Looking at the auction catalog titled Vietnamese Fine Arts of Bonhams (December 19, 2023), total of 33 works introduced, Viet Art View was interested in the pencil sketch on paper by Professor Joseph Inguimberty, because it carries the mark of history.
When the world did not have photography technology, what was shown on paintings was the only source of documentation to truly record the images of life, people, and scenery of that period; so that hundreds or thousands of years later we can still know history.
To create large-scale oil paintings with countless details, Inguimberty had made thousands of sketches, large and small, studying the portraits and poses of Vietnamese models. In particular, the Northern women in Inguimberty’s work appear realistic, simple but full of vitality and expression. For rural women, they have a strong, healthy body and a thoughtful face in a four-piece, red-brown outfit. For urban women, they are gentle in elegant áo dài.
With skills, observation and love for Việt Nam, Inguimberty has expressed his emotions in works about the land that had been with him for 20 years of youth.
Occasionally, when looking at simple, rustic paintings that engrave the image of Vietnamese people nearly a century ago, the feeling of history is always present, always dear and loved.
Joseph Inguimberty (French, 1896-1971)
‘Femme tonkinoise’, circa 1925-1935, pencil on paper, 51×24 cm
Estimate: 4.500-6.500 EUR
Joseph Inguimberty (French, 1896-1971)
‘Subject: Woman in Tonkin’, circa 1925-1935, pencil on paper, 37×69,1 cm
Private collection, Hà Nội
Joseph Inguimberty (French, 1896-1971)
‘Subject: Woman in Tonkin’, circa 1925-1935, pencil on paper, 31×23,5 cm
Private collection, Hà Nội
Joseph Inguimberty (French, 1896-1971)
‘Subject: Woman in Tonkin’, circa 1925-1935, pencil on paper, 34×24 cm
Private collection, Hà Nội
Written by VIET ART VIEW
Copyrights belong to Viet Art View
