Vũ Cao Đàm

"...his technique stays attached to the substrate of his ancestors: silk, in which Vu Cao Dam appreciates the fineness of the grain and the softness and absorption of the colour."

Jeannine Auboyer (1912-1990), in an illustrated feature on Vũ Cao Dàm in france-illustration, circa 1960

A vision of sublime elegance and rapturing beauty, Lilium is a spectacular and exceedingly rare silk masterpiece that was painted during the foundational pinnacle of Vũ Cao Đàm’s career. The present lot radiates a mesmerizing sense of tranquility owing to the artist's harmonious use of colors, gentle touch, and skillful brushwork. Delicately painted, this composition Vũ Cao Đàm's technical mastery in handling silk as a medium.

Vũ Cao Đàm graduated from the 2nd class of the Ecole des Beaux-Arts of Hanoi. The maestro's earlier career was focused on sculpture-making, while his later career on oil painting. Given the diversity of Vu’s practice, encompassing sculpture, oil painting and lithography, the rarity of his early silk pieces is especially relevant.

The white petals with delicate pink spots are graceful, yet magnificent, they stalk arch gracefully towards to the whole picture. The jade-like color of the leaves contrast against the white blossoms and light, translucent washes applied in the background. The translucent fabric of the silk enhances the diaphaneity of his muted wash of colors, adding an ephemeral quality to the composition. He employs a subtle palette of gentle white gouache, pink, and soft green to highlight the blossoms, deep, bottle green to pain the leaves and branches, and an iconic shade of taupe for the negative space in the background.

Born the son of a Catholic family, Vũ Cao Đàm was raised with Confucian values and a strong affinity to Chinese culture. Vũ Cao Đàm's father was well educated, trained in Chinese calligraphy and shared his great love and knowledge of Chinese literature with his son. Although Vũ Cao Đàm would only arrive in Paris 1931, having been awarded a scholarship to study in Paris, he heard stories of France from his father who established himself as a translator for the French colonial government and was sent to Paris in 1889.

Lilium is Vũ Cao Đàm’s artist favorite flower. The present work features a bouquet of lilies, often associated with purity, rebirth and innocence. While in the Western Christianity, Madonna lily or Lilium candidum has been associated with the Virgin Mary, in Chinese tradition “bai he” represents both unity of spirits and 100 years of love and are often customary gifts for weddings or even close friends. The gentle poetics of this subtle yet striking work personifies the Vietnamese painter's technical prowess on the delicate medium of silk.

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「他的技巧與其先祖的底蘊緊密相連：武高談明白絲絹的紋理細緻、柔軟和染墨方式。」

──珍妮·奧博耶(1912-1990)於《法國-圖解》的武高談專輯寫道

《百合》是武高談創作生涯巓峰時期的作品，優雅秀麗，引人入勝，是極為罕見的絹畫傑作。武高談用色柔和，落筆輕柔，展現嫻熟精妙的筆觸，讓《百合》瀰漫靜謐的氣氛，本作的細膩畫工也體現了武高談駕馭絹畫的能力。

武高談是河內中南半島美術學院的第二批畢業生，初以創作雕塑為主，後來轉而投入於創作油畫，絹本作品十分稀少。武氏一生創作頗豐，包羅雕塑、油畫、石版畫等，其早期絹本傑作尤顯重要。

《百合》白色花瓣優美多姿，花朵中心帶著粉點，溫柔地向著四方微微伸展彎曲。翠玉般的葉子和白色花瓣與輕盈透亮的背景形成強烈對比。透明的絹面賦予柔和色彩亮麗的透明感，讓畫作洋溢如夢飄渺的氣氛。武高談運用粉白、嫩粉、淡綠等淡雅色調描繪花朵，深綠畫枝葉，背景則塗成標誌性的灰褐色，突顯主題。

武高談生於天主教家庭，但自幼學習儒家思想，熟悉中國文化。武氏的父親學識淵博，擅中國書法，熟悉並熱愛中國文學，武高談亦受其熏陶。1931年憑獎學金負笈巴黎，但年少時早已受到法國文化洗禮。其父親曾擔任法國殖民政府的翻譯，1889年曾被派往巴黎工作。

白百合是武高談最喜愛的花卉，潔白如雪，象徵純潔、重生與純真。在基督教藝術中，聖母百合花象徵聖母馬利亞；而在中國傳統中，百合有百年好合之意，是傳統十項婚嫁禮品之一。本幅絹本靜物畫蘊藉含蓄美態，詩意幽婉悠武長，令人一見難忘；藝術家爐火純青的畫藝亦在這片柔順的絲絹上表露無遺。