??Felix Martinez was a painter during the Spanish colonial period of Philippine history. He specialized in creating landscapes and still life portraits, and is considered a formative influence in the pre-Modern period of Filipino art.
??Martinez was born into an affluent Illustrado family and received a classical western education. In this era the Illustrado, the enlightened and educated, were considered the patron of the arts of the country, and Martinez’s paintings often reflect the privileged status of the Illustrados from which he came. In the 1880’s, Martínez was commissioned by the Jesuit order to paint transparent images of Jesuit saints, which were then mounted on the windows of the choir loft and illuminated from within. This images were displayed in the Jesuit church of San Ignacio until they were destroyed. He also painted the interior of the San Sebastian church in Quiapo.
??Felix Martinez's painting style is similar to other contemporary artists such as Simon Flores, Lorenzo Guerrero, and Paz Paterno. Some of his well-known paintings include River Landscape, Conversation by the Window, and Governor Blanco and His Troops, which is held at the National Museum of the Philippines.
Campesina India (Native Peasant) signed and dated 1886 (lower right) watercolor on paper 13 1/4" x 8 3/4" (34 cm x 22 cm) PROVENANCE Private collection, Spain Felix Martinez’s Muse of the Pastoral A Tipos del País for the Landmark 1887 Philippine Exposition Perhaps Felix Martinez is best known for his quaint river scenes of old Manila and its environs and nearby towns and as one of the artist-contributors of the illustrated “Gran edicion” (published between 1877 and 1883) of Fray Manuel Blanco’s landmark book on Philippine botany, Flora de Filipinas. Years after working on Flora de Filipinas, Martinez exhibited his works at the 1887 Exposición General de las Islas Filipinas in Madrid. There, he showcased his ‘Tipos del Pais’ watercolors, which eventually found their home in the collection of Madrid’s Museo Nacional de Antropología. The museum now possesses 19 watercolor tipos del país by Martinez. Of those, sixteen were made in 1886 and the other three in 1887, just in time for the Exposición. Campesina Filipina, which depicts a native peasant dressed in the baro’t saya and delicately clutching a bilao in her left hand, was highly credibly one of those works that Martinez submitted and eventually exhibited at the Exposición. The number of tipos del pais watercolors Martinez created for the Exposición is unknown (The catalog for the Exposición only says "Acuarela de tipos del país" in the list of Martinez's entry to the expo). As such, it can be deduced with veritability that Campesina India is a precious relic of the landmark 1887 Exposición. Ten of the tipos del país in the collection of the Museo Antropologia measure 34 cm by 22 cm; of which the same can be said with the work at hand. Regarding the style, the work at hand bears Martinez’s impressionist-like strokes emphasizing an uncontrived snapshot—the individuality— of the native, in addition to showcasing her wardrobe and undertakings. This style is also highlighted in the Museo’s tipos del país paintings. Furthermore, like most of those in the Museo’s collection, Martinez painted Campesina India in 1886. (Adrian Maranan)
PROPERTY FROM A VERY IMPORTANT PRIVATE COLLECTION Félix Martínez y Lorenzo (1859 - c. 1916) Untitled (View of Nipa Houses on the River) signed and dated 1894 (lower left) oil on canvas 11 1/2" x 8" (29 cm x 20 cm) LITERATURE Benesa, Leo, Alicia Coseteng, Alice Guillermo, Cid Reyes, Dr. Luciano Santiago, M.D., Cesare A.X. Syjuco, Emmanuel Torres, & Paul B. Zafaralla, Ph.D. Art Philippines. Pasig City: The Crucible Workshop, 1992. Full color illustration and painting description on page 76 Master of the Paisaje by LISA GUERRERO NAKPIL Felix Martinez y Lorenzo was part of the generation of Juan Luna and Jose Rizal; a man of reliable and solid talent who would reach his zenith as the acknowledged master of the paisaje or country landscape. He would first make his mark by being selected as one of the elite group of painters for Fr. Manuel Blanco’s La Flora de Filipinas which documented the plants of the Philippine islands in glorious detail. That group included Agustin Saez, the peninsular who headed the Manila academy of art, the young Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo — who would create a sensation by almost besting Saez himself for the honor of limning the cover of the landmark botanical work — and the beloved art professor Lorenzo Guerrero. Martinez would be very much part and parcel of the Manila - Madrid art world : He would be recruited to teach at the Manila Academia’s vocational school, the Escuela de Artes y Oficios de Manila; and would participate in the major expositions organized in Spain as well as in the Philippines. This included the landmark Exposicion General de Filipinas of 1887 staged at the Crystal Palace in Retiro Park to the Exposicion Regional Filipina of 1895 in Manila. Born to a prosperous family of Sta. Cruz, Manila, Martinez is also thought to have even traveled to study at the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in the Spanish capital at his family’s expense. His works are certainly to be found in the country’s national museums. What would distinguish Martinez, contribute to his skill of capturing magical moments on the fly and on the road, and ultimately make him famous was his appointment as the chief illustrator of the highly popular La Ilustracion Filipina, a position he held from 1891 to 1895. The publication was founded by the wealthy Don Jose Zaragoza y Aranquizna, older brother to Martinez’ friend and fellow artist Miguel Zaragoza. Martinez would sharpen his artistry by painting non-stop portraits of the rich and famous (including Ferdinand de Lesseps, builder of the Suez Canal and Minister for the Overseas Colonies Segismundo Moret) as well as vignettes from the news — depicting, for example, the horrendous Tondo fire — as well as facets and characters of Filipino life, such as market scenes, sampaguita and mango vendors, Chinese peddlers, cigar workers on the way to work, and the Christmas Noche Buena and Lenten Season rituals. Vistas of the Philippine countryside were all subjects that fed Martinez’ brush. He would apparently travel as north as Candon, Ilocos Sur and Cagayan to as far south as Zamboanga and all the towns of interest in between, from Magellan’s tomb in Mactan, the Calle Real of Jaro and Capiz, Obando, Negros Oriental, as well as Manila’s Sampaloc, Pandacan and Pasig. In 1894, the year this charming paisaje was painted, Martinez travels would have included Daraga in Albay, Iloilo, and Ilocos. It’s an unusual scene of a rather ramshackle nipa hut built over a wide, deep green river. A woman in a white blouse and red tapis sits on her haunches looking across the river to a covered shed. There are figures swimming in the cool water — their heads bobbing just above the white-capped current. Other persons also outlined in red are busy under a makeshift shed, perhaps drying nets, one sits astride what looks like a carabao (water buffalo.) Upon closer inspection, a large wooden door under an arch covered with vines is on the opposite bank. Two more figures clad in the black robes of Augustinian friars are outside it, one figure stands, the other seems to crouch. On the ground are sheaves being dried; a buoy floats in the river water. There is a small bamboo fence on the side; in the distance, the tall slim bamboo trees reach to the blue sky. It’s a placid scene with many secrets, an insight to the character of the painter as well as the milieu he found himself.
a) Tipos Filipinos (Maestra de Escuela) b) Tipos Filipinos (Banquero de la Barra de Napindan) a) signed (lower left) ca. 1884 b) signed (lower left) ca. 1884 watercolor on paper a) 13 1/2" x 8 3/4" (34 cm x 22 cm) b) 12 3/4" x 8 1/2" (32 cm x 22 cm) PROVENANCE: Mr. Ramon Jordana Y Morera, Forestry Engineer and Inspector General of Forestry in the Philippines, spent many years in the Philippines publishing among others "Bosquejo Geografico Historico Natural del Archipelago Filipino." COMPANION PIECES FROM THE FAMOUS EXPOSITION OF 1887 TIPOS DEL PAIS BY FÉLIX MARTINEZ Y LORENZO by LISA GUERRERO NAKPIL In 1887, Spain’s Overseas Minister Victor Balaguer undertook the Exposicion General de las Yslas Filipinas to ‘maintain ties of knowledge and communication with the nation’s overseas provinces.’ The exposition’s Catalogo Oficial stated that it aimed “to tighten the bond between the Spaniard and his Filipino brother who, younger and weaker, should defer to Spain, the affectionate mother who will bring him civilization and culture”. So wrote the scholar Ramon N. Villegas in the volume “Filipinos in the Gilded Age” published by León Gallery. He added, “The project was not only a cultural or commercial matter, it was intended to project internationally the greatness of Spain, following England which was perceived as the world’s leading power after the Exhibition of 1851, where Joseph Paxton constructed the original Crystal Palace in Hyde Park Gardens. “Other European countries followed England’s lead. In proud structures on wide grounds, imperial powers made ostentatious displays of their colonial treasure troves — precious stones, minerals and metals, exotic flora and fauna with high commercial value, uniquely crafted artifacts made by the “barbarians” themselves dressed in diverse costumes, performing heathen rituals. There were pseudo-scientific presentations of the natives. “Spain had been gradually losing its possessions and with them its economic independence, with foreign capital increasingly gaining control. Spain’s empire, by then had been reduced to Cuba and the Philippines and minor islands like Puerto Rico, the Marianas and the Carolinas. This prompted Balaguer to propose this project as the perfect opportunity to show that Spain was as capable as England to organize a major exhibition on its remaining major colony. “The Philippine Exposition was held at the capital’s Parque or Campo Grande de Retiro. The central building was a Spanish version of the Crystal Palace, designed by Ricardo Velázquez Bosco, influenced by Gothic structures and the market at Les Halles de Paris. “Madrid’s Palacio Cristal served as a giant greenhouse where plants and flowers from the Philippines were grown. When it opened in 1887, a newspaper published this description: “... The Crystal Palace is a cathedral of glass, of classic proportions, on a grassy hill. Its walls are immense and transparent windows supported by Ionic iron columns…and topped by an immense dome, whose height reached 22.60 meters, (around it) the aisles… shelter the grass and towering palms characteristic of the tropical flora of the Philippines. Its majestic cover, of classic taste and Greek style, falls on a terrace surrounded by elegant balusters, and looks at the lake, which extends at its feet like a mirror…” At this exposition, it is known that the artist Félix Martinez y Lorenzo (1859-c.1916) would present a series of ‘Tipos del Pais’ watercolors following the grand tradition begun by Damian Domingo and Justiniano Asuncion. The works would eventually wind up in the care of the Museo Nacional de Antropologia, which has sixteen such works signed in 1886 and two in 1887. The museum also has information that Martinez had sent six other watercolors to Spain in 1883. We can thus surmise that these two works are companion pieces to the works sent to Spain for the milestone exposition. The first is of a pious “Maestra de Escuela”, a schoolmarm wearing a long Spanish lace veil, clasping a prayerbook and a rosary in one hand and an oversized fan in the other. A fine kerchief is tucked into the waist of her overskirt which is worn over fine blue silk. The second is "Banquero de la Barra de Napindan", a boatman of Napindan. Naked to the waist, carrying both an oar and a pole to steer his skiff through the channels of old Taguig, he wears a pointed salakot. Interestingly enough, for Martinez, it would be a particularly favorite landscape to paint : He would later depict them in lithographs for the the ‘elegant publication’ La Ilustracion Filipina, founded by the Zaragoza brothers; as well as in various works portraying similar charming scenes. One was only recently auctioned by this house of the rivulets in the area Félix Martinez was a student of the Manila Academia under Lorenzo Guerrero and there is a record of him traveling to Madrid in 1880 for further studies but not as a scholar of the Ayuntamiento. The following year, he would exhibit a portrait of the then-Governor General of the Philippines, Fernando Primo de Rivera in that capital city’s exposition and it would attract favorable notice from art critics. By 1882, he had returned to Manila and won the first of his various accolades, including a silver medal for a painting of Sta. Teresa de Avila, submitted in time for her 300th death anniversary. He would first attain fame as one of the most prolific painters of the monumental ‘grand edition’ of Manuel Blanco’s Flora de Flipinas. Of the 389 plates, he produced 50 of them. (Lorenzo Guerrero, his mentor, accounted for 40.) It was an elite assembly of talent that included the prize-winning pair of Academia pensionados, Félix Resurrección Hidalgo and Miguel Zaragoza.
Felix Martinez (1859 - 1907) Vista de los Orillas del Rio de Napindan (View of Napindan Channel in Old Taguig) signed and dated 1886 (lower right) oil on canvas 22” x 31” (56 cm x 79 cm) Felix Lorenzo Martinez was a student of the Manila Academia under Lorenzo Guerrero and there is a record of him traveling to Madrid in 1880 for further studies but not as a scholar of the Ayuntamiento. The following year, he would exhibit a portrait of the then-Governor General of the Philippines, Fernando Primo de Rivera in that capital city’s exposition and it would attract favorable notice from art critics. By 1882, he had returned to Manila and won the first of his various accolades, including a silver medal for a painting of Sta. Teresa de Avila, submitted in time for her 300th death anniversary. He would win various religious commissions (such as the Jesuit church of San Ignacio in Intramuros and some of the interiors of the iron cathedral, San Sebastian), but his most noticeable forte was in portraiture as well as in landscapes, for which he attracted a following. He would join the Regional Exposition of 1895 in Manila, where his portraits of the Queen Regent Maria Cristina and her son Alfonso XIII received gold medals. A fine work, entitled, “Governor Blanco and His Troops” is currently housed in the National Museum of the Philippines. Martinez would participate in the Philippine General Exposition in Madrid of 1887, shortly after this work was painted. His skill for landscapes would begin when he first attained fame as one of the most prolific painters of the monumental ‘grand edition’ of Manuel Blanco’s Flora de Flipinas. Of the 389 plates, he produced 50 of them. (Lorenzo Guerrero, his mentor, accounted for 40.) It was an elite assembly of talent that included the prize-winning pair of Academia pensionados, Felix Resurrección Hidalgo and Miguel Zaragoza. And when the Zaragoza brothers founded the ‘elegant publication’ La Ilustracion Filipina, it was Martinez they recruited to contribute illustrations. Several such lithographs of his landscapes of the river Pasig were published there, portraying similar charming scenes where the rivulets meandered. Napindan is a quaint part of old Taguig and its channel is where the Pasig River meets Laguna Bay. It has a historic lighthouse which was said to be a secret meeting place for the Katipunan which Andres Bonifacio preferred as it could be reached easily by banca from Tondo. In the work at hand, a rather capacious thatch hut perches in typical Tagalog fashion on the riverbank — for ‘Tagalog’ is an abbreviation for the tribe’s name of ‘taga-ilog’ or ‘the men from the river.’ Here one sees how life would easily center around the water, the washing of the day hung out to dry in a colorful line; the fisherman plumbing the waters for the day’s meal; and his wife returning home, a child in tow in one hand while balancing a basket of washing in her other. She saunters towards a stony bridge in the still waters. One can see though that the stream is sufficiently deep to moor two narrow boats, which not only provide easy transportation but also possibly a second livelihood. Chickens move placidly through the grass. In the distance, the daybreak’s pink clouds rise above the horizon. The glasslike sheen of the river and the towering palms complete the serenity of this picture.
Felix Martinez (1859-1906 Philippines) ''Hut with Figures'' 1898 Watercolor on Paper 10''x6'' Sight. A scarce early landscape by this Filipino artist. Signed and dated l.l. Framed 18''x14''. Some visible light foxing spots near edges. Not examined outside of framing.
Felix Martinez (1859-1906 Philippines) ''Orillas de Matate'' (Banks of Matate) 1897 Watercolor on Paper 7''x9'' Sight. A scarce early landscape by this Filipino artist. Signed and dated l.l. with title. Framed 15''x17''. A few scattered tiny foxing spots in sky region. Overall excellent condition.
Felix Martinez (1859-1906 Philippines) Hut with Figures 1898 Watercolor on Paper 10''x6'' Sight. A scarce early landscape by this Filipino artist. Signed and dated l.l. Framed 18''x14''. Some visible light foxing spots near edges.
FELIX MARTINEZ LORENZO (Manila, Filipinas 1859-1919) Campesino con gallo y Mujer Tagala pareja de acuarelas sobre papel de 34 x 22 cm. Firmadas y fechadas en Manila, en 1887.y 1884. En el Museo Nacional de Antropología se conserva un conjunto de 17 acuarelas de Tipos Filipinos, de idéntica composición pero medidas diferentes. Más conocido en su faceta de ilustrador para “La Ilustración Filipina”, Félix Martinez y Lorenzo realizó asimismo trabajos de pintura ornamental para la Iglesia de San Sebastian de Quiapo y las vidrieras del coro de la Iglesia de San Ignacio, en Manila, hoy desaparecidas. A partir de la segunda mitad del siglo XIX y como reflejo de las corrientes costumbristas en boga en España y el resto de Europa en general, los pintores filipinos crearon un estilo propio, con representaciones realistas del paisaje, la gente y sus actividades cotidianas, de carácter autócton English Translation FELIX MARTINEZ LORENZO (Manila, Philippines 1859-1919) Campesino con gallo y Mujer Tagala. A pair of watercolors on paper.
