LÊ VAN DÊ (1906-1966). - Lot 114

LÊ VAN DÊ (1906-1966). École des Beaux-Arts de l'Indochine, class of 1930. Director of the Saigon School of Fine Arts in 1954. Still life with lemons, cactus and chrysanthemum. Oil on panel signed with the red stamp and the artist's name "C.L DE VAN DE" and dated 1936 top right. Dimensions: 45x90.4 cm. Provenance: Pierre de Montera (1896-1991), Principal of the Lycée Français Chateaubriand and Director of the Centre d'études supérieures in Rome between 1935 and 1962. Passed down to Louis de Montera and then to the Faure de Montera estate, daughter-in-law of Pierre de Montera. In the family by descent since 1936. Located in Rome (crossed out) (paint chips and missing parts). TEMPUS FUGIT A white chrysanthemum, carelessly placed diagonally on the tablecloth, deepens the rhythmic space around the vertical element of the cactus. Dried laurel leaves and their cast shadows accentuate the three-dimensionality of the space, while the diamond-shaped tablecloth draws the viewer's eye into the low angle. Le Van De's mastery of composition shows the extent to which he has assimilated the lessons of Italian classicism and the great 17th-century Spanish masters he discovered in Rome. The composition is also reminiscent of a still life with fruit and shellfish by Lê Pho (Hôtel Drouot sale, October 15, 2014). Quite naturally, in this tradition, the subject of the still life is elevated to the rank of Memento Mori: the autumn leaves that litter the tablecloth, the winter blossom contrasting with the vitality of the bright lemons, everything reminds man of the brevity of earthly pleasures. A new subject for the artist, this still life is the only one of its kind currently known to the artist, who would take up the unusual cactus motif again in a folding screen dated 1937. BAPTISM. BIRTH IN CHRIST Dated 1936, the painting coincides with Lê Van D?'s presence in Rome, during which time he worked for the Vatican, which commissioned him to decorate the Asian and Australian rooms of the International Catholic Press Exhibition. 1936 was above all the year of his baptism; Le Van De received the Sacrament and took the Latin patronymic of Cleso Leon; the initials precede his signature above his artist's seal. He goes even further, signing his work De Van De , probably to adopt the particle common in Italian. The work thus comes at a pivotal period in his life. Baptism, birth into Christ adds a new meaning to the work: the chrysanthemum, a flower revered in Asia as a symbol of longevity and immortality, blossoms in the ninth month of the year in autumn, and is a symbol of eternal life. Associated by Christians with the Feast of the Dead for the same reason, it symbolizes eternal life in the hope of resurrection. A symbol underlined by the yellow color of lemons, associated with light and also a symbol of eternity. BIOGRAPHY One of the first generation of artists to graduate from the École des Beaux-Arts de l'Indochine in 1930, alongside Le Pho, Mai Thu and Nguyen Phan Chanh, Lê Van Dê was awarded a scholarship the same year, enabling him to continue his studies at the Beaux-Arts de Paris, where he was a pupil of Jean Pierre Laurens. He was soon noticed when he exhibited at the Salon des Artistes Français between 1932 and 1934. The French government bought one of his paintings, a real consecration for the young artist, which was later confirmed, notably in Italy, when the Vatican commissioned him to decorate the Asian and Australian rooms of the International Catholic Press Exhibition. He returned to Vietnam in 1939, where, on the strength of his successes, he was appointed president of FARTA (Foyer de l'Art Annamite), before later receiving several important commissions, including the creation of a Vietnamese stamp at the request of H.M. Bao Dai, and the design of the podium from which Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnam's independence. An artist praised and admired in the West, his return to his homeland was also crowned with success: in 1954, he was appointed director of the Saigon School of Fine Arts.