MAI TRUNG THỨ (1906-1980)

Lot 2
Go to lot
Estimation :
250000 - 350000 EUR
Result with fees
Result : 360 880EUR
MAI TRUNG THỨ (1906-1980)
Mélodie, 1950 Ink and color on silk, signed and dated lower left, titled on reverse. In its original frame made by the artist 19 5/8 x 24 in. Mai Thu is an accomplished artist. He plays the độc huyền, a typical Vietnamese single-stringed musical instrument, which he regularly incorporates into his compositions. It is therefore understandable to find a wide variety of works depicting female musicians among those of the artist. In the composition we present, Mai Trung Thứ depicts two seated figures against a brown, almost plain background. The girl is playing the đàn nguyệt (lunoline), which is a Vietnamese two-stringed zither. The skilfully chosen tones are discreetly echoed and form a joyful composition. If the interpretation of this work is based on the artist’s native culture, he also manages to infuse it with multiple Western references. Indeed, due to his apprenticeship at the School of Fine Arts in Indochina, but also impregnated with the European techniques, Mai Trung Thứ incorporates the know-how of his adopted continent. The delicacy of the fabric lets perceive by transparency, the clothing of the character. Tea time, a moment of sharing and serenity, holds an important place in Asian culture, illustrated here by the presence of the small porcelain service and the wooden tea boat. Structured around the melody, the work here painted is the symbiosis of Western painting with the origins of Mai Trung Thứ, demonstrating once again the virtuosity of the artist. Anxious to offer a work of art in its entirety, Mai Trung Thứ attaches great importance to the realization of the framing, which he often does himself. As a craftsman and artist, Mai Trung Thứ fully masters the precepts of his training, which he has been able to surpass and put at the service of his artistic convictions. MAI TRUNG THỨ Born in 1906 near Haïphong, Mai Trung Thứ attended the French high school in Hanoi. Like Lê Phổ, Vũ Cao Đàm and Lê Văn Đệ, he was a member of the first class of the Indochina School of Fine Arts, founded and directed by the painter Victor Tardieu. Invited to participate in the 1931 Colonial Exhibition, Mai Thu discovered France. Falling under the spell, he settled there in 1937 and remained until the end of his life. Although he was strongly influenced by the artistic education he received from Tardieu and Joseph Inguimberty, he was the one of his comrades who retained the deepest Vietnamese identity. Mai Thu devoted himself to gouache or ink on silk, typically Asian processes that allowed him to develop an art rich in reminiscence of traditional Chinese and Vietnamese art. As an independent artist, he is no less committed and concerned about the future of his country
My orders
Sale information
Sales conditions
Return to catalogue