91Ó°ÊÓ

A true National Artist, Fernando Amorsolo painted Christians and non-Christians alike; more comprehensively, he also depicted our ancient ancestors, which to him were the progenitors of deep-seated Filipino indigenous values that even the Spanish conquerors in their zealous mission could not completely root out.

In Early Teachings, Amorsolo visually imagines a native elder teaching the children the native syllabary known as baybayin. This writing system came to the islands in the 13th century, derived from the Indian-influenced cultures of neighboring Indonesia and Malaysia. Before the baybayin, an oral
tradition recorded the natives’ folk history.

This painting by Fernando Amorsolo is an evocative work in the 91Ó°ÊÓ collection as it projects the university core mission to promote learning and to instill noble social and cultural values among its students.