Arguably the most iconic subject in Amorsolo’s body of work is the Filipina

woman, as shown in this oil on canvas, Dalagang Bukid. Here, the Philippine

provincial lass is shown smiling as she holds a clay jar, a vessel of water that is

seen as a symbol of innocence and fragility. This is a reference to the song

popularized by National Artist Atang de la Rama in the sarswela “Dalagang

Bukid.”

The Fish Vendors painting by Anita Magsaysay-Ho is part of the postwar era and is featured in the upcoming exhibition, A Synergy of Ventures: The Postwar Art Scene, which will be open from September 16, 2024, to July 12, 2025, at the Ateneo Art Gallery. This exhibition commemorates the Fernando Zóbel Birth Centennial and focuses on the development of Philippine modern art from the years following World War II through the 1960s. The collection includes key works donated by Fernando Zóbel between 1959 and 1965. 

The orange of dusk paints the sky, clouds colored in soft pastel hues. They

serve as the backdrop to the fishermen preparing to set sail in the receding

tide for what may be their last trip of the day. Beyond the reclaimed shores, a

dark storm gathers, ominously breaking the sunlight and obscuring the

seafarers’ way. Nonetheless the men push their boat off the sandbank. We

see here then the fishermen as embodiments of determination – indomitable spirits charging forward in spite of the storms of circumstance.

The birth of "Hope in the Ruins of Manila" was mournfully quelled

by the palpable anguish and sadness, pain, suffering, and tragedy of

Armosolo upon witnessing the various scenes in the city, valiantly capturing

stories of heroism, suffering, and courage in the face of such adversity

firsthand between innocent Filipinos and Japanese occupational forces. 

On the other hand, the central figure in the foreground

is a Filipina lady cradling a baby protectively to her bosom and comes across

as moving forward, standing proudly and tall as a symbol of hope and

bravery conquering hardship.