War-time market scene
signed and dated 1952 (lower left)
oil on wood
11 1/2” x 17 1/2” (29 cm x 44 cm)

This piece is accompanied by a certificate issued by Mrs. Sylvia Amorsolo-Lazo confirming the authenticity of this lot

The subject is set at wartime, yet this work is part of what has been called Fernando Amorsolo’s “Golden Period” which is from about 1920 to 1945. It could have been a typical market scene, but the Japanese soldier at the left side creates the tension.

At the onset of World War II, Amorsolo’s typical pastoral scenes were replaced by the depictions of a war-torn nation. Sylvia Amorsolo Lazo, in her book “Remembering Papa”(2003), recalls how, during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines during World War II, Amorsolo spent his days at his home near the Japanese garrison, where he sketched war scenes from the house’s windows or rooftop.

Alfredo Roces wrote in 1975 that “The Japanese occupation provided a fresh opportunity for a different development, Amorsolo painted his pictures of the war with no interest in pleasing his customers. He did many oils right on the spot as the emotion moved him. He must have reacted to the need to record the chaos around him. This period chronologically represents a different development.

During the war, he documented the destruction of many landmarks in Manila and the pain, tragedy and death experienced by Filipino people, with his subjects which Ambeth Ocampo describes in “Amorsolo’s Brush with History” (2003) as “women mourning their dead husbands, files of people with pushcarts and makeshift bags leaving a dark burning city tinged with red from fire and blood.”

Amorsolo also frequently portrayed the lives and suffering of Filipina women during World War II. Other World War II-era paintings by Amorsolo include a portrait in absentia of General Douglas MacArthur as well as self-portraits and paintings of Japanese occupation soldiers.
In the context of Amorsolo’s oeuvre, his war paintings are truly exceptional because of their strong content and the corresponding vigorous style that conveyed it. They make us aware of the full artistic range of the artist going beyond his rural and domestic themes to handle startling subjects. Amorsolo’s esteemed technique brings his wartime era paintings to the level of great art.

The entry on Fernando Amorsolo in the Encyclopedia of World Biography (Thompson Gale 2005-2006) mentions that in 1948, Amorsolo’s wartime paintings were exhibited at the Malacañang Presidential Palace.