MAI trung THU (1906-1980)

Lot 12
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Estimation :
100000 - 150000 EUR
Result with fees
Result : 297 080EUR
MAI trung THU (1906-1980)
Pommes, 1959 Ink and color on silk, signed and dated lower right 30 x 30 cm - 11 3/4 x 11 3/4 in. The apple is a rich subject of painting, from the classics to the moderns, playing with the relationship between art and reality. As a subject of observation, it is, according to the art history, a real tool in the training of the artist. It educates the eye and the mind of the painter, who tries over the centuries to represent it as faithfully as possible to reality. Henri Fantin-Latour, Caravaggio, Picasso, Cézanne, or Magritte, all explore in their own way this fruit, which has become an everyday object. They declined it in all its forms through vanitases, still lifes or contemporary sculptures... The painter Odilon Redon said «The art of painting lies, for those who know how to paint, in an apple, at the corner of a table. To paint an apple, what could be more stupid! However, in order to turn this simple object into something that will rise to the level of beauty, the painting will have to be whole, solid, soft, rich and substantial.»1 Here, Mai Trung Thứ offers his personal vision of the apple still life, applying his ink strokes on the delicacy of the silk. This figure allows us to perceive the painter’s gentle vision of the apple’s traditional aesthetic. Placed on an octagonal dish of a luminous yellow, one half of the apple hides the edge of the blade, and two others in the background serve to balance the composition. Mai Thứ emphasizes the delicacy of the fruit with a simple line. When a careful eye focuses on the details of his works, this apparent simplicity does not hide the master’s art for long. The rendering of fundamental forms through clear lines and the careful use of color and ink on silk are attributes that are unique to Mai Thứ’s work. The lines are asserted in black ink, while the degrees of coloring and tones are subtle and delicate, contrasting with the neutral backgrounds of his works.
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