FABIAN DE LA ROSA
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Biography of Fabian Cueto De La Rosa (1869-1937)
Fabián de la Rosa was a Philippine artist who was educated in Europe and went on to create elegant portraits and masterfully painted scenes of Philippine life. A deeply cultured man who once said that he liked to “brood long and lovingly” as he worked, Fabian de la Rosa is remembered as a leading educator and as a mentor to the remarkable generation of artists who benefitted so profoundly from his graceful and forward-looking art.
Artist Fabian Cueto De La Rosa was born in Manila on the 5th of May, 1869. He was the second child of Marcos de la Rosa and Gregoria Cueto De la Rosa received his first art lessons from an aunt, Mariana De La Rosa, at the age of 10. He enrolled at the Escuela de Bellas Artes y Dibujo under Agustin Saez but dropped out after three years. In 1893 he enrolled in the Escuela Superior de Pintura. Later, he also took painting lessons from Lorenzo Guerrero and Miguel Zaragoza.
On January 13th, 1900, Luna married Gorgonia Tolentino. The couple never had children, but their orphaned nephews Pablo and Fernando Amorsolo were very close to them and Fabian mentored them in painting. In 1908 the Germinal Cigar Factory sent De la Rosa to Europe as a scholar. The schools he attended included the Academie Julian in Paris. Upon his return to Manila, he became one of the first faculty members of the University of the Philippines (UP) School of Fine Arts.
During the period of 1927 through 1937, De la Rosa served as the School of Fine Art’s director. In 1928, taking leave from his position, he sailed to Europe for the second time accompanied by his wife. He painted in Paris for four months and then traveled to Munich, Geneva, Rome, and Madrid.
De La Rosa’s works can be divided into three styles or periods.
De la Rosa’s initial style is academic, and features carefully rendered figures including many formal portraits. The second period, which includes works De La Rosa executed in Europe, shows a transition from strong outlines to a softer, more atmospheric style. He was influenced by French painting and admired the realism of Gustave Courbet. De la Rosa also painted a number of sensual female nudes. In his later works De la Rosa emphasized the play of colors in favor rather than focusing on form and space. His subjects were often Filipinas dressed in ethnic costumes posing both indoors and outdoors. He also painted scenes of modern Philippine life as it became more westernized.
De la Rosa is considered a pioneering and important Philippine artist, as his European training and masterful brushwork raised the bar for the artists that followed. So did his depictions of characteristic Philippine subjects and landscapes. Called a “Gentleman Artist” by his friends he was the leading Philippine genre painter of the first half of the twentieth century.
In 1937 the artist’s wife Gorgonio died of cancer and he was left living alone, suffering from kidney disease. Fabian de la Rosa died on December 15, 1938 in his Manila apartment.
Fabián de la Rosa was a Philippine artist who was educated in Europe and went on to create elegant portraits and masterfully painted scenes of Philippine life. A deeply cultured man who once said that he liked to “brood long and lovingly” as he worked, Fabian de la Rosa is remembered as a leading educator and as a mentor to the remarkable generation of artists who benefitted so profoundly from his graceful and forward-looking art.
Artist Fabian Cueto De La Rosa was born in Manila on the 5th of May, 1869. He was the second child of Marcos de la Rosa and Gregoria Cueto De la Rosa received his first art lessons from an aunt, Mariana De La Rosa, at the age of 10. He enrolled at the Escuela de Bellas Artes y Dibujo under Agustin Saez but dropped out after three years. In 1893 he enrolled in the Escuela Superior de Pintura. Later, he also took painting lessons from Lorenzo Guerrero and Miguel Zaragoza.
On January 13th, 1900, Luna married Gorgonia Tolentino. The couple never had children, but their orphaned nephews Pablo and Fernando Amorsolo were very close to them and Fabian mentored them in painting. In 1908 the Germinal Cigar Factory sent De la Rosa to Europe as a scholar. The schools he attended included the Academie Julian in Paris. Upon his return to Manila, he became one of the first faculty members of the University of the Philippines (UP) School of Fine Arts.
During the period of 1927 through 1937, De la Rosa served as the School of Fine Art’s director. In 1928, taking leave from his position, he sailed to Europe for the second time accompanied by his wife. He painted in Paris for four months and then traveled to Munich, Geneva, Rome, and Madrid.
De La Rosa’s works can be divided into three styles or periods.
De la Rosa’s initial style is academic, and features carefully rendered figures including many formal portraits. The second period, which includes works De La Rosa executed in Europe, shows a transition from strong outlines to a softer, more atmospheric style. He was influenced by French painting and admired the realism of Gustave Courbet. De la Rosa also painted a number of sensual female nudes. In his later works De la Rosa emphasized the play of colors in favor rather than focusing on form and space. His subjects were often Filipinas dressed in ethnic costumes posing both indoors and outdoors. He also painted scenes of modern Philippine life as it became more westernized.
De la Rosa is considered a pioneering and important Philippine artist, as his European training and masterful brushwork raised the bar for the artists that followed. So did his depictions of characteristic Philippine subjects and landscapes. Called a “Gentleman Artist” by his friends he was the leading Philippine genre painter of the first half of the twentieth century.
In 1937 the artist’s wife Gorgonio died of cancer and he was left living alone, suffering from kidney disease. Fabian de la Rosa died on December 15, 1938 in his Manila apartment.