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    Fernando Amorsolo sought to redefine perceptions of Filipino identity during the American colonial period through his paintings. Amorsolo depicted Filipinos as dignified and beautiful by portraying peasants in a natural, romanticized way that emphasized clear skin tones rather than western beauty standards. His painting "Dalagang Bukid" from 1937 depicts a peasant woman whose beauty would not indicate her occupation without the title. Other artists also worked to incorporate the Filipino identity that was suppressed by colonial powers through various art forms like architecture. Together they helped develop and express a sense of Filipino national identity.

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    Fernando Amorsolo sought to redefine perceptions of Filipino identity during the American colonial period through his paintings. Amorsolo depicted Filipinos as dignified and beautiful by portraying peasants in a natural, romanticized way that emphasized clear skin tones rather than western beauty standards. His painting "Dalagang Bukid" from 1937 depicts a peasant woman whose beauty would not indicate her occupation without the title. Other artists also worked to incorporate the Filipino identity that was suppressed by colonial powers through various art forms like architecture. Together they helped develop and express a sense of Filipino national identity.

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    Fernando Amorsolo sought to redefine perceptions of Filipino identity during the American colonial period through his paintings. Amorsolo depicted Filipinos as dignified and beautiful by portraying peasants in a natural, romanticized way that emphasized clear skin tones rather than western beauty standards. His painting "Dalagang Bukid" from 1937 depicts a peasant woman whose beauty would not indicate her occupation without the title. Other artists also worked to incorporate the Filipino identity that was suppressed by colonial powers through various art forms like architecture. Together they helped develop and express a sense of Filipino national identity.

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    576 views2 pages

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    Uploaded by

    Jeff Ang
    Fernando Amorsolo sought to redefine perceptions of Filipino identity during the American colonial period through his paintings. Amorsolo depicted Filipinos as dignified and beautiful by portraying peasants in a natural, romanticized way that emphasized clear skin tones rather than western beauty standards. His painting "Dalagang Bukid" from 1937 depicts a peasant woman whose beauty would not indicate her occupation without the title. Other artists also worked to incorporate the Filipino identity that was suppressed by colonial powers through various art forms like architecture. Together they helped develop and express a sense of Filipino national identity.

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    of 2

    Ayrrton Tan

    184777

    Dalagang Bukid - Fernando Amorsolo 1937

    Art in its most simple definition is an expression of human imaginations to achieve


    visual forms, yet it may even express hidden things. The expression of art has the ability to
    parallel both political development, and the climate of a nation. That is the focus of the
    contextual plane of art, which looks into the social and historical context of art. Applying this
    to Amorsolo’s work, we need to consider the period where he lived the American period. In a
    period so westernized, Filipinos have come to identify themselves to America. Amorsolo
    utilizes his art to demonstrate and dignify the Filipino identity.

    Amorsolo was born and lived in a period turbulent due to the transition Philippines
    faced from a Spanish to an American colony. As a result of being an American colony,
    western influences grew in strength in the cities even trickling down to the rural areas like the
    province. During this period, there was a stigma that led to the perception of Filipino’s being
    barbaric. This may be in part due to how they were represented in the US through documents
    and photographs. As I learned from my history lessons in class, people such as Worchester
    portrayed them to be barbaric in his photographs. Filipino artists during this period were
    faced with this problem of this false representation of Filipino identity. He sought out to
    redefine the identity and perceptions of the Filipinos. This goal was not one that was easy to
    achieve, as he needed to determine what was Filipino to begin, where to find inspiration and
    ultimately expression the Filipino identity into art forms.

    Fernando Amorsolo tried to incorporate and express the Filipino identity into his
    artworks. Amorsolo through his paintings was able to articulate Filipino beauty, portraying its
    people and the landscape. His use of lighting allowed for bright tropical colors and lack of
    technology with romanticized agriculture allowed for his representation of the Philippines.
    He often featured peasants in his painting such as the one shown in Arete, Dalagang Bukid.
    His beautiful portrayal of peasants was a protest towards the American style and attitudes
    Filipino in the city were adapting. In addition, it also dignifies the traditional Filipino through
    his painting presenting them in their natural beauty.

    To Amorsolo, Filipino beauty was something that should be of national identity. He


    himself notes: ​“​My conception of an ideal Filipina beauty is one with a rounded face, not of
    the oval type…​So the ideal Filipina beauty should not necessarily be white complexioned,
    nor of the dark brown color of the typical Malayan, but of the clear skin or fresh colored type
    which we often witness when we met a blushing girl​”. This description he sought to represent
    in his works was to show Filipino in their own natural beauty rather than the attempt of
    Filipinos to achieve western standards of beauty. Emphasizing this fact he bases off the faces
    of his paintings from his family members.

    This painting in fact was done during the transitional government of the Philippines
    due to the Tydings-Mcduffie Act. This period was peaceful, just in between the war
    Philippines had with America and soon after Japan. In fact, during this period there were
    progression and development due to the fact that women suffrage were granted. One could
    even say that Amorsolo’s painting was following the times by uplifting women in his
    beautiful portrayal. Looking even at the Dalagang Bukid, one would not realize that the
    beautiful woman was actually a farmer, except by its title.

    It was not only Amorsolo who recognized the lack of representation of the Philippines
    and its identity, but also other artists such as Galo Ocampo and Juan Arellano. Galo Ocampo
    did this with his controversial portrayal of Mary called the Brown Madonna, while ​Juan
    Arellano was able to incorporate the Filipino identity through his symbolic designs in his
    architecture​. With each forming their own ideas of the Philippines, each was able to capture
    their version of the identity of the Philippines and express it through different art forms. The
    lack of expression of Filipino identity prior to this was due to the colonial powers which
    suppressed us leading to the lack of development of our identity. Despite this oppression,
    inevitably Filipino artists were able to develop our own identities, which is reflected in how
    art was able to successfully portray and represent the Filipino identity.

    Sources:
    Hallman, Tim (11 August 2006). ​"Pioneers of Philippine Art: Luna, Amorsolo, Zóbel"​ . Asian Art Museum.

    Paras-Perez, Rodriguez (1992). ​Fernando C. Amorsolo: Drawings​. Manila: Lopez Museum. ​OCLC
    702602295

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