Lê Phổ

A tranquil, leisurely scene depicted with bright, enchanting colours, Mother and Daughter with Iris is a testament to Lê Phổ’s remarkable artistic vision and stylistic transformation. After moving to France in 1937, Lê Phổ settled in Nice during World War II, where he met Pierre Bonnard and Henri Matisse on the Côte d’Azur. Inspired by these two Post-Impressionist masters, Lê Phổ developed his own visual vocabulary, breaking new ground in his use of light and colour. This oil on canvas painting is typical of the artist’s late period style, as he secured representation with Wally Findlay Galleries and started exhibiting in the United States of America.

This work captures a warm and intimate moment between a mother and daughter. The mother, in a lime-green áo dài, is attentively adjusting a bouquet of flowers with a little girl in pink a few steps away, quietly accompanying her. The bouquet of iris in the centre of the painting stands in proud, lively splendour, reminiscent of Vincent Van Gogh’s series of irises. The vase is richly detailed with gold minutiae. The work reflects the influence of French Impressionism on Lê Phổ’s late work, as he incorporate the pastel blue and yellow hues of the French Riviera in the background. The artist favoured stylized, idealised Vietnamese female figures, and boldly textured brushstrokes, thus capturing a romanticized view of modern family life. Thepainting’s colours are vibrant, as seen in the green of the mother’s áo dài and nearly fluorescent quality of the green leaves.

Lê Phổ executed this well-structured painting with its lively and joyful atmosphere during the important “Findlay’s period” of his career. Mother and Daughter with Iris, combining Lê Phổ’s favourite themes of family and flowers, embodies his experimental spirit and ceaseless self-transformation in a superb example of this artist’s oeuvre.

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《母女和鳶尾花》畫面寧靜悠然，色調鮮豔迷人，足證黎譜卓爾不群的藝術視野與創作風格上的蛻變。黎譜於1937年移居法國，在二戰期間安身於南法尼斯，與皮耶・博納爾（Pierre Bonnard）及亨利・馬蒂斯（Henri Matisse）在蔚藍海岸結識。受到這兩位後印象派大師的啟蒙，黎譜建立一套屬於自己的視覺語彙，在光線與顏色的運用方面登上嶄新境界。

此作描繪溫馨的母女時光。畫中身穿綠色越南奧黛的母親目光專注地調整花束，身後穿著粉衫的小女孩靜靜陪伴。畫面中心的鳶尾花束亭亭玉立，生意盎然；花器華美精緻，細節豐富入微。本幅作品充份反映法國印象主義對黎譜創作的啟發。藝術家採用非寫實人像、大膽豪邁而富有質感的筆觸，以浪漫視角勾勒出二十世紀越南家庭生活的片隅。作品用色濃艷鮮明，畫中綠色奧黛和花葉微帶螢光，映襯著如蔚藍海岸般的背景。

黎譜在事業生涯的重要「芬尼時期」創出本幅細節分明有序、氣氛活潑愉快的畫作。《母女和鳶尾花》集黎譜最喜愛的主題於一身──「家庭」及「花卉」，體現他的實驗精神與持續不懈的自我蛻變，是黎譜的超卓創作典範。