Teodoro Buenaventura (1863 - 1950)
A Countryside Dawn
signed and dated January-14-1938 (lower right)
oil on canvas
20" x 30" (51 cm x 76 cm)

PROPERTY FORMERLY FROM THE DON J. ANTONIO ARANETA COLLECTION



LITERATUREDuldulao, Manuel D. The Philippine Art Scene. Maber Books, Inc.Manila. 1977. Full color photograph on page 242; Cataloguedin the caption on page 244.

Teodoro Buenaventura discovered his aptitude for painting when he was still a child, creating pen and ink landscapes of his home province, Bulacan. Buenaventura was left fatherless at 14, leaving him to fend for himself. From his native Paombong, he came to Manila to pursue a decent livelihood. The wealthy mother of his employer, Ramon Salas, discovered his artistic flair and sponsored his studies at the famed Escuela Superior de Pintura, Escultura y Grabado in Manila. Buenaventura rose to prominence as a painter-mentor during the twilight of the Spanish colonial era and the subsequent subjugation of the country under a new imperial power. Several prestigious art competitions recognized Buenaventura's prowess, including winning a bronze medal at the Exposition Regional de Filipinas (1895) and a silver medal at the Asociación Internacional de Artistas exhibition (1908). In 1899, Buenaventura opened his portrait shop in San Jose de Trozo. Buenaventura instituted the Academia de Dibujo in his house in Magdalena Street, Trozo. Several of his students would later emerge as celebrated painters, such as Serafin Serna, Tomas Bernardo, and Mauro Malang Santos. Buenaventura was one of the founding teachers of the UP School of Fine Arts. He was appointed instructor in elementary drawing, where he was deeply beloved by his students. He taught at the university until 1935. Landscape painting was Buenaventura's métier. His depictions of the Philippine countryside, which were perceived directly from nature, exhibit his attention to detail. Buenaventura accurately renders the transience of light in a natural setting, as shown by the varying degree of illumination in specific areas of the canvas. The Second World War wreaked havoc on many of Buenaventura's masterpieces. However, several small-sized landscapes and genre pieces, such as the work at hand and one of the artist’s early works, survived the ravages of the war. These works bestow a visual prospect of the legacy of one of the country's undisputed masters of classical realism. (A.M.)