{"status":true,"msg":{"data":{"id":22350,"auction_id":25,"set_id":44,"lot_number":"90","artist":"Le Pho (1907 - 2001)","title":"Untitled","starting_price":2400000,"signed_dated":"signed and dated 1994 (lower right)","medium":"oil on canvas","size":"32” x 39” (81 cm x 99 cm)","property":null,"coa":null,"provenance":"Wally Findlay Gallery, New York \nPrivate collection, U.S.A.","exhibited":null,"literature":null,"write_up":"Best known for his widely collected paintings of Vietnamese subjects amidst interior settings and exotic landscapes, Le Pho’s works perfectly synthesize numerous western techniques with eastern and Vietnamese sensibilities. Le Pho was a cultured and well-learned individual who took up formal training in brush painting in order to supplement his natural aptitude for the arts. At eighteen, he was part of the first batch of students who attended the Frenchsponsored Ecole Superieure des Beaux-Arts in Hanoi, a program that sought to engage Vietnamese locals in various western modes of painting, drawing, and sculpture within the local context; the Ecole Superieure des Beaux-Arts has since become the Vietnam University of Fine Art. Pho was eventually offered a teaching position at the school, a position he held until 1937. After foregoing teaching, Le went to Paris where he held his first one-man exhibit. Le’s exhibit proved to be a success, jump-starting his career as a world-renowned artist. Le would eventually mount numerous exhibitions in key cities such as Nice, Lyon, Brussels, Morocco, and New York.
Le Pho’s development as an artist is often characterized by constant change and evolution. So much so that art historians have divided his works into three major periods. Le Pho’s initial works often featured idyllic depictions of the rural countryside of Vietnam and lovely rendition of historically significant Vietnamese landmarks and events. In Le Pho’s second period, his brushwork loosens up a little, showcasing his reverence for his western counterparts but maintaining both the style and subject matter of his roots. This particular piece by Le Pho was done during his third and final period. Here, his vibrant colors and gestural strokes have reached their full potential. His palette seems to melt into his figures, delineating the line between shape and color—effectively granting his scenes an ideal sense of nostalgia and bittersweet longing","lot_group":"PAINTING","lot_details_html":"
Le Pho (1907 - 2001) Untitled signed and dated 1994 (lower right) oil on canvas 32” x 39” (81 cm x 99 cm)