Le Pho (1907-2001) Lot n° 243

Femme à la robe verte et enfant, sur la table un bouquet jaune Oil on canvas, signed lower left 65.5 x 81 cm - 25 3/4 x 31 7/8 in. A leading artist of the Indochina School of Fine Arts, Lê Phổ distinguished himself throughout his career through three periods. Femme et enfant au bouquet au jaune (Woman and Child with a Bouquet in Yellow) belongs to the third and last period, known as the « Findlay » period. It was in this period, from the mid-1960s onwards, that the artist worked almost exclusively with the Findlay Gallery. During these years, his style was marked by a number of developments that are reflected in the work on sale. The relatively large format is new. Lê Phổ has acquired a practice that gives him a certain confidence and allows him a broader gesture. The most striking innovation came with the discovery of the Impressionists. Lê Phổ rediscovered bright and joyful colour. Thus, buttercup yellow blends with aniseed green and is integrated with tangerine orange. More pastel shades are integrated: opaline green and dragee blue soften and harmonise the composition. The influence of the French movement can also be seen in the choice of technique. Abandoning silk, the artist uses a more Western medium: oil on canvas. This medium allows him to revisit his touch, which is broader and plays on the differences in materials. Although Femme et enfant au bouquet au jaune is marked by a renewal of the artist’s style, certain elements common to all periods are also found. The composition of figures moving around a large bouquet is characteristic. The young woman and the little boy with Vietnamese profiles, but also the type of vase or flowers, can be found in other works. The curtain’s transparency is reminiscent of his early works when ink and colours on silk were favoured. A talented artist open to artistic innovations, Lê Phổ has never ceased to enrich his work and thus offers a unique work at the crossroads of influences but marked by his singularity