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Lot Essay
"...To glorify my country's grandeur,
Her mountains and her hills
The valleys rich with harvest,
Her rivers and her wills.
To portray her children's laughter,
The wisdom of the old at home,
And her brave youth that struggle,
Upon this earth we call our own!"
- Anita Magsaysay-Ho
This verse was penned by a youthful Anita Magsaysay-Ho in a flush of patriotism during the Japanese occupation of 1944, a year before the composition of this present lot, Fruit Vendors in 1945. It describes clearly how the artist viewed her beloved country, and what she sought to present within her art - not only during this tumultuous chapter in Philippine history but also throughout her artistic career, with recurring subject matters of her vivid and sociable countrywomen.
Known as one of the leading modernist painters in the Philippines, as well as a pioneering female artist within mid-20th century Asian art, Anita Magsaysay-Ho possessed the rare gifts of an impeccable compositional technique combined with the flexibility to absorb and individualize new artistic influences.
Fruit Vendors is a rare, early work by the artist. It is true to type as an idealized genre scene of Philippine pastoralism, portraying rosy-cheeked girls in the marketplace offering their wares, surrounded by other archetypes of the matron, the farmer, and the children. The warm, romantic atmosphere of this artwork displays Magsaysay-Ho's tutelage from the maestro, Fernando Amorsolo, but there is already a sense of her preference for a more modern, gestural technique. The paint is laid on thickly with areas of impasto, while the execution of varying colors and textures lean towards expressionism. Her shading and contouring is extremely well done, displaying a meticulous attention to detail despite the rapidity of the brushwork.
Like other works of this period, Fruit Vendors is of relatively small format. It also bears a portion of a partially signed Anita Magsaysay-Ho watercolor affixed to the original backing board. Around 1941, the artist illustrated a Catholic reader titled 'My Jesus and I', with various drawings depicting the hymns and lessons. This watercolor appears to be one of the original illustrations for this publication.
An interesting point to note is that Fruit Vendors is one of the few works signed 'Anita Magsaysay' without the attached suffix of her husband's last name, as it was painted before her marriage.
Her mountains and her hills
The valleys rich with harvest,
Her rivers and her wills.
To portray her children's laughter,
The wisdom of the old at home,
And her brave youth that struggle,
Upon this earth we call our own!"
- Anita Magsaysay-Ho
This verse was penned by a youthful Anita Magsaysay-Ho in a flush of patriotism during the Japanese occupation of 1944, a year before the composition of this present lot, Fruit Vendors in 1945. It describes clearly how the artist viewed her beloved country, and what she sought to present within her art - not only during this tumultuous chapter in Philippine history but also throughout her artistic career, with recurring subject matters of her vivid and sociable countrywomen.
Known as one of the leading modernist painters in the Philippines, as well as a pioneering female artist within mid-20th century Asian art, Anita Magsaysay-Ho possessed the rare gifts of an impeccable compositional technique combined with the flexibility to absorb and individualize new artistic influences.
Fruit Vendors is a rare, early work by the artist. It is true to type as an idealized genre scene of Philippine pastoralism, portraying rosy-cheeked girls in the marketplace offering their wares, surrounded by other archetypes of the matron, the farmer, and the children. The warm, romantic atmosphere of this artwork displays Magsaysay-Ho's tutelage from the maestro, Fernando Amorsolo, but there is already a sense of her preference for a more modern, gestural technique. The paint is laid on thickly with areas of impasto, while the execution of varying colors and textures lean towards expressionism. Her shading and contouring is extremely well done, displaying a meticulous attention to detail despite the rapidity of the brushwork.
Like other works of this period, Fruit Vendors is of relatively small format. It also bears a portion of a partially signed Anita Magsaysay-Ho watercolor affixed to the original backing board. Around 1941, the artist illustrated a Catholic reader titled 'My Jesus and I', with various drawings depicting the hymns and lessons. This watercolor appears to be one of the original illustrations for this publication.
An interesting point to note is that Fruit Vendors is one of the few works signed 'Anita Magsaysay' without the attached suffix of her husband's last name, as it was painted before her marriage.