Le Pho

Private Collection, USA

The work is in good condition overall. Upon close observation, there is evidence of light wear and handling on the edges of the painting, along with minor foxing on the right cheek and neck of the woman. Examination under ultraviolet light shows minor spots of restoration sprinkled on the curtain (right margin), breast, neck (near collar), shoulder and arm areas (left register), bottom register (near the wrists), along with associated paint loss on the top right corner, the drape of the headdress (near white flowers) and on the back of the infant's head. The condition is not visible with the naked eye. Framed, under Plexiglas.
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Throughout Le Pho’s career, women have featured prominently within the artworks. Complimented by the natural landscape, the foliage and wildlife accentuating the delicate beauty and grace of his subjects, it may be said that the paintings are the artist’s continuous exploration of the feminine mystique. The present painting aptly titled Maternité (Maternity) is reflective of these studied motifs.

Le Pho is respected for his influence upon the Vietnamese modern art movement that emerged during the early 20^th century, notably for his mastery with silk as a desired medium. While painting on silk is uniquely Vietnamese, Le Pho’s skill with the material transformed the art form, and had a lasting impact upon the country’s artistic legacy. Maternité (Maternity) reveals the artist’s refined technique of painting upon the fabric, the texture of the silk enhancing the delicacy of the bond that is being depicted.

It should be noted that many of the artist’s portrayals of women were painted on silk, a deliberate pairing that served to intensify the natural grace of the women, and emphasize their luminous beauty. The works Elegant Lady Pouring Tea (Fig. 1) and The Three Bathers (Fig. 2) both emphasize the artist’s desired aesthetics. Thus the women are made aware of their role as objects of adoration. However in this light, the present work may be a quiet divorce from these favoured aesthetics. Though a woman inhabits the painting, it is her role as a mother that is celebrated, rather than the sensuality of her feminine being.

Well versed in classical Western iconography, the present piece further references his artistic education with foreign styles and symbols. Reminiscent of the Virgin Mary nursing the baby Jesus, a relationship that has largely inspired much of the Western artistic cannon, Maternité (Maternity) alludes to this maternal bond between a mother and her infant son. Similar with Leonardo da Vinci’s painting Mother and Child (Madonna Litta) (Fig. 3), Le Pho has appropriated this choice pairing within the domestic scene of his own work.

This connection between the woman and her child, and conversely, the relationship between the artist and his subjects, comes alive within the words of the Vietnamese poet Ho Xuan Huong (1772–1822): “Peekaboo we used to play; my hands covered my face, your hands covered your face, incredible, there we were gone. That is what we play now, your hands on my face and my hands on your eyes. Incredible how we disappear into each other”¹. Le Pho’s painting perfectly exemplifies the primal connections which defines human existence.

Maternité (Maternity) provides a rare glimpse into the artist’s cultural values, for Le Pho has chosen to portray a woman in the intimate act of nursing her child. Though motherhood is a frequent theme in his oeuvre, the relationship has been rarely featured in such a manner. The way the boy’s outstretched hand clutches the curtain, with his eyes tightly closed, demonstrates the artist’s ability to transform a moment of domestic contentment into a universal exchange of compassion.

¹ Ho Xuan Huong, Poems, “Day and Night”, PoemHunter.com- The World’s Poetry Archive, 2012, p. 6.