MAI TRUNG THU (1906-1980)

Lot 34
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Estimation :
30000 - 50000 EUR
Result with fees
Result : 322 600EUR
MAI TRUNG THU (1906-1980)
Composition à l’hortensia, 1955 Ink and color on silk, signed and dated lower left, in the original frame made by the artist 60.5 x 45.5 cm - 23 3/4 x 17 7/8 in. Mai Thrung Thu, the most famous pupil of the first class of the Indochina School of Fine Arts, is known for his representations on silk of graceful young women and playful children. A Vietnamese painter who has experienced the many wars raging in his country, he is nonetheless a proud and committed artist. Composition à l’hortensia illustrates this ambivalent technique of the painter. The unusual subject for the artist is in line with the continuity of classical still life. A hydrangea in a pot, a vase and books are placed on a typically Asian carved wooden piece of furniture. Mai Thu’s mastery of the brush evokes the grace of nature, the renewal of vegetation through this flower with superbly represented pink petals. The fabric under which the vase is disposed reminds the delicacy of Asian embroidery. However, beyond this apparent simplicity, the painter manages to instill a slight ideological dimension. Indeed, the highlighted book titled «Doi Song Moi» stands as a symbol of the patriotic cause. Written by Ho Chi Minh, founder of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, this book, which could be translated «New Life», sheds light on the principles to be adopted by citizens. Appreciated by the artistic community, the new regime redefined the role of the artist which had to support the national cause through a patriotic artistic production that served as a propaganda tool. Marked by the French colonization but also by the Japanese imperialism, Vietnam wishes to build its own identity. If the new students of the School of Fine Arts have integrated these precepts into their artistic expressions, the first generations evoke differently their adherence to the popular cause. Thus, in Composition with Hydrangea, Mai Thrung Thu does not deny the Western heritage of his apprenticeship but represents it in conjunction with his origins. Created in 1955, one year after Vietnam’s independence, the artist proudly displays his convictions even though he lived in France, and contributed in his own way to the support of his country of origin.
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