MAI trung THU (1906-1980) Lot n° 225

Grand-mère, 1976 Ink and color on silk, signed and dated upper right, titled on the back. In its original frame, made by the artist 22 x 47 cm - 8 5/8 x 18 1/2 in. Although Mai Trung Thứ is one of the artists of the Indochina School of Fine Arts who is most consistent in his choice of subjects, his style has evolved over the years. The silhouettes began to simplify in the 1950s, the faces became rounder and the backgrounds gave way to neutrality. These changes were reinforced in the 1960s and are particularly evident in the works of the 1970s.  Grand-mère, made in 1976, is also marked by a different vision of colour. These were the years of bright, acidic tones. Thus, pink, blue and orange shimmer cheerfully in the composition, while the background, brushed with a blue-green gradation, contributes to highlighting this colourful palette. If the treatment of the subject is marked by the evolution of the artist’s style, the subject itself is characteristic of his corpus. Marked by the Confucianism reigning in his native country, filial piety appears as a central value. The inter-generational bond but also the respect of the ancestors are thus regularly evoked in his work. In the ink and colours on silk presented for sale, a grandmother is surrounded by her two granddaughters. With her benevolent smile, she seems to be watching over the next generation. The daughters listen attentively to the wisdom of their elder. The clothing marks the different generations. The children wear a simple tunic while the grandmother wears a more traditional outfit: the áo dài. The grandmother’s outfit is very charming: a pearl necklace with two coloured buttons enhances her outfit. Mai Trung Thứ perfectly captures Vietnamese values and brings them to light through a unique style composed of a training halfway between East and West but also of a singular vision where colour has its importance.