MAI TRUNG THU (1906-1980)
Le sommeil, 1976
Ink and color on silk, signed and dated lower right, titled on reverse. In the original frame made by the artist
16 x 29.5 cm - 6 1/4 x 11 5/8 in.
Sensitive to the beauty of the women of his country, Mai Trung Thu has devoted a large part of his work to them. Mother, sister, or even elegant woman adorned with jewels, the female model is a favourite theme for the artist. Long and slender, with porcelain complexion and ebony hair, they all correspond to the Asian canon.
In Le Sommeil, Mai Trung Thu offers the vision of a more sensual figure. A young woman slumbers lasciviously,bare-chested. The untied hair makes this moment all the more intimate.
The composition, devoid of artifice, focuses on the essential. Only an open fan and a piece of embroidered cushion on which the young woman is resting provide elements for reading. Typically Asian, they serve to underline the model’s origins.
Produced at the end of his life, this composition illustrates the freedom gained by the artist. Using the technique of ink and colour on silk learnt at the Indochina School of Fine Arts, Mai Trung Thu treats the subject in a modern and liberated way. The palette, composed of few colours, enhances the contrasts. If the freedom of the subject is to be underlined, the Master’s ability to renew the treatment of the female model is just remarkable.
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