{"status":true,"msg":{"data":{"id":37,"auction_id":1,"set_id":1,"lot_number":"168","artist":"Mai Trung Thu (1906 - 1980)","title":"Resignation","starting_price":7000000,"signed_dated":"signed and stamped (lower right) titled and dated (verso) dated 1966","medium":"feather, black ink and gouache on silk lined on paper","size":"21 1/2” x 10 1/4” (53 cm x 26 cm)","property":null,"coa":null,"provenance":null,"exhibited":null,"literature":null,"write_up":"Vietnamese art has always been regarded as having a softer and delicate side. Whether these works are films, such as Tran Anh Hung’s 1993 film “The Scent of Green Papaya”, or the works of the painter Le Pho, there is undoubtedly a sense of care that is distinctly woven into Vietnamese art. According to the publication The Young Artist of Vietnam from 1966: “Vietnamese are generally strong on “emotions”; one could specify further dash of love, sympathy, passion and emotional bonds. These factors are the inner life of Vietnamese paintings.” And there is no other artist in the 20th century that aptly fits this description than Mai Thu.<br /><br />Mai Trung Thu, or Mai Thu was a Vietnamese painter. He was among the first students at the esteemed École des Beaux Arts de l’Indochine where he became classmates with other pillars of Vietnamese art such as Le Pho and Vu Cao Dam. In his formative years of artistic training, Mai Thu cultivated a unique painting technique that involved the use of silk as a canvas.<br /><br />Silk painting has been revered as a tradtional medium for Vietnamese art even prior to Mai Thu’s practice. The technique, as the name suggests, involves directly painting onto silk textiles and canvases. Compared to silks from ancient China or feudal Japan, Vietnamese silk had the distinct characteristic of diluting inks and paints in such a way that it would create a soft and delicate effect. Thus the technique was prized for its ability to imbue bold colors with a unique feel. Mai Thu thus infused the art of silk painting with the techniques taught to him during his formal education in the arts. His style revolved around arranging vibrant color patches, distinctly delineating areas of light and shadow. Mai Trung Thu’s initial artistic endeavors were centered on embracing rural Vietnamese culture, often celebrating folk motifs and capturing the inherent innocence of that way of life. His art also hinted at a wistful longing for bygone times, evoking a sense of nostalgia for the traditions and history of Vietnam. (Jed Daya)","lot_group":"PAINTING","lot_details_html":null,"alias":null,"hp":9000000,"bp":0.2016,"isWithdrawn":0,"accounting_hp":9000000,"userBid":6752,"isPaid":0,"userId":22,"lot_status":"SOLD","isDone":1,"bid_history_id":null,"reserve_price":null,"hammer_price":10814400,"fav":0},"image":[{"id":190,"img_url":"https://leongallery.sgp1.digitaloceanspaces.com/v2/auction/1/1/lot/168.jpg","isFeatured":1}]},"increment":[5500000,6000000,6500000,7000000,7500000,8000000,8500000,9000000,9500000,10000000,11000000,12000000,13000000,14000000,15000000,16000000,17000000,18000000,19000000,20000000],"prev":167,"next":169,"count_bid":0,"bid_history":[],"tokenExpired":1}