Nguyen Gia Tri (Vietnamese, 1908-1993) Sonate du pays des fées

Nguyen Gia Tri (Vietnamese, 1908-1993) Sonate du pays des fées signé Ng. Tri (en bas à droite) laque, or et coquille d'œuf sur panneau en bois signed Ng. Tri (lower right) lacquer, gold and eggshell on wood panel 60 x 80 cm (23 5/8 x 31 1/2 in) This work is accompanied with a certificate of authenticity issued by Nguyen Gia Tue, the artist's son, in 1999. Footnotes: Provenance Private collection, Asia, acquired directly from the artist's family in the 1990s. Acquired from the above by the present owner in the early 2000s. Private collection, Asia. SONATA OF THE FAIRYLAND: AN ENCHANTING LACQUER BY NGUYEN GIA TRI - NGÔ KIM-KHÔI Beneath the alchemical fingers of Nguyen Gia Tri, Sonata of the Fairyland (60 x 80 cm), signed Ng. Tri awakens like a portal to an enchanted realm. This lacquer masterpiece embodies the genius of a visionary who transformed Vietnamese lacquer into an ode to timeless beauty—a treasure to honor in this centennial year of the École des Beaux-Arts de l'Indochine (EBAI). A Living Painting, a Celestial Choreography A deep, sacred red, fiery like sacred earth, envelops the canvas, streaked with warm browns and golden flashes evoking a mystical dawn. Within this frame, eight female silhouettes, draped in flowing áo dài like fairies or spirits, move in a silent choreography, their bodies weightless above a dreamscape garden. To the left, a fairy's fingers graze the strings of a đàn tì bà, vibrating invisible strings, as if her melody weaves the air around her; her notes, though soundless, resonates in the ether, caressing the contours of an unseen world. Another, seated beside her, hair cascading like a river of ink, contemplates a kneeling companion whose posture suggests an offering to nature—a humble, almost sacred gesture, as if laying a wish at the feet of a forest deity. On the right, three figures soar like the Three Graces, caught in a fluid movement; their intertwined arms evoke the breath of wind caressing bare branches, their áo dài floating like veils of mist. These branches, sketched with spiderweb delicacy and highlighted in gold, burst from the background like lightning in an abstract sky, adding poetic tension to the scene. Below, two fairies rest, their elongated bodies following the curve of an imaginary ground; one, lying on her side, seems to dream, while the other, half-raised, gazes at a distant horizon, her eyes lost in infinite contemplation. Golden foliage, scattered like fallen stars, punctuates the space with ethereal light, as if this garden were a fragment of the universe torn from the heavens. 'You came like a cloud, at the turn of a sigh, / Without reason, without season, just a breath to seize. / The mountain wind passed, caressing your gaze, / And in the air, your scent slipped, subtle and rare...' (Đinh Hùng) Each figure, inlaid with white eggshell, reveals a cracked texture resembling a mosaic of broken porcelain. The finely drawn áo dài capture the timeless grace of Vietnamese women, their delicate folds seeming to ripple under an invisible breeze. This contrast between the fragility of the silhouettes and the richness of the red and gold background creates an illusion of life: these fairies, both present and evanescent, seem ready to vanish into the ether, leaving behind only a breath of magic. The red, vibrant like a beating heart, anchors the work in earthly warmth - a Vietnamese land steeped in memory -, while the gold, applied in subtle touches, evokes divine light, as if this garden existed on the edge of reality and imagination. Every detail—a floating lock of hair, a suspended gesture, a gold leaf shimmering under a ray of light—invites immersion into this universe, to lose oneself in its dreamlike meanders, where time fades to give way to infinite reverie. A Hymn to Beauty, a Symbol of the Ephemeral Sonata of the Fairyland is more than a lacquer painting; it is a celebration of femininity and the ephemeral, themes dear to Nguyen Gia Tri. These fairies, slender and elusive in their áo dài, embody the fragile beauty of Vietnam's spirit—a resilience expressed through softness. Their dance, their music, their repose—all evoke cosmic harmony, a fleeting moment where the mortal world and that of spirits meet. The fairy-tale setting, with its bare branches and golden foliage, suggests an eternal autumn, where beauty is born from melancholy—a autumn where the golden leaves, sealed in lacquer, will never fall. Through this work, Nguyen Gia Tri whispers an ancient truth: even in the ephemeral, there is an eternity to behold, an eternity where the grace of Vietnamese women, draped in their áo dài, becomes a universal song. 'Shoulder to shoulder, a roof of verses invites itself, / The moon in confidence, and the breeze visiting. / Happiness, in the distance, sketches a gentle glow, / A discreet smile that the evening reflected...' (Đinh Hùng) The Art of Lacquer: a Patient Alchemy Nguyen Gia Tri (1908–1993), trained at EBAI, revolutionized traditional lacquer by elevating it from decorative craft to pure expression medium. In Sonata of the Fairyland, he layers natural resin, each polished with monastic patience, to achieve a hypnotic depth where colours seem to dance. The process is a ritual: resin, extracted from the lacquer tree, is applied in thin layers, dried, then hand-polished with stones or charcoal to reveal a shimmering gloss. Gold, applied in delicate flakes, acts as a mirror of light, capturing reflections that bring the scene to life—a gleam that seems to pulse, as if the work breathes. Eggshells, inlaid with goldsmith precision, create a tactile texture: each crack is a trace of time, each fragment an echo of human fragility, as if Nguyen Gia Tri wished to capture the soul of the fairies in a material as delicate as they are. This technique, inherited from Vietnamese artisans but sublimated by Nguyen Gia Tri, demands weeks or even months to reach such perfection—a perfection where the lacquer surface becomes a mirror of the soul, reflecting both light and history. Each lacquer layer, each gold flake, each piece of eggshell tells a story—that of an artist who knew how to transform matter into poetry. On this centenary of EBAI, Sonata of the Fairyland deserves to be celebrated—through an animation, an exhibition, or an immersive experience allowing the public to travel into its fairy universe, so it may continue to illuminate future generations. _______________________________________________________________________________ NHẠC KHÚC VƯỜN TIÊN : BỨC SƠN MÀI MÊ HOẶC CỦA NGUYỄN GIA TRÍ - NGÔ KIM-KHÔI Dưới bàn tay huyền diệu của Nguyễn Gia Trí, Nhạc Khúc Vườn Tiên (60 x 80 cm), ký tên Ng. Trí, bừng sáng như một cánh cổng dẫn lối vào cõi thần tiên. Bức sơn mài này là minh chứng cho tài năng thiên bẩm của người nghệ sĩ đã nâng tầm sơn mài Việt Nam thành một khúc tụng ca cho vẻ đẹp vĩnh cửu, một báu vật đáng được tôn vinh trong dịp kỷ niệm 100 năm Trường Cao đẳng Mỹ thuật Đông Dương. Một bức tranh sống động, vũ khúc giữa tầng mây Bao phủ mặt tranh là màu son đỏ thắm, nồng nàn tựa lòng đất thiêng, điểm xuyết bởi những đường vân nâu ấm và ánh vàng rực rỡ gợi lên ánh bình minh huyền bí. Trong khung cảnh ấy, tám bóng hình thiếu nữ thướt tha trong tà áo dài – tựa những nàng tiên hay linh hồn giữa cõi mộng – uyển chuyển trong một vũ khúc thầm lặng, thân hình nhẹ tựa làn gió, như lơ lửng trong một khu vườn siêu thực. Bên trái, một thiếu nữ khẽ đặt tay trên cây đàn tỳ bà, rung lên những sợi dây vô hình như thể âm thanh đang dệt nên không gian quanh nàng. Gần đó, một người ngồi thẫn thờ, suối tóc đen dài tựa dòng For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing