{"status":true,"msg":{"data":{"id":22089,"auction_id":23,"set_id":42,"lot_number":"184","artist":"Fernando Amorsolo (1892 - 1972)","title":"Under the Mango Tree","starting_price":9000000,"signed_dated":"signed and dated Manila, 1935 (lower right)","medium":"oil on canvas","size":"24\" x 36\" (61 cm x 91 cm)","property":null,"coa":"Leon Gallery wishes to thank Mrs. Sylvia Amorsolo-Lazo for confirming the authenticity of this lot","provenance":"Private Collection, USA","exhibited":null,"literature":null,"write_up":"Among the first of Amorsolo’s iconic Under the Mango Tree paintings, this magnificent 1935 work has a very similar palette and intense brushwork as the record-breaking Perrecamps Mango Gatherers. It belongs to that same coveted Amorsolo period of the Thirties — pursued by collectors for the purity of the Maestro’s vision. This Under the Mango Tree is also a large work for those years.
\n\nAs the undisputed master of the romantic Filipino landscape genre, Fernando Amorsolo encapsulates the radiance of the country's tropical sunlight. Peasants enjoying their afternoon siesta under the refreshing canopy of the mango tree is a recurring subject matter in Amorsolo's oeuvre. Depicting a cozy scene of farmworkers briefly away from their toiling\nin the fields, Amorsolo captures the native values of communal living and pakikisama—a genuine intrinsic appreciation of solidarity and togetherness. The bright tones of the peasant's clothes complement the cool, tropical greens of the surroundings. Among the artist's idyllic impression of rural living, the overall composition fittingly situates the lightest light and the darkest dark in the focal area.
\n\nThe pleasant afternoon sunlight serves as a natural illumination that forms a harmonious amalgamation of light and shadow cast through the thick leaves of the tree. The shade of the mango tree with all the coolness brought by its rustling leaves and branches balances the warmth of the sun’s rays. The backdrop is caressed by a gentle radiance, giving prominence to the thriving flora of the forest.
\n\nThis quietly beautiful scene is a remarkable example of how Amorsolo succeeds in adding a magical yet realistic dimension to the most ordinary of everyday things. The whole composition is one of lightness and space, made possible by Amorsolo's choice of setting. The heart of the Amorsolo style—his dazzling colorism—has been the subject of much discussion. That exceptional vibrancy with which he recreated tropical sunlight in his genres and landscapes was derived from techniques he studied in the works of European masters, particularly Sorolla. The popularity of his art is easier to account, for it embodies sweetness and light.
\n\nThe life he chose to portray on canvas invariably brims with good cheer, serenity, casual grace, optimism, and everything we would like to see after a hard day's grind. In his Golden Period, Amorsolo had perfect control over his prodigious technical means as a draftsman and colorist. He precisely knew the most attractive ways of portraying an ideal world pleasing to just about every kind of intelligence. The painting touchingly evokes the enchanted mood that Amorsolo saw in the pre-war countryside. It suggests a rural arcadia, emphasizing not the toil of the harvest, but the carefree atmosphere of a picnic in the country, where men and women, graceful and charming, rest under the tree.","lot_group":"PAINTING","lot_details_html":"
Fernando Amorsolo (1892 - 1972) Under the Mango Tree signed and dated Manila, 1935 (lower right) oil on canvas 24\" x 36\" (61 cm x 91 cm)