Modernity in Vietnamese Silk Painting

The story of the development of Vietnamese silk can be told through the life and works of a few artists. Mai Trung Thu was part of the first batch graduating from the Indochine Academy of Fine Arts along with ??Le Pho and Nguyen Phan Chanh. Having moved to Paris in 1937, Mai Thu continued using only gouache and ink on silk to depict an elegant and traditional Vietnam where elegance held sway over life despite social upheavals and tragedies. In Gathering by the Pavilion (Lot 3412), Mai Thu depicted a group of seven women gathering in a pavilion at the water edge, accompanied by two young boys and an older men serving tea in the background. The colours of the painting are subtle and refined. The painting exudes serenity and praises the beauty of tradition.