Provenance: Heidi Neuhoff Gallery, Inc., New York

ABOUT THE WORK

Flowers ever since attracted artists for their beauty, symbolism, and diverse color palettes. From Monet and Manet to Van Gogh and O'Keeffe, Le Pho was among the well-known ones who mused their canvases with these petaled plants. Le Pho painted still life with flowers, as well as scenes of Vietnam and Vietnamese women, all his life. His floral still lifes evoke Asian sensibilities and an embrace of French art, endowing his oeuvres with elegance and grace. The oil piece at hand is a fine example of Le Pho's use of his signature floral motif often found in his Romanet and Findlay periods. He intricately rendered his flowers with refined form and unrestricted transparency of color, perfectly capturing his influences of Impressionism and Surrealism. As for color, the yellows of Le Pho were influenced by the playful palette of Pierre Bonnard. The colors marble, turquoise, and yellow were noted as crucial factors in Le Pho's career. In an artistic context, Le Pho's works of flowers were brimming with the vibrancy of bright colors as though illuminated by natural light. (P.I.R.)