Fernando Amorsolo y Cueto (b. 1892, d. 1972) was the Philippines’ first National Artist and is officially recognized as the “Grand Old Man of Philippine Art”. Renowned for his trademark luminosity and ability to render the iconic provincial Filipina, Amorsolo’s paintings usually feature scenes in glowing rural landscapes--- such as farmers ankle-deep in rice fields, women in colorful baro’t sayas sorting through mangoes, and vibrant society portraits.

In 1909, he graduated with honors from the Art School of the Liceo De Manila, then enrolled in the UP Diliman College of Fine Arts at the tender age of seventeen where he was mentored by his uncle and prominent Philippine painter, Fabian de la Rosa. In 1916, he graduated with honors and was granted a sponsorship by Spanish businessman Enrique Zóbel de Ayala to study at the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in Madrid, Spain. Returning to Manila, he produced myriad paintings from the 1920s to 1930s. He taught at his alma mater (UPDCFA) and served as Director of the school’s art department between 1938 to 1952. He received multiple accolades including a UNESCO Gold Medal of Recognition, a Rizal-Pro Patria Award from the Far Eastern University, and a Gawad CCP para sa Sining Award from the Cultural Center of the Philippines. His legacy lives on through the Fernando C. Amorsolo Art Foundation, established in his honor by his children in 2003.

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