MAI trung THU (1906-1980) Lot n° 247

Jeunes enfants chuchotant, 1972 Ink and color on silk, signed and dated upper left. In its original frame made by the artist. 6.3 x 20.5 cm - 2 1/2 x 8 in. Made in 1972, Jeunes enfants chuchotant (Young Whispering Children) is one of those works where Mai Trung Thứ’s individuality shines through the most. The success he enjoyed from the end of the 1950s onwards, thanks to the Apesteguy gallery which represented him, enabled him to make a decent living from the sale of his works, which were set at a certain price. Attached to the democratization of his art, he did not neglect the smaller formats which remained more accessible to a larger number of collectors. These small formats such as the one on sale present the same attention to detail and refinement as the larger formats.  Proud of his singularity, the artist takes up a theme that is dear to him: children. Often depicted playing, full of innocence, these children were consecrated in 1963 during an exhibition organised by Jean-François Apesteguy « Les enfants de Mai-Thu » at the Galerie du Péristyle. Almost ten years after this exhibition, the artist is still inspired by this theme. In Jeunes enfants chuchotant, a little boy holding the central position of the composition whispers to his right-hand friend while pushing aside the child on his left who is prying. A little girl to the left of the subject seems saddened not to be included in the whispering. Mai Trung Thứ captures here a moment of life, a childlike spontaneity. The faces are not very individualised, the characters being differentiated by the colour of their tunics. The little girl also stands out by the shape of her dress and hairstyle. The subtly selected palette gives meaning to the reading of the composition and highlights the contrasts. The brighter colours are characteristic of the post 1970s. The discreetly blurred background is sober and neutral, but the gradation of colours suggests the sky behind a touch of blue, while the green recalls the grass. A painter of detail, Mai Trung Thứ meticu - lously depicts certain elements such as the hands, the eyes or the mouth. His sense of attention also goes into the making of the frame, which he does himself, making Jeunes enfants chuchotant a work to be considered in its entirety