty, Amorsolo aimed to cultivate a sense of oneness by using his art to reintroduce, restore, and reinvigorate a profound sense of community, belongingness, and responsibility toward the welfare of each other. Amorsolo implicitly emphasizes the power that collective action holds towards achieving genuine progress; that we should never bury the sands of our history no matter how tragic, because it is through an ineffaceable grasp of our shared past, together with the unceasing affirmation of our enshrined right to self-determination, that we could eventually advance toward progress. Thus, the legacy of Amorsolo’s works goes beyond their enduring popularity and technical brilliance. (A.M.)