To Ngoc Van

(1906-1954)

Paysage

Footnotes

Provenance
Mr Eugène Guillemain, Acting Resident-Superior at Hué, 1936
Thence by descent to the present owner

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Born into poverty in 1906 and facing many challenges, To Ngoc Van (1906-1954) realised his dream of becoming an artist. As the professor at the École Supérieure des Beaux-Arts de l'Indochine and the principal of the Việt Bắc Art School, he shaped the lives of a whole generation of artists in Vietnam.

This work was made during his time in Cambodia as a teacher at the Lycee Sisovath from 1935. The school was a stone's throw away from Tonle Sap River and the Mekong River. It is highly likely that Ngoc Van, working "en plein air" from across the river, seized the opportunity to paint this moment as the two monks in bright saffron robes and two other figures in sarongs alight their boats by the meandering river.

Using bands of colour as engines of form and light, and visible opposing brushstrokes to create the movement of the swaying lush jungle, the artist demonstrates mastery of his craft by capturing a moment in time.