Lee Man Fong

This work is in good overall condition as viewed. There is evidence of very minor wear along the edges of the work due to abrasions with the frame, but this does not affect the overall image. There is craquelure across the surface of the painting, only visible under bright light and extremely close inspection, but this is very stable and consistent with the age of the work. Examination under ultraviolet light reveals some areas of restoration primarily in the background of the upper right corner and the lower quadrant of the painting. However this is only visible under ultraviolet light. Framed.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
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Lee Man Fong was born in the province of Guangdong but spent six years in Europe before settling in Southeast Asia for most of his adult life. From his experience overseas, Lee achieved mastery of traditionally Western materials and pigments, but remained attached to his Chinese heritage, infusing his paintings with an essence that was unmistakably Eastern. He managed to utilize tradition without being bound by it, developing a fresh style that was uniquely his and using it to depict a young dancer in the present piece, eulogizing the long cultural legacy of the Indonesian isles.

Throughout his time in Indonesia, Lee Man Fong found particular inspiration in the local arts and handicrafts that defined village life. Women featured prominently in his oeuvre, for he was fascinated by their elegance and grace, qualities that were repeatedly defined in his paintings. The present work Legong Dancer continues in this vein, with the artist choosing to capture the woman’s hand gestures and facial expression amidst her performance. It is a sensitive portrayal of a dancer engaged in her craft, and oblivious to the world around her. The painting is a slight deviation from the artist’s other works inspired by dancers, for the self-titled piece is reminiscent of European figurative works that use thick brushstrokes and certain colors to instill a specific ambience within the artworks. Lee Man Fong had the opportunity to travel to Amsterdam and familiarize himself with the Dutch masters, thereby integrating his own Asian artistic influences with these new schools of thought.

Lee believed that the most important step in painting is to master the technique of rendering form and plasticity, spending over fifty years learning to accurately depict form. His figurative portraits attest to his accomplishments in drawing, exemplifying his attention to details and use of a palpable volumetric presence. His subjects are not deliberately posed, yet Lee manages to grasp their essential characteristics and replicate them with his brush. Legong Dancer is no exception to this principle, bearing true likeness of form despite being bathed in shadows and the girl having only key aspects of her movement highlighted.

The marriage of Western and Eastern styles that is seen in the present work is reflective of Lee Man Fong’s talent in merging contrasting ideologies within his paintings. His oeuvre characteristically experiments with motifs of local culture and the style of traditional Western painting, and as seen in Legong Dancer, Lee is not only more than able to adapt to each artistic paradigm with ease, but adept at using their strengths to create works that have an effect larger than the sum of their parts.