Thumbnail: poster for the exposition Lê Phô, Mai-Thu, Vu Cao Dam – Pionniers de l’art moderne vietnamien en France at the Cernuschi museum. Source: https://actu.art/event/mai-thu-le-pho-vu-cao-dam-pionniers-de-lart-moderne-vietnamien-en-france/
This exposition was one of my favorites for the 2024-2025 school year. Having grown up in South East Asia and traveled to Vietnam twice in my childhood, this exposition and its atmosphere felt very nostalgic for me.
More than that however, the exposition was educational, providing clear insight into the lives of three painters I had never heard about. These three painters share a very strong artistic style and getting to see their works side by side, gathered in the same space felt very special.
Sectioned in three parts, it retraces the life of three emblematic Vietnamese painters: Lê Phô, Mai-Thu and Vu Cao Dam.
From the Fine Arts School in Hanoi to Paris in the 1930s, gives a general view into the birth of what we call “Vietnamese modern art”. The french colonial administration imposed itself and its codes through institutions like the Fine Arts School of Hanoi. These new artistic codes mixed with the rich cultural heritage of Vietnam, creating “Vietnamese modern art”.
From the seductions of an artistic Paris to the tumult of the war, lays out the lives of the three painters. Despite having arrived in France at different times in the 1930s, the three painters meet in Paris in 1943 after having found themselves stuck in France because of the Second World war.
The french period is marked by the collaboration of the three painters. They work together to create an artistic style that will be their own. They land on idealised representations of Vietnam, painted on silk.
Mai-Thu, Étude de poissons rouges, Hanoi, 14-15 december 1925, pencil and gouache on paper, private collection
This work belongs to the first part of the exposition, showing the arrival of european codes in a culturally rich Vietnam. This work struck me. Goldfish like the ones represented can often be found all over South East Asia, and my childhood was filled with them. I also especially like the medium, gouache, because of its flat and bold colors.
Vu Cao Dam, Dames jouant aux échecs, Paris, 1943, colors on silk, private collection
It’s in 1937 that the three painters work together in Paris to create their emblematic silk painting style. This work by Vu Cao Dam encapsulates the vision that the three artists were trying to bring to life: that of an idealized Vietnam.
Although the lady in pink seems very focused, thinking of her strategy, the atmosphere is calm and peaceful. The
colors are pastel, aligning with the soothing feeling of the work. I like the way the figures in the painting are flattened on the surface of the work, without shadows or a perfect perspective. This is characteristic of the color on silk style.
Lê Phô, Femmes au jardin, Paris, 1969, Oil on canvas, private collection
While Mai-Thu keeps on using color on silk for the rest of his career, Vu Cao Dam and Lê Phô decide to experiment with other styles in the 1950s. Lê Phô draws inspiration from the post-impressionists and their attention to lighting. The vibrant, saturated colors of this work are what drew my attention. I particularly like the white borders, that strengthen the brightness
of the colors and bring light to the painting. Although it was painted with oil paints, the painting looks as though it could have been made with pastels.
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