24 May 2016 - The Honolulu Museum of Art hosted a special private tour for the Philippine Consulate General and select members of the Filipino Association of University Women (FAUW) on May 19 to specifically view the paintings by the first Philippine National Artist (for Visual Arts- Painting), Fernando Amorsolo and Dominador Castañeda, an Amorsolo contemporary, known to have similar painting style and techniques with Amorsolo.
The private tour, conducted by Museum curator Stephen Salel and docent Christine Park, started with a tour of the European Gallery to demonstrate how the works of major European modern artists such as Claude Monet and Vincent Van Gogh influenced the painting style of Amorsolo.
In 1916, Amorsolo studied at the Academia de San Fernando in Madrid where he was exposed to the works of French Realists, Impressionists and Post-Impressionists. Don Enrique Zobel the Ayala sponsored Amorsolo’s study in Spain.
The private tour was followed by a tour of the gallery “Hiroshige’s City: From Edo to Tokyo” showing works of Japanese woodblock print designers with images showing well-known vistas, urban centers, and landscapes in Japan in the early 17th century to middle of the 19th century, reflecting evolution of major cities over roughly 250 years. The inclusion of this tour was made to show similarities between the Japanese artists’ works and that of Amorsolo’s, especially those with landscape subjects.
The small party was also able to view Amorsolo’s “Beach in Atimonan” (oil on canvas, 1927 and Castañeda’s “The Barrio” (oil on panel, date unspecified). END