A Magnificent Amorsolo from Industrialist Edward Nell

When peace came after the Filipino-American War, the Philippine Islands became a land of opportunity for enterprising Americans at the dawn of the 20th century.  Recounting the saga of American businessmen who came to the Philippine Islands at this time, American historian Lewis E. Gleeck, in his book, American Business and Philippine Economic Development (1975), described them as “ambitious and confident, with a sense of mission.”  Gleeck continued:  

“Aspiring to be movers and shakers in the Philippines, these newcomers to Philippine shores were pre-eminently builders.”  Among the roster of ambitious and enterprising men who staked their lives and built their fortunes in rebuilding the Philippines and bringing in goods and modern technology into the Philippine market were William J. Shaw of AG & P, Horace Pond of Pacific Commercial Company, Samuel Gaches of Heacock’s, and Edward Joseph Nell of Edward J. Nell Co., Ltd. who is best remembered for bringing in modern air conditioning technology to the Philippines through the firm’s tie-up with Carrier International, Ltd.  of Syracuse, New York.

Edward Joseph Nell, who headed the eponymously named Pre- and Post-War conglomerate, Edward J. Nell Co., Ltd.  was born in San Francisco, California on 12 November 1884, the son of  a German immigrant father named August F. Nell (1855-1893), a farmer from Prussia, who migrated to the United States in 1882, and a certain Anna Doyle.  Curiously, no official records of his birth existed as of 1942 as per reply to his letter to the U.S. State Department requesting for such official records.   Not much is known about his early life and education, either.  The earliest records of him are entries in the San Francisco Directory, the earliest of which dates back to 1899 and 1900 where he was listed as “Edward J. Nell, clerk, W.K. Vanderslice Co., r. 51 ½ Tehama.”  In 1908, he had moved jobs and residence and was listed as “salesman, Eccles & Smith Co., r. 2955 Howard.”  On the other hand, a Voter’s Registration  List dated 13 October 1910 lists him as a salesman, a Republican, and a resident of 809 Mason Street, San Francisco.

A more detailed early  record of Edward J. Nell was a World War I Draft Registration Card dated 28 September 1918 which identifies his permanent home address as Olympic Club, San Francisco, California, his present occupation as machinery merchant of H.S. Gray Co. of Honolulu, Hawaii, and mentions his brother named Charles F. Nell who worked with Standard Oil Co. of Portland, Oregon.  He was of medium height and built, had brown hair, and blue eyes.  Also indicated in the said card was his application for draft exemption for reason that a “portion of (his) left foot (was) off.”  

The Olympic Club of San Francisco, was a recurrent address indicated in several of Edward J. Nell’s records.  First named San Francisco Olympic Club, it is the oldest athletic club in the U.S.   Established  on 6 May 1860, the club opened its first permanent clubhouse in Post Street, San Francisco in 1893  which was rebuilt on the same site in 1912 after the first structure was destroyed during the San Francisco earthquake in 1906.  The club had guest rooms for its members and sports facilities used by members who would later emerge as Olympic champions.  The club also had three golf courses named Lake, Ocean, and Cliffs, located outside the city where Nell could have developed his love for golf.

It must have been at H.S. Gray Co., founded by a Scottish-born Mason named Harry Scott Gray, where the young Edward J. Nell developed his business connections which would lead him to form his own company.  According to Nellist’s Men of Hawaii, H.S. Gray Co. was “manufacturer’s representatives, specializing in machine tools, mill supplies, contractors’ equipment, and marine machinery, motors, and supplies.”  Harry Scott Gray arrived in Hawaii in 1898 and worked at the Hakalau plantation in Hawaii until 1905.  From 1895-1899, he was connected with Theo H. Davies & Co., Ltd., one of Hawaii’s “Big Five” sugar firms, founded by Englishman, Theophilus Harris Davies,  which had operations in the Philippines.   In 1909, Gray established his own company, H.S. Gray Co. 

On 9 April 1919, Edward J. Nell took as his bride, Helen Mary Carr Hipkins, born on 1 February 1894 in  Auckland, New Zealand to Samuel James Hipkins  of West Bromwich, Staffordshire, England  and Sarah Robinson Carr of Howick, Auckland, New Zealand, who took residence in San Francisco sometime in 1910.  The San Francisco Chronicle reported on the wedding in its society page in a story entitled, “Nell-Hipkins Wedding Will Take Place Today, Popular Bride-to-Be and Business Man of Hawaii Will Depart for New Home in Honolulu”:

“Miss Helene Hipkins will be married today to Edward J. Nell, the junior partner  of J.H.S. Gray & Co. of Honolulu, T.H. (Territory of Hawaii). Miss Hipkins is a brunette of the distinctive out-of-doors type. She is a devotee of swimming and cross-country walking.  Mr. Nellwas  formerly baseball commissioner and captain of the baseball teamof the Olympic Club, of which he is one of the most popular and enthusiastic members. The popular bride-to-be has been the inspiration for many social functions during the period of her engagement, and will leave many friends regretting her absence when she departs for her island home. A most attractive bungalow has been purchased by the prospective bridegroom, in the fashionable residence district of Honolulu, and it is there that the young couple will make their home. Mr. & Mrs. Nell will be at home to their friends after May 1st.”

The following day, on 10 April 1919, the Nells sailed off as husband and wife to Honolulu, Hawaii.  An immigration record listing passengers of S.S. Korea Maru sailing from San Francisco to Honolulu, Hawaii dated 5 November 1920  lists the residence  of Edward and Helene as 2485 Puunui Ave., Honolulu, Hawaii.  

Not long after, however, the Nells were off to take up residence in Manila, Philippines.  On 4 November 1920, Edward J. Nell filed a U.S. Passport Application in San Francisco for the couple’s voyage to Japan, China, and Hong Kong en route to the Philippines on board the S.S. Korea Maru to set up a business which would carry his name.  As described in the passport application, Edward J. Nell was 35 years of age, stood at 5 feet, 10 inches, had a normal forehead, hazel eyes, a straight nose, normal mouth, round chin, brown hair, normal complexion, and an oval face.

As per Manila Telephone Directory of April 1921, the Nells took up residence at 172 Buenavista, now V. Mapa Street, in the  then affluent neighborhood of  Santa Mesa, Manila where the homes of prominent Filipinos & expats  like the Gabaldon, Limjap-Osmena, Montserrat, Cacho, Tuason, Legarda, Bacharach, Pond, Pickett, and Dankwerth families stood and where gentlemen of the Sociedad de Tiro al Blanco gathered together to socialize and organize groups to practice target shooting in surrounding areas like then bucolic San Juan.  

It was in Manila where Edward & Helen’s two sons were born.  Philip Edward Nell on 22 November 1921 and Theodore Francis “Ted” Nell, on 26 April 1923.  The Nells had a comfortable life in Manila with servants to take care of their home and yayas to take care of their children.  In her free time, the sociable and sporty Helen moved in Manila’s social circles and even won trophies in athletic competitions.  The family went on at least two trips to San Francisco in 1924 and 1926, passing by Honolulu en route to Manila in 1924 as per ship manifestos.  After a few years, however,  Edward J. Nell repatriated his wife and sons back to the U.S. in 1928 where they eventually resided at a large estate at 188 Fair Oaks Lane, in the affluent town of Atherton, California.

According to the Souvenir Program for the Inauguration of the New Edward J. Nell Building in 1951, Edward J. Nell Co. was incorporated in late 1920 by Edward J. Nell, junior partner in the H.S. Gray Co., Honolulu,  Chas. A Frances of the same firm, and Otto Walfisch District Sales Manager of the Union Oil Co., Oakland, California.  The company opened for business in Manila in January 1921 and as per listing of the Manila Telephone Directory dated April 1921, was one of the machinery and supply companies in Manila listed in the said directory, along with Atlantic Gulf and Pacific, Inc. (AG&P), Erlanger & Galinger, Inc., Honolulu Iron Works, MacLeod & Co., Pacific Commercial Co., Smith Bell & Co., Warner Barnes & Co., Ltd., and Ynchausti y Cia.  Edward J. Nell Co., Ltd. held office at 426, Kneedler Building at the corner of Rizal Avenue & Carriedo Street and at a former private garage located at 414 Estero Cegado in Quiapo, Manila.  As recounted in Edward J. Nell Co., Ltd.’s Souvenir Book (1951):

“Strangely enough, these unsavory and small quarters (at Estero Cegado) soon became a  gathering place for most of the sugar central engineers while visiting Manila. The first couple of years proved a stern struggle for survival, but as economic conditions improved, the Company prospered. Because of the growing business, the Company had to move to more spacious quarters in 1923.  It occupied the former I. Beck store near corner T. Pinpin and Muelle del Banco Nacional. Sometime in 1925, it acquired the adjoining store space  of Koster & Company,  buying from the latter all its stocks. In 1926, capitalization was increased tenfold–P 500,000.  About this time, Mr. Wallfisch retired and Messrs. (Victor E.) Lednicky, (A.S.) Wells, and (Jose) Concepcion joined the Company. Since then the growth of the Company has been consistent and healthy. It soon became necessary to move to much larger quarters.  The ground floor of the old Casino Español building on the corner of T. Pinpin and Muelle del Banco Nacional was rented for this purpose. But growth of business continued and the company had to move twice to much larger locations. In 1932, then located in new quarters–T. Pinpin and Muelle del Banco Nacional–the Nell Company pioneered  in introducing to the Philippines, air conditioning comfort, a line that acquired tremendous popularity.  Before the outbreak of the war, almost all  of the air conditioning systems were supplied by the Nell Company. Among (these) buildings (with air conditioning supplied by the Nell Company were) Malacañang Palace, Manila Hotel, Avenue Theatre, State Theatre, Elizalde Building, Benguet Consolidated Mining Offices Heacock Building, and the American High Commissioner’s Office. (Not mentioned here were The Republic Theater, Manila Grand Opera House, First National City Bank Building, Manila and Cebu branches, La Estrella del Norte, and L.R. Aguinaldo Department Store, among others.) In 1938, in view of the steady expansion of the Company, the capitalization of the firm was increased from the original Php 500,000 in 1926 to Php 750,000.00. Mr. (Chas. A.) Frances, one of the first incorporators of the Company, retired  in 1939, and was succeeded by Mr. (Victor E.) Lednicky, who later acquired the added title of General Manager. Trying times were again encountered during the early thirties but the Company was in excellent condition to cope with them. Capitalization was again increased substantially.”

Recalling E.J. Nell Co.’s achievements from its founding in 1921 through the 1930s  in an article on the Company featured in The Tribune’s anniversary issue, we quote: 

“The Edward  J. Nell Co. started business in Manila in very modest fashion. In 1921, its  record is one of consistent, solid growth. Probably no concern in the Philippine Islands has had a more interesting story. Transporting a 2000-ton sawmill from the jungles of the Malay States in native boats and erecting one in Southern Luzon. Transporting a large sugar central from Hawaii’s sunny shores to the far end of Negros (Occidental). and dismantling a battleship are just a few of the tasks successfully undertaken by this company during the early stages of its existence. The Nell Co. also supplied and erected all mechanical and electricale quipment in the new government ice plant (the largest in the P.I.) on a basis whereby the entire cost of the same was paid out of savings.  The government could secure no appropriation for purchase at the time. This company has equipped and in many cases erected many of the largest diesel electric plants, pumping stations, sawmills, logging operations, filtration plants, ore-reducting plants, and machine shops in the P.I. During the past few years an air conditioning department has been added to its activities and most of the larger installations in Manila are ‘Carrier’, erected by the Edward J. Nell Co.”

It was perhaps due to his overly busy schedule that Edward J. Nell opted to repatriate his family to the U.S., visiting them only during his frequent trips to San Francisco as can be seen in his numerous travel records from the late 1920s through the 1930s.  Edward J. Nell loved adventure and exploring the Philippines as can be seen in photos from the family album showing him golfing with G-stringed Igorot boys as caddies, hunting big bats, going up the mountains where he encountered dog merchants and mummified human remains in caves.

As recounted in Edward J. Nell Co.’s 1951 Souvenir Program, “at the outbreak of the war, the Nell Company was handling a variety of important contracts.” According to the same source, “the Japanese invasion and subsequent bombings completely destroyed the Company’s main place of business, stocks were confiscated, and most of the records destroyed.  Little remained of the Company in a material sense, but it was wealthy indeed from the standpoint of loyal friends, principals, and staff.  

Over two years before the Japanese Invasion of the Philippines in 1941, Edward J. Nell left Manila on 17 June 1939 aboard a China Clipper which arrived at Treasure Island Airport, San Francisco on 21 June 1939. He was reunited with his family at the family home at 188 Fair Oaks Lane in Atherton, California. Theirs was a life of affluence.  Homes in Atherton had  a minimum lot size of one acre and was exclusively residential.  A 1930 Census listed a Scottish servant and a Swedish gardener while a 1940 census listed four Chinese servants working at the Nell home.

His two boys were now young men. Philip Edward (b. 22 November 1921), was seventeen going on eighteen while Theodore Francis “Ted” (b. 26 April 1923) was sixteen. Both boys attended Sequoia High School where they played baseball and basketball. Philip attended Santa Monica Junior College and would graduate in 1947 with an A.B. Aeronautics degree from the San Jose State College. On the other hand, Theodore Francis “Ted” would later continue his sports activities at Stanford University  where he was president of the Zeta Phi fraternity. As announced in  a newspaper clipping from 1942, both Nell brothers were preparing for service as naval aviators for the U.S. Navy. Both Nell boys  came home safe from WWII.  

On 25 June 1949, a newspaper clipping announced the marriage of Ted Nell to Dorothea Beach, a fellow Stanford University graduate, at the Santa Clara Catholic Church at Oxnard. It was also announced that a home in Manila was in store for the couple, perhaps for Ted to tend to his father’s interest in the Company.  It is not known when Red and Dorothea traveled to Manila.  There is, however, a Pan American Airways Passenger Manifest which records a flight taken by Ted and Dorothea from Honolulu to San Francisco on 20 August 1950.  It is possible that the couple came from Manila and made a stopover in Honolulu before flying back to San Francisco.  Ted later joined his older brother, Philip, who was the newly married to Shirley Galvin, in running Sonoma Wood Products as listed in the 1952 Directory of Santa Rosa, California.  Ted later became a councilman at Atherton.  Philip, on the other hand, pursued a career in Aeronautics at Douglas Aircraft Company based in Santa Monica and Long Beach, California.  Philip passed away on 24 May 2005.

After the war, Edward J. Nell Co. was able to rebuild its business, thanks in large part to its  Pre-War staff who reported for duty the day the Company opened the old warehouse at Calle Arlegui, a fitting tribute to their loyalty and initiative. In 1951, Edward J. Nell and his wife, Helen, traveled to Manila but left before Edward J. Nell Co., Ltd. celebrated  its 30th Anniversary on 1 September 1951.  On the same occasion the Company's headquarters moved to the new Edward J. Nell Co., Ltd. Building, a structure built on the ruins of the old San Ignacio Church in Intramuros, Manila.  Edward J. Nell retained his position as President, Victor Eugene Lednicky as Vice President & Manager, G.H. Wilkinson and A.S. Wells as Vice Presidents, T. Yule as Treasurer, and Jose Concepcion, Sr. as Secretary & Assistant Treasurer.

Edward J. Nell Co., Ltd. took part in reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts in Manila and the rest of the Philippines which was extensively damaged during WWII, especially due to heavy bombings during the Liberation. On 22 June 1957, Republic Act No. 1841 was enacted by the Philippine Congress granting the Edward J. Nell Co. and/or its sister company, The Aircon, Inc., a temporary permit to construct, maintain, and operate private fixed point-to-point and land-based mobile radio stations for the reception and transmission of radio communications within the Philippines.  The Company continued to represent many major foreign construction material and tool manufacturers, machinery and equipment suppliers until it closed down after the retirement of Edward J. Nell as President in 1963  and Jose Concepcion, Sr. as  Secretary & Assistant Treasurer, in 1962.  

Viktor Eugene Lednicky made a big fortune as principal stockholder of Lepanto Consolidated Mining Company. He was the Top Individual Taxpayer in the Philippines in 1966. In 1969, a year before his passing in 1970, he placed second to Mercedes Zobel McMicking, the Zobel family matriarch.  Esteban Tanchauco Caedo, who worked at Edward J.  Nell & Co.’s Carrier air conditioning department, was the first Filipino engineer to specialize in air conditioning technology during the Pre-War Era.  Jose Concepcion, Sr, would  establish Concepcion Industries, Inc. upon his retirement from Edward J. Nell Co., Ltd. in 1962, which would manufacture Carrier air conditioners locally and become one of the top air conditioner brands in the Philippines to date.  

Edward J. Nell passed away on 13 February 1973 at Hoover Pavilion Hospital in Palo Alto, California as reported in his obituaries in the San Francisco Chronicle and The San Francisco Examiner, both dated 16 February 1973. Private viewing was held at the family home at 55 Melanie Lane in Atherton with  the funeral mass held at Crippen and Flynn Woodside Chapel before interment at the Alta Mesa Cemetery in Palo Alto, California.  He was survived by his wife, Helen,  their two sons, Philip and Ted, and six grandchildren. Offerings preferred to the Hanna Boys Center in Sonoma, California, a non-private high school  whose aim was to educate, prepare, and empower students from Grades 9-12 with learning and emotional challenges to help them succeed in school and life by developing their individual talents and gifts.” Starting in life as an immigrant farmer’s son, Edward J. Nell achieved much in his chosen field of business and left a legacy in the history of commerce, construction,  and industry in his beloved adopted country, the Philippines.  

It is indeed fortuitous that ninety five years after they were created and brought to the United States, two rare treasures from Edward J. Nell’s collection of Fernando C. Amorsolo paintings have been repatriated to the Philippines where they truly belong. (IPR)

THE EDWARD J. NELL AMORSOLO

An American Industrialist’s Fruitful Harvest

The Magnum Opus of the Philippines’ First National Artist

Every now and then, Amorsolos come into the art market, seemingly infinite in numbers. But in this magnificent sale, a rarity of a gem finally comes home.

Amorsolo's paintings have always been staples of our auctions. However, an Amorsolo painting is endowed with the virtue of exceptional rarity when it becomes possessed by the "holy trinity," a perfect trifecta of impeccable provenance, a storied pertinence and historical context, and a direct testimonial of authentication by none other than the artist's own flesh and blood.

A Treasure is Repatriated

Ninety-five years after it was painted, the majestic Philippine sunlight has again cast its radiance onto maestro Fernando Amorsolo's 1929 masterpiece Under the Mango Tree. The work at hand is one of the earliest (and perhaps the first) explorations of Amorsolo on this iconic theme, even predating thematically identical paintings like those at the National Museum of the Philippines (1935; GSIS Collection) and the current record-holder for the most expensive Amorsolo sold at auction (Leon Gallery, The Spectacular Mid-Year Auction 2018), the "Conde de Peracamps Under the Mango Tree" (1931).

This 1929 Under the Mango Tree possesses sterling provenance. It came from the collection of Edward Joseph Nell, one of the most prominent American industrialists of the pre-war era and the "Father of Philippine Airconditioning."

Amorsolo’s clients were mostly Americans, who began to rave about and later patronized his works after his landmark and near sell-out solo exhibition in November 1925 at New York’s famed Art Center.

Nell directly acquired the work from Amorsolo and "was a gift to his wife," as writer and expert on personalities and families of the American colonial period, Isidra Reyes, said in a recent interview with Leon Gallery. "1929…was after he sent his family to Atherton. I suspect this Amorsolo piece was a gift to his wife, who I think appreciates it more," Reyes remarked. "Maybe his wife appreciate[d] more the finer things in life like art and decorating their beautiful home in Atherton."

In the Nell archives of family photographs, a picture of Amorsolo sitting in his Azcarraga (now Recto Avenue) home and looking at his painting exists. It is a rare instance that Amorsolo was photographed with his masterpiece. Reyes noted that when Mr. Nell bought the painting, he had likely requested that Amorsolo be photographed with his work as proof of authenticity or purchase. Mrs. Lazo also says that a long time ago, she saw Mr. Nell's name on his father's envelope. "As far as I know, I have seen his name on the envelope written by Papa," she says.

Amorsolo even affixed his full name and address on the back of the work in his handwriting. The work stayed in the Nell family's residence for almost a century. It has remained in pristine condition throughout the decades, and Mrs. Lazo notes that no major restoration has been done to the painting.

Amorsolo’s Under the Mango Tree: Under the Spell of Stellar Success

When Amorsolo painted this work, he had been teaching at the UP School of Fine Arts as a painting instructor. He was the Philippines' most famous painter, an artist par excellence. Echoing the words of critic Alfredo Roces, Amorsolo was referenced and exalted in poems. He was a staple judge of the iconic Manila Carnival, where he also won the top prizes in its art competitions. His name and face were being used in advertisements. His works were on the covers of the most popular magazines circulating at the time.

Fernando Amorsolo was a household name.

A year prior, in 1928, Amorsolo participated in a landmark cultural exhibition at the old Ayuntamiento in Intramuros, showcasing his works alongside those of the legendary masters Lorenzo Guerrero, Luna, Hidalgo, and de la Rosa. Even then, Amorsolo had always been categorized in the same league as the country's most acclaimed painters. In a review of the exhibition published in the June 1928 issue of the Philippine Education Magazine, one of the most prominent pre-war Filipino art critics, Ignacio Manlapaz, praised Amorsolo's art, writing:

"Even [Amorsolo's] very defects become virtues. There is the characteristic spontaneity and freshness that you will look for in vain in the pictures of his contemporaries; the cool, healthy tones, the consummate mastery of form, and the color scheme, which is as original as that of the most original painters; the placidity and naïve frankness of expression, and the appearance of having been painted in cool sunlight. The feminine note…serves to heighten the appeal of this picture."

Writes National Artist for Literature Resil B. Mojares in his article The Formation of Filipino Nationality Under U.S. Colonial Rule, “...in the 1920s, when artists in other Asian countries were still apprentices in Western painting, Amorsolo already mastered it and had succeeded, in his own way, to “naturalize” it. 

The work at hand possesses luscious lighting that complements the lushness of the setting and the details, resulting in palpable naturalness and a harmonious convergence between delicate airiness and organic solidity. Brushstrokes are more vigorous, colors are purer and appear more natural compared to similar works. Thick impastos and broad, textured strokes characteristic of Amorsolo's Golden Period are present. The juxtaposition between light and shadow is very much evident, showcasing Amorsolo's flair in emphasizing the central subject and knowledge of the elements of natural lighting. His shadow areas even ooze with the richness of his colors, a true indicator of Amorsolo’s identity as a master colorist. 

The work's rarity also stems from the fact that it is unusually square in shape.

Mrs. Sylvia Amorsolo-Lazo on her father's masterpiece

In a recent interview with Leon Gallery, Mrs. Sylvia Amorsolo-Lazo, the maestro's daughter, said that upon seeing the painting, memories of her father instantly flashed back. "I will simply say Papa is a genius. And I remember when he paints, it is so easy for him. So easy," she reminisces.

"Definitely, it is my father's work," Mrs. Lazo says. "Actually, this is the first time I have seen it when [Leon Gallery] brought it to my place for verification. But I have seen one in the 1950s, the same thing, but different strokes. So that is why I consider this as a masterpiece among the same painting compositions. The way I see it, all his styles in painting are there. The impasto [is] detailed." Mrs. Lazo also adds that "a simple stroke will define the contour of the anatomy…As you look at the face of the woman, she looks so beautiful."

A Symbol of Filipino Nationalism

Notice how, in this work, the radiance of the sunlight directly illuminates the dalaga and her charming face; she possesses a photographic likeness, a palpable realism. This is Amorsolo's participation in the cultural self-assertion of the '20s, projecting the image of the Filipina to profess the pastoral indigenous as the foundation of Filipino identity amid the relentless surge of Americanized modernity. It is Amorsolo embodying the Filipino civic and cultural nationalism of the first decades of the 20th century that went hand in hand with the debates for the country's independence after four centuries of colonial rule. 

Amorsolo emphasized the Filipinismo of the period (when folk motifs like the kundiman and native dances were being revived, the balagtasan that extolled the virtues of the dalaga rose to fame, and Philippine history and culture were heavily researched by Filipiniana scholars like Teodoro Kalaw) through the dalaga and the tropical sunlight as embodiments of a country whose identity is rooted in the agricultural. After all, land is intrinsically tied to one's culture and identity.

Amorsolo's aggressive interest in pursuing the autochthonous rather than the Americanized seeped through the national consciousness amidst the foreign demand for his works. Mojares writes, "With the fever for things Philippine, Amorsolo's art was everywhere—advertising posters, calendars, magazines, textbooks, postage stamps, even product labels. Few artists contributed as much to the country's stock of "national" images."

Mrs. Lazo said that her father's favorite is the mango tree, for it symbolizes the family. Aside from being a ubiquitous landmark in virtually every corner of the country, the mango tree resonates with the Filipino collective experience. It is a symbol of abundance and fertility, encapsulating the shared struggles and continuing hope of a people for an all-embracing and empowering progress. As critic Alfredo Roces writes in the book Amorsolo, the maestro “gave the nation a sense of confidence in its culture, pride in its beauty, joy in its simple day-to-day living, and graciousness in the face of reality.” (Adrian Maranan) 

By Isidra P. Reyes