Pham Hau

Private European Collection

The work is in overall good condition. The lacquer is free of accretion, cracks, and warping. Very slight signs of discoloration, but this is due to the age of the work and does not effect the overall quality of the piece. Framed.
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The founding of Fine Arts College of Indochina (L’École des Beaux-Arts de l’Indochine) by the French artist Victor Tardieu (1870–1937) and his associate Joseph Inguimberty (1896–1917) had given a strong impetus to the birth of a new form of painting – lacquer was revolutionized into a modern-day medium when it was established as a stand-alone academic department in 1928. Shireen Naziree writes in “From Craft to Art – Vietnamese Lacquer Paintings” that “the establishment of the art college initiated a new profession in Vietnamese culture denoted by the word Hia Si, meaning painter, to describe a creator of artistic painting as opposed to Thq Ve, meaning a person who draws or paints as a craft.”¹ The inauguration nevertheless gave lacquer its first true recognition as an important art medium; and consequently, changed the course of Vietnamese art history. Today, silk and lacquer paintings are known as the two major contributions of twentieth century Vietnamese art.

Commemorated as one of Vietnam’s most important and finest lacquer painter in history, Pham Hau perfected the meticulous technique under the prestigious tutelage of Professor Imguimberty. At the European-modelled academy, Pham Hau was exposed to classical Western paintings, which inspired him to revive the traditional subject matters of lacquer craft. He began experimenting with three dimensional compositions on a flat plane, and eventually built an impressive repertoire that redefined the medium with modern Vietnamese aesthetics and themes. Pham Hau demonstrated a profound grasp of both Eastern and Western artistic principles and philosophies through his paintings; his poetic landscape compositions offer us a glimpse into the rich and complex culture of Vietnam.

The present Lot A Family in a Forest Scenery is an extremely rare lacquer triptych executed circa 1935 – 1940, notable for its novel vertical format, subject matter and sheer size. Executed in the Art Deco style popularized in Vietnam at the time, this work could have been commissioned for an important wall of a mansion and then brought to France a few years later around 1945, where it would remain until today. This painting therefore represents the exceptional quality of lacquer works produced during the Golden Era of Vietnamese Art (1940 – 1945). The refined and precise brushwork describing the natural Vietnamese landscape demonstrates Pham Hau’s unparalleled technical virtuosity and supreme workmanship. The cross-cultural influence of French naturalism and traditional Chinese wildlife painting encouraged at L’École des Beaux-Arts de l’Indochine is most beautifully displayed on these panels. Pham Hau gathered the traditional tones of lacquer panels and meticulously applied them onto the treated wood. The translucent layers of vermillion, auburn, amber, gold and ochre create an illusion of depth into the scenery. Light and shadows are conveyed via an absolute control of expression during the application of colours.

Moreover, in A Family in a Forest Scenery Pham Hau captured all the richness of a verdant Vietnamese forest in the simplest form; for his interpretation of his subjects was never literal, but rather a portrayal of their essence. Mountains are reduced to a graceful sinuous curve in the distance, while the exotic indigenous plantation is transformed into precise silhouettes, yet without compromising each of their unique intricacies. Luscious banana trees surround the animals, while elegantly frames the landscape. In fact, the banana leaf is a recurring motif that Pham Hau featured in most of his lacquer works. Furthermore, recalling Matisse’s ingenious use of decorative patterns to extend the energy within individual things beyond their physical boundaries, these glorious vegetal shapes, in many ways, function on similar intellectual and visual levels. The foliage, in its beautifully simplified forms, combined into a primordial rhythm; the shapes completely occupy our retinal space, and thus prompting our eyes to bounce back and forth the patterns. The rhythmic undulations articulate a mixed contrast of simplicity and luxury, and of exuberance and quiet elegance.

The Western influenced vanishing-point-perspective is applied here. Pham Hau divided the dreamy landscape into three distinct grounds. While utilizing the impressive height of the panels to suggest a depth of field, he strategically painted the four deer in various sizes, in relation to their spatial positions. The animals recede into the distance, directing our gaze to the highest point of the triptych, where we are greeted by a howling deer. A profusion of gold leaves are applied in the background as a symbol of the country’s wealth and fertility, and also to suggest an imaginary expanse.

Beyond the aesthetical and technical appreciation of these lacquer panels, the subject matter in fact holds immense significance to the metaphorical understanding of the work. Devoting his composition entirely to a family of deer in Mother Nature, Pham Hau created a pure realm for contemplation and reflection. In Buddhism, the deer symbolizes harmony, compassion, peace and longevity; thus A Family in a Forest Scenery represents an idealized utopia where peace and serenity reigns. Since deer by nature, are extremely shy creatures, their presence in a landscape suggests a world without fear and conflict.

The enigmatic landscapes in Pham Hau’s paintings exude a quiet melancholy, for the depicted world appears as both real and unreal. The subdued brilliance of his restricted colour scheme creates a heightened sense of balance, while the magnificent golden accents elicit a faint hint of the sublime. An ambiguous sentiment lingers as one wonders off into the magnificent verdant wilderness. The present work is true showing of Pham Hau’s prowess and artistry in the medium, rendering the splendor and precision of Vietnamese lacquer art in its entirety.

¹ Shireen Naziree, From Craft to Art – Vietnamese Lacquer Paintings, Including Works from the Collection of the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum, Thavibu Gallery Co Ltd, Bangkok, Thailand, 2013, pg.8