Le Pho (1907-2001) Lot n° 237

Composition aux sept bouquets de fleurs, circa 1960-1970 Oil on canvas, signed lower right 90 x 116 cm - 35 3/8 x 45 5/8 in. If the work of the Aix-en-Provence master Cézanne inspired Picasso, who referred to him as « the father of us all », it also resonated with Lê Phổ. The Cézanian lesson, and more particularly his approach to perspective, can be found in Composition aux fleurs. Various bouquets are thus arranged on a carelessly drawn tablecloth. The vases’ accumulation and arrangement suggests perspective more than it imposes it. A piece of fabric but also a piece of wood complete the decor in a deceptively careless way. Indeed, if rubbeckias, sunflowers, dahlias and camellias seem to mingle in a joyful mess, the composition is perfectly studied. A brilliant student of the first class of the Indochina School of Fine Arts, Lê Phổ has continued to perfect his brushstroke over the years. His discovery of the Impressionists in France in the 1930s brought to his work a colorful and joyful palette that he did not have in his first period. Yellow, orange, red, green, pink bloom like these buds in flower. His lively and spontaneous touch brings this composition to life while the use of oil allows for a more ample creative gesture. Realized on a large format, the artist’s creativity can express itself and encourages the full use of the medium. Like the greatest painters, Lê Phổ revisits the classic still life composition and testifies to its essential role in the renewal of Vietnamese Art History