ALIX AYMÉ (1894-1989)

Lot 8
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Estimation :
40000 - 60000 EUR
Result with fees
Result : 70 200EUR
ALIX AYMÉ (1894-1989)
Le hamac Lacquer with gold highlights, signed lower right 45.3 x 70 cm - 17 3/4 x 27 1/2 in. Curious and tireless traveler, Alix Aymé has discovered the technique of lacquerware during a trip to Japan. Fascinated by this ancestral Asian practice, she participated in its development by teaching it at the Indochina School of Fine Arts. In this context she wrote a detailed description of this craftsmanship. The different stages of the process are approached in detail, from the sanding of the wood panel to the final rubbing with a fine powder of deer horn, including the application of colors. Her expertise and great mastery are remarkably well illustrated in Le Hamac. Representing two young women, the artist offers here a scene of intimacy. The two figures are relaxing, one on a hammock, the other sitting beside her. The intimate feeling emanating from this composition is reinforced by the models’ bare feet. Although both are approaching a certain serenity, contrasts can be read between the two figures. The woman lying on the hammock with European features is wearing a very Western dress with a flowery fabric. On the other hand, the young indigenous woman sitting on the ground wears a sober traditional dress. The richness of this work lies in its diversity that lacquer technique allows to sublimate skillfully. The colors traditionally used in the realization of lacquer are found: red, black, brown. The beautiful state of conservation allows us to fully appreciate the refinement of this work. The gold highlights sublimate this tropical decoration formed by banana leaves. Thanks to the subtleties made possible by an increased knowledge of this technique, Alix Aymé immortalizes a daily Indochinese scene from the 1940s and contributes to the revival of an ancestral technique.
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