Lê Phổ

Family teatime by Lê Phổ is compositionally complex and an immaculate example from the artist’s Findlay Period when the artist exhibited with American gallerist Walley Findlay. Painted with a vibrant, jovial palette, the present work features a family basking in the warmth of the afternoon sun in a garden during teatime.

After graduating from the École des Beaux-Arts de l’Indochine in Hanoi in 1930, Lê Phổ studied in Paris for two years, during which he was exposed to many great French artists, including the impressionist masters from whom he drew great inspiration. The Impressionist influences developed further as Lê Phổ began collaborating with the American art gallerist Wally Findlay in 1960s and arrived at a stylistic breakthrough by focusing on the medium of oil on canvas and painting on a larger scale. The present work is actually an oil on silk, which would indicate an early phase in this transition, the artist experimenting with this new medium, yet still painting on silk and not yet on canvas.

This work features a woman garbed in a yellow áo dài, sipping tea, while thoughtfully leaning on a traditional lacquer low table. Upon this bright red table, tulips and canterbury bells are displayed in a blue and white porcelain vase, anchoring the foreground composition while also shielding a little boy sitting at the upper left corner. The picture plane is infused with a scorching, yellow backdrop, with no distant horizon line, causing the figures to appear enshrouded within an endless, kaleidoscopic orchard. The artist skillfully imbues the composition with a sense of depth by including a maiden with cascading, black hair daydreaming in the distance. She appears almost suspended in mid-air, addinga surreal quality to the work.

Family teatime embodies Le Pho’s life-long celebration of Vietnamese tradition and lifestyle. Not only does the artist include Vietnamese cultural elements and object details such as the áo dài, a red lacquer low table and blue and white porcelain into the composition, the pastime of drinking tea is a tradition enjoyed on a daily basis. This work encompasses some of the most celebrated subjects and genres in Le Pho’s illustrious career: outdoor gardens, still life florals and figures. This composition is a testament to Lê Phổ’s prolific career as an Asian painter who found incredible success and

popularity in the Western art market, even during his lifetime.

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《茶敘時光》構圖豐富精細，為黎譜與美國畫商威利．芬尼（Wally Findlay）合作期間之創作，稱為「芬尼時期」（Findlay period）。作品描繪一家人在花園中享受溫暖的陽光，度過悠閒的午茶時光，畫面色調明亮燦爛，散發著歡樂的氣息。

黎譜於1930年自河內中南半島美術學院畢業後，遠赴巴黎美術學院深造，在歐洲接觸了西方大師之作並深受印象派啟發。六零年代起，藝術家開始與美國威利．芬尼畫廊接觸，進一步磋琢印象派畫風，開始專注於油彩畫布創作，作品幅尺也相對變大。本幅畫底為油彩絹本，黎譜當時仍處於嘗試新媒材的階段，依舊使用絲絹而非畫布創作。

本幅作品描繪一位身穿黃色越南奧黛的女士，倚靠在矮漆桌邊席地而坐，靜靜喫茶，若有所思。漆桌上青花瓶中綻放著活潑的鬱金香和充滿朝氣的白色風鈴，細節非常豐富，花卉後方背景隱約可見一名小男孩。畫中不見遙遠的地平線，只以絢爛的黃色為背景，令畫中人物猶如被無盡而色彩多變的花園籠罩著；遠處還有一位長髮黑潤豐盈、正在做白日夢的少女，巧妙地為畫面增添深度。少女似是懸浮於空中，讓本作看起來更超塵脫俗。

《茶敘時光》洋溢越南的風情氣息，黎譜採用越南文化元素如奧黛、傳統漆桌及青花瓶等，彰顯昔日平凡美好的茶敘時刻。黎氏擅長繪畫室外花園、花卉靜物和人物，藝術家筆下恬靜得仿如田園牧歌的生活，就像讓觀眾窺見昔日越南的一扇窗。本幅作品足證黎譜之才華，當年早以亞裔畫家身份在西方藝術市場創出一番名氣，廣受歡迎。