Le Pho (Vietnamese-French, 1907-2001)


In the Garden signed 'Le Pho' and signed again in Chinese, lower right.oil on canvas74 x 93 cm. (29 1/8 x 36 5/8 in.)
|黎譜 花園中 油彩畫布Provenance:Christie's Hong Kong, 25 November 2007, Lot 76Acquired from the above by the present ownerOne of the most distinguished Vietnamese painters of the 20th century, Le Pho's oeuvre can be categorised into three distinct periods: Hanoi, Romanet and Findlay. The Hanoi period (1925-1937) was executed during his formative years in the École Supérieure des Beaux-Arts de l'Indochine in Hanoi and stretches to his early years in Paris. The Romanet (1937-1963) and Findlay periods (1963-2001) covered his later mature years in Paris under the patronage of two respective eponymous galleries – Gallerie Romanet and Wally Findlay Galleries. The works in the three periods that span across almost 70 years demonstrates Le Pho's true mastery and versatility in various mediums and subject matter: from silk to canvas, from gouache to oil paint, and from scene of the Orient to romantic still-life. Lot 9 to the present Lot 12 are some of the most exemplary Romanet and Findlay period works of the artist, marked by masterful changes in dimensionality and tonality. In La Couture (Lot 9) and the present lot, In the Garden (Lot 12), Le Pho plays with the viewer's depth of field by manipulating the scale of the figures to create layers and achieve a certain hierarchy – a compositional breakthrough that distinguishes his later works from the earlier ones. A significant change in tonality could also be observed: from muted and earthy colours in his early period to romantic and vibrant colours such as marigold and lilac in Fleurs (Lot 10) and Bouquet de Fleurs (Lot 11). This new colour palette was ingeniously employed by Le Pho to highlight the fleeting and dynamic quality of light on the subjects and affirms his identity as an impressionist.