Renowned for his masterful innovations and unparalleled technical dexterity, Pham Hau, was a pioneering lacquer artist who stands at the pinnacle of Vietnam’s modern art movement. Pham Hau graduated from the École des Beaux-Arts de l’Indochine, whose founders aimed to elevate Vietnamese local crafts to the same level of virtuosity, prestige, and reverence as the products of Chinese or Japanese art, so highly sought-after throughout the world. Depicting the verdant landscapes of an ancient pagoda hidden within the rural mountains of Northern Vietnam, the present lot is a mesmerizing rarity, as only one other screen of this motif and perspective has ever appeared on the market.

With an unparalleled grasp of both Eastern and Western artistic principles and philosophies, Pham Hau’s poetic landscape compositions are characteristic of an artist whose technical bravura and supreme craftsmanship are grounded in his sheer admiration for the multi-facets of beauty and nature. Transcending tradition, Pham Hau’s magnificent lacquer screen View of a Famous Old Pagoda’s Landscape in North Vietnam eschews former notions of pure decoration and presents a vision of sheer artistic brilliance.

The tradition of Vietnamese lacquer painting is more than 2,000 years old, dating as far back as the Ly dynasty in the 11th century, and can be traced to the Chinese dynastic powers that governed Vietnam over parts of its history. While the material was historically used in palaces and temples, during the early 20th century, new heights in the medium were reached as it was embraced as a form of artistic expression, reaching its Golden Age in the 1930s and 1940s. This shift was catalysed by the establishment of the École des Beaux-Arts de l’Indochine (EBAI), founded by the French painter Victor Tardieau and Vietnamese artist Nguyen Nam Son. Joseph Inguimberty, recruited by Tardieau, created a course on using lacquer as an artist medium. Pham Hau was amongst the most gifted and first generation of artists who received this highbrow tutelage, challenging existing themes and styles, and imbuing his works with a free emotion and a latent sense of motion.

Highly revered for his naturalist depicts of Vietnam’s idyllic landscapes, Pham Hau captures in glorious detail a distant view overlooking a famous ancient pagoda or imperial palace tucked within the lush forests of Northern Vietnam. Set in the dream-like seclusion of its lustrous surroundings, the golden roofs of the pagoda with their xie shan (resting hill) motifs are indicative of the influence Chinese architecture. Meandering hills in the distant, scattered with black silhouettes of trees form a backdrop of stark simplicity, in contrast to the density of the composition’s foreground. The palatial structure rises from the depths of the rural greenery, an eloquent metaphor that represents peaceful coexistence between mankind and the awe-inspiring presence of nature.

Demonstrating a myriad of aesthetic influences, View of a Famous Old Pagoda’s Landscape in North Vietnam references the principles and design of other Eastern and Western modes of expression. The artist opts to achieve depth and perspective by adding elements layer upon layer, organizing, the composition in a way not dissimilar to Japanese ukiyo-e prints. Visually reminiscent of contemporary Art Deco motifs, the multi-layered play of black, gold, bronze-like elements create a vivid iridescent scene, and reveals the laborious process required of this challenging medium. Pham Hau articulates the subtleties of his divine colour palette, as gold accents, and woody auburns glimmer against the stark black areas of the panels. Even at a distance, the artist delineates the leaves and textures of the overhanging branches, wild ferns, and verdant grasses in painstaking detail. The various flora and fauna native to Vietnam appear to bathe in sunlight, owing the fullness of their form to the artist’s expert handling of tonal variations.

The École des Beaux-Arts de l’Indochine’s curriculum emphasized nature as part of Vietnam’s local artistic tradition, and Pham Hau was one of the most outstanding graduates embraced its fullest potential. The school’s co-founder Nguyen Nam Son explained that nature dominated the golden eras of Chinese paintings, and that “eternal and inexhaustible nature” would continue to be common theme that inspires artists across Europe and Asia. Showcasing the artist’s profound understanding of Vietnam’s natural phenomena and deep culture, Pham Hau’s lacquer screen is a true treasure.

范厚以高超的創新能力和無以倫比的嫻熟技藝聞名遐邇，他是漆畫藝術的先鋒，也是越南現代藝術運動的巨擘。越南漆畫源遠流長，有超過二千年歷史，最早可追溯至十一世紀李朝，亦可溯源自中國王朝勢力統治越南疆土的時期。雖然該材質自古以來廣泛用於宮廷和寺廟上，但到了二十世紀初，這種媒介才作為一種藝術表現形式廣被接受，創出新高度，更在1930年代和1940年代達到了黃金時代。范厚畢業於中南半島美術學院，學院創辦人以提升越南本土手工藝的水平為願景，力求令本土藝術及手工藝臻於精湛，以使其聲譽媲美中國或日本藝術，名揚四海。本作描繪越南北部蔥蔥鬱鬱的山景中一座若隱若現的古老佛塔，畫面引人入勝。這幅漆畫作品不僅精緻，而且非常特殊罕有，市場上歷來僅出現過另一幅具類似主題和視角的屏風畫。

古塔置身於如夢似幻的世外桃源之中，那金色的歇山塔頂可見中式建築的影響。藝術家選擇將元素層層疊加，達致深度和透視效果，這樣的構圖方式與日本浮世繪版畫相去不遠。黑色、金色、古銅色的元素一層一層巧妙地組合起來，畫面斑斕明麗，視覺上讓人聯想到當時流行的裝飾藝術（Art Deco）風格。在本作中，金色的點綴色塊和木類赤褐色在深邃的黑色鑲板上散發微微閃爍的光芒，可見范厚在用色方面的巧妙心思。即使是遠方的葉子、懸枝的紋理、野蕨、青草，藝術家都一一仔細勾勒。越南各類土生草木鳥獸似乎都沐浴在和煦的陽光之下，如此畫面得以呈現，皆歸功於藝術家對色調變化的熟練掌握。

范厚通曉中西方藝術的原則和哲理，揉合兩者之精髓，其風景構圖總是詩意淋漓，意蘊悠長，當中的非凡造詣和超卓的工藝源於他對美、對大自然的敬畏和欣賞。