Fernando Amorsolo was not spared from the horrors of the Second World War – living only a few blocks away from a Japanese garrison, Amorsolo was at the forefront of the fighting. The Battle of Manila, an occupation that happened in all of one month, was the single deadliest urban warfare of World War II in the Asia-Pacific, physically destroying not just the metropolis but also decimating its culture. At the center of it all was Amorsolo, bearing witness to this destruction.
\nIt is a deviation, then, that this 1943 piece exudes a pre-war glow to it. Amidst Amorsolo’s anguished war-period pieces, this work shines bright as it bathes under the warm, golden sunlight. The maestro depicts a young woman standing in knee-high grass, holding a child to her waist. She is dressed traditionally, with a long skirt, white shirt, and scarf wrapped around her head. As further protection from the sweltering sun, she wears a huge woven hat.
\nThe hallmarks of an Amorsolo piece are evident here. His colors are shining, with the vibrancy of the sunlight and nature, devoid of any indication that it was created during active wartime but perhaps that was the point.
\n“The paintings of Fernando C. Amorsolo overflow with sweetness and optimism,” art historian Eric Torres once said. Indeed, even during one of the darkest periods in Philippine history, Amorsolo’s eyes are trained on the distant future, viewing the Philippines as a woman standing safe and free within a field, her child cradled in her arms. The wartime pieces of Amorsolo may be a deviation from his usual rustic pieces but Amorsolo indulges in hope even for just a second. He may portray the collective tragedy the country faces in his canvas but he too portrays the freedom that comes after it. They say it is the darkest before the dawn but the dawn comes and Amorsolo fixes his gaze upon it with a fervent faith that bleeds into in canvas. (Hannah Valiente)
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