Femme aux oeillets is a work by Lê Phổ featuring a young woman in a traditional tunic called ao dai. She breathes in the sweet fragrance of a few red and white carnation flowers. The artist is known for his personal style, rich in references. His works are influenced by the Italian primitives of the Quattrocento, as well as by a Vietnamese pictorial style.
Here, the artist presents a woman seated on a chair, one hand resting on a bedside table and the other holding carnations, in an interior setting. In this scene, the artist achieves a moving serenity by playing with flat colors, a fine line, a serpentine curve, a three-quarter portrait, hinting at Italian references.
Lê Phổ suggests a moment of moral calm and ideal peace, conducive to contemplation and dreaming. The woman seems to lose herself in her imagination, transported by the scent of carnations, also known as thousand-year flowers in Vietnam. Symbolizing longevity and eternal happiness, the scent of these flowers inspires the young woman to dream and contemplate. This work faithfully reflects the artist’s delicate, poetic style.
The artwork will be at 42nd Asian painters auction of Aguttes, 14h30′ [French time], March 7, 2024.
Source: Aguttes
