MAI trung THU (1906-1980) Lot n° 232

Jeune femme à la fleur, 1953 Ink and color on silk, signed and dated upper left. In its original frame made by the artist. 26.7 x 19.7 cm - 10 1/2 x 7 3/4 in. Representations of young women are common in the work of Mai Trung Thứ, they are a way for the artist to emphasize the beauty of the female gender of his country. These models respond to the same canons: ebony hair, porcelain complexion, almond-shaped eyes, haughty bearing but also slender and graceful silhouette. These representations are distinguished by the introduction of accessories, ornaments or particular vegetation. In Jeune femme à la fleur, the model meets the usual criteria of beauty. Her face, formed by an elongated oval, is characteristic of the works of the 1950s. She smells the perfume of a flower with a white bell. The flowers composing a flowerbed brighten up the decor which sees the Vietnamese mountains in the background. The composition is done through a soft palette and is enhanced by discreet bright touches. The sleeves and collar of the powder pink áo dài are highlighted with an acid green. The white of the eyes is cyan blue. These bright and vivid colors are a pointer to the palette that Mai Trung Thứ would adopt years later