Lot 300
  • 300

Maison des Beaux Arts de L’Indochine

Estimate
180,000 - 280,000 HKD
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Description

  • Maison des Beaux Arts de L’Indochine
  • Paysage (Landscape)
  • Engraved with the MBIA seal on the reverse
  • Lacquer on wood

Provenance

Private Collection, USA

Catalogue Note

The complex and intricate art form of lacquer painting as it exists today is actually a mélange of Vietnamese, Chinese, and French cultural influences.  The Maison des Beaux-Arts de L’Indochine (otherwise known as the School of Fine Arts in Hanoi) played one of the most significant roles in elevating lacquer painting from ornamental to fine art in the early 1930s. The establishment of lacquer painting as a standalone department within the School provided an early training ground for future lacquer masters like Nguyen Gia Tri and Pham Hau to hone their skills in the medium, and as a result the MBIA had a direct hand in developing lacquer painting into a major art form.  

The present lot is a stunning example of the finely-honed artistry the Vietnamese artists of the MBIA had in using lacquer as a medium. Depicting a tranquil scene of a sailboat resting on a lake, with a tiny village on the river bank at the base of a soaring mountain in the background, the viewer’s eye is drawn to the profusion of golden leaves that make up the right side of the painting. In juxtaposition to the solid bulk of the dark mountain behind, the delicacy of the tiny golden leaves and willowy branches rendered brings a sense of harmonious balance to the entire work. Additionally, the seamless incorporation of human elements like the boat and the houses into the natural landscape around them suggests mankind’s harmonious co-existence nature, creating a sense of peace that one is loath to disturb.

As a collective artwork by the artists of the MBIA, this lacquer painting also speaks to the awakening of the national consciousness of Vietnam in the 20th century. The MBIA’s role in educating the pioneering generation of Vietnamese artists—not just anonymous artisans—had a transformative impact on Vietnamese art. There, the artists drew inspiration from both their classical Western training and traditional Vietnamese aesthetics to create their own distinct artistic style. By pushing the envelope on the aesthetics of traditional crafts, the artists played a key role in modernising Vietnamese art, and the present work stands as a representation of that particular zeitgeist.

The present lot is an exceptional lacquer work that highlights the beauty and radiance of the medium. With an elegant simplicity that belies the depth of artistry employed in its creation, this lacquer painting is an exquisite homage to the beauty of the Vietnamese landscape.