MOTHER AND CHILD - Tranh Lê Phổ Signed in English and Chinese and stamped with a seal of the artist Ink and gouache on silk 46.5 by 38 cm.; 18 1/4 by 15 in. Catalogue Note Le Pho’s first encounter with Madonna and Child was during a visit to Europe in 1931, as an assistant to the head of the Hanoi École des Beaux-Arts, Victor Tardieu. He travelled to France, Italy, Germany and Belgium, where he paid numerous visits to cathedrals and monasteries, admiring their treasures of sacred art. His travels to Europe inspired and influenced him to explore different subject matters and techniques. Le Pho interprets religious-themes as a representation of the relationship between a Vietnamese mother and child instead of portraying Virgin Mary and the infant, Jesus. Upon leaving his comfortable post as a lecturer at the École des Beaux-Arts Hanoi, in 1934, one of his first achievements was to master the technique of silk painting. Placing a fine sheet of Japanese pongee silk on cardboard, Remy glue is then eliminated by pushing it through the edges of the silk, which is then dried overnight before gouache and ink is applied. Mother and Child (Lot 270), executed in the late 30s and early 40s is an excellent pattern of Le Pho’s expertise with the medium. With intricacy, the artist resembled Eastern traditions in the use of Chinese calligraphy to outline his figures with a Western perception. Le Pho has employed soft and pastel-toned palettes into his silk paintings. Mastering the art of silk painting techniques, the artist expresses both the subtle pellucidity and brilliance in texture and contour. Le Pho’s ink and gouache on silk interpretation of the Madonna and Child became arguably one of the artist’s most fascinating subject matters, not only because of their rarity and exceptional technique, but also because of the uniqueness of each painting. Le Pho has probed into portrayals of motherhood continually in his oeuvre, emphasizing a diverse impression in each different work. As a result, each composition is infused with its own spirit and relationship, drawing the viewer’s attention to his articulation, richness and complexity of his paintings. Layered with themes of divinity, motherhood, hope, Western influence and Indochinese identity – these elements firmly establish Mother and Child as one of Le Pho’s masterpiece works of Vietnamese Modern Art.
Posted on: Mon, 15 Dec 2014 20:41:34 +0000
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