MAISON DES BEAUX ARTS DE L’INDOCHINE | Paysage (Landscape)

This work is in good overall condition as viewed. There are some scuffs and scratches visible at the surface of the work. All other inconsistencies are due to the nature of the medium or the artist's working method. Framed.
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Completed during the height, or “golden age”, of the modern Vietnamese art movement Paysage (Landscape) is an exquisite testament to the mélange of Vietnamese, Chinese, and French cultural influences that inspired Vietnamese artists. The Maison des Beaux-Arts de L’Indochine played one of the most significant roles in elevating lacquer painting from ornamental to a novel artistic language in the 1930s. With the founding contributions of the French painters Joseph Inguimberty, Victor Tardieu and Evarist Jonchère, alongside Vietnamese artists such as Nam Son, the school was instrumental in providing the tools for artists to pave new roads in art history. As result of the École’s emphasis on creating a new cultural identity grafted from French modernist techniques, many students synthesized European aesthetic styles and indigenous craft sources to inaugurate a hybrid artistic vocabulary that continues to influence the nation’s art scene to this day. Many lacquer works fashioned by École student-painters are highly prized for this mesmerizing blend. 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. Known for producing works of the highest level of technical artistry, the creative process at the Maison des Beaux-Arts de L’Indochine (MBAI) involved the collaborative effort of the top students of the École. The exceptional Paysage (Landscape) highlights the beauty and radiance of the lacquer 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. 

Immaculately composed and filled with luminous detail, Paysage depicts a tranquil scene from afar.  A sailboat catches wind on the lake as it steers away from a fishing village on the riverbank at the base of a soaring mountain. The viewer’s eye is first drawn to the glorious backdrop – a rocky mountain top, veiled by a profusion of golden leaves sprawling from the right side of the painting.  The sky is generously covered in gold that saturates the scene with an intense sunset hue, while the river below rests in a dark maroon. A nod to the traditions of Chinese shan shui painting, the rocks and foilage on the mountain are delineated in a loose painterly style. Likewise, the leaves of the bamboo trees that sway and willow in the breeze are executed with the delicacy of the ink brush – each leaf distinct and graceful.

Furthermore, the seamless incorporation of human elements into the surrounding natural landscape suggests mankind’s harmonious co-existence with nature. As the villagers on the sailboat row their oars and fisherman cast their fishing nets, the mountain casts a dark shadow upon the water. It is as if they appear insignificant against the sheer grandeur of the mountainous landscape around them. Exemplified in the present work is the artists’ ability to meld classical Western notions of depth and form with traditional Vietnamese aesthetics to create a truly distinct style.


The meditative quality of the overall composition in Paysage celebrates the undeniable beauty Vietnam’s rural landscape, and the peaceful lives of the Vietnamese people. Exhibiting the finely-honed artistry and spirit of innovation at the MBIA, this impressive lacquer work represents the great feats that would come to shape the nature of artistry in modern Vietnam.