“Music is the language of emotions,” Emmanuel Kant once wrote. Mai Trung Thứ, a Vietnamese painter, shared the same sensitivity towards music as the Prussian philosopher. He discovered traditional music when he was an art teacher at a high school in Huế. During his time living in the ancient capital, he had the opportunity to get acquainted with musicians and learn to play the Độc Huyền Cầm – a traditional stringed instrument – and the transverse flute. His passion for music never left him. Even after arriving in France, he continued to play music and participate in concerts, especially for radio and television programs.
Painting – his main work, is also expressed with music. The themes in his paintings are musical and often feature musicians. In ‘Đàn tranh – Đàn cò’, the artist depicted two traditional Vietnamese musical instruments. The girl plays ‘đàn tranh’, a 16-stringed instrument, the same type as the zither, while the man plays the ‘đàn cò’, a two-stringed instrument that appeared in the 10th century.
Created in 1973, this ink and color on silk artwork is a testament to the artist’s progression into the next phase of his career. The color palette is more vibrant: chrome yellow, green and coral orange create a vibrant composition. These colors are subtly blurred after silk washing to draw the background and create a certain depth to the work.
Through this large-scale painting, Mai Trung Thứ recorded the mark of Vietnamese culture and helped traditions continue to be preserved.
ASIAN PAINTERS
MODERN ART OF VIỆT NAM
Auction on March 7, 2024
Contact: reynier@aguttes.com
