Early paintings of the Filipina almost always depict her as a shy, sweet demure lady, dressed in embroidery-embellished baro’t saya, adorned with her jewelry pieces. In her fair hands, she holds a fan—for fluttering, fanning and for hiding her smile. For years, this was the stereotype image of her—until artists looked for other painting inspirations that showed her differently.
The rise in popularity of ethnic type paintings afforded the adventurous artist more leeway in presenting the Filipina. It was a movement that flowered in the 50s, partly fuelled by the tourism industry, which drove interest for portrait paintings of ethnic minorities, in their colourful, native attire.
Suddenly, it was alright to paint her as an ethnic princess, dressed in her native—and skimpy-- outfit, showing more skin, her delicate parts covered only in beads. Unlike her urbanized sister, this ethnic Filipina displays a more tempered mien, ranging from a controlled smile to a serious, stern, almost willful expression, Soon, variations of the portrait paintings cropped up—and one enduring image that emerged was that of the Warrior princess.
One famous painting came from the brush strokes of Antonio Dumlao---“Princess Urduja”—the fabled royalty from Pangasinan. In this 1955 prize-winning masterpiece, the princess is arrayed like a warrior—bare-breasted, her right hand clutching the handle of a kampit, the left, on her narrow waist. She stands proudly with her head and chin up, her eyes merely slits, her lips pursed—an intimidating sovereign, indeed. Yet, her delicate, feminine side can be gleaned from her adornments—strings of colored beads on her chest, circlet earrings, bangles and bracelets, feathers and gold beads on her hair, and a woven wrap-around for a skirt. The princess cuts a striking figure, but exuding sensual power.
A rush of artists quickly replicated this new representation of the Filipina – a perfect combination of beauty and brawn, strength and softness. Cesar Amorsolo (Jan. 1912-1998) was one such painter who helped perpetuate the image of the ‘’Warrior Princess”. Amorsolo was born in Manila, and was educated at the University of the Philippines, earning in Fine Arts degree in 1934. He was the son of Alejandro Amorsolo, whose brother was the National Artist Fernando Cueto Amorsolo.
The painting of ethnic types was not new to him; in fact, he was well known for painting them in pastel. He became a member of the Academy of Philippine Artists, and he achieved a measure of success when his works were included in the Travelling Art Exhibition sponsored by the Dela Rama Shipping Co. Inc.
This large painting on canvass, dated 1956, shows a seated young bronzed beauty, naked , saved for her beads, bracelets and loincloth. Her styling is similar to the work of Dumlao, right down to her kris in one hand. Her left hand holds a native hat. But unlike Dumlao’s Urduja, this nubile princess stares directly at the viewer with steely, scheming eyes. Such power does her gaze hold!
The lighting effect is outstanding in this artwork, echoing the sunlit canvass o his famous artist-uncle. The glint of the sun bathes the flawless kayumanggi skin of the subject in a wash of golden ochre. The monotone background of clay tapayans (jars), coconuts, nipa walls and bamboo flooring set off the browned, burnished complexion of our warrior princess.
Amorsolo’s take on the Warrior Princess has become my favorite midcentury piece, for its sheer artistic qualities, a fine Filipiniana piece when an artists’s talent was measured in terms of his technical skills—in his ability to draw beautifully the human form, to replicate realism and to illuminate his work with his palette of colors.
