1945 Fernando Amorsolo Oil Painting
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GUEST:
During the World War II, my father was in army intelligence, and as part of that, he was one of the first people into Manila after the Japanese left; and with other services that he provided to the Filipinos at the time, at the end of the war, he was asked if he would like a gift, and he asked that he get a painting of a typical Filipino scene. And this has been in our house ever since then.
APPRAISER:
Well, this is by a well-known Filipino artist named Fernando Amorsolo. It's signed and dated 1945.
GUEST:
Uh-huh.
APPRAISER:
And Amorsolo, as a child, painted watercolor postcards, which he would sell at a bookstore to help support his family. He studied abroad in the '20s and he won his first art award at the New York World's Fair. In the '30s, '40s and '50s, which is when your father acquired the painting, it was really the peak of his career. Amorsolo is really known for showing peasants in traditional settings and doing everyday activities, but he tends to idealize them and put them into beautiful natural surroundings. And he's very skilled at showing the effects of light. And you can see here, this kind of dappled sunlight that hits the hay and the grasses and gives a nice effect. He really obtained a lot of awards and a great reputation during his lifetime, and he is considered one of the most famous artists in the Philippines. Now, have you ever had any kind of discussion of value or...
GUEST:
No, just...
APPRAISER:
…or seen any evidence of what's happening with his market?
GUEST:
No, I have no idea of the artist. And it's just, as I say, always been on the wall in the house.
APPRAISER:
Well, I think this is a very nice example of his work and that it might bring between $30,000 and $50,000 at auction.
GUEST:
(laughs) Oh, wow. That's incredible. That's absolutely incredible. I almost didn't bring it because it wasn't really an antique.
APPRAISER:
Yeah.
GUEST:
You know, it's not that old, 1945.
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