Vietnam, 1953 (signed Hoang Ngoc 53)
Polychrome and gold lacquer panel, 60 × 39 × 1.5 cm
Good original condition. Surface fine scratches, abrasions and minor losses consistent with age.
A signed and dated lacquer landscape by Vietnamese artist Hoàng Ngọc, depicting a river settlement enclosed by steep, forested mountains. Executed in 1953, a waterway anchors the composition, along which sampans, figures and thatched buildings recede. An exuberant tree cuts dramatically across the darker landscape.
Layers of deep brown and black lacquer are punctuated by gold and intense passages of coral, pink and red. Atmospheric areas contrast with remarkably fine detail: boats, figures, palms and buildings emerge from the surface, rewarding closer observation.
Characteristic of Hoàng Ngọc’s work of the period, the landscape combines traditional Vietnamese subject matter with a distinctly modern graphic sensibility. From a distance, mountains, water and vegetation resolve into strong fields of colour and form; closer inspection reveals a world of texture and movement.
The lacquer retains considerable colour, depth and luminosity. Both landscape and material object, the panel is at first glance dark and restrained, becoming unexpectedly vivid as its intricate detail and colours reveal themselves.
Vietnam, 1953 (signed Hoang Ngoc 53)
Polychrome and gold lacquer panel, 60 × 39 × 1.5 cm
Good original condition. Surface fine scratches, abrasions and minor losses consistent with age.
A signed and dated lacquer landscape by Vietnamese artist Hoàng Ngọc, depicting a river settlement enclosed by steep, forested mountains. Executed in 1953, a waterway anchors the composition, along which sampans, figures and thatched buildings recede. An exuberant tree cuts dramatically across the darker landscape.
Layers of deep brown and black lacquer are punctuated by gold and intense passages of coral, pink and red. Atmospheric areas contrast with remarkably fine detail: boats, figures, palms and buildings emerge from the surface, rewarding closer observation.
Characteristic of Hoàng Ngọc’s work of the period, the landscape combines traditional Vietnamese subject matter with a distinctly modern graphic sensibility. From a distance, mountains, water and vegetation resolve into strong fields of colour and form; closer inspection reveals a world of texture and movement.
The lacquer retains considerable colour, depth and luminosity. Both landscape and material object, the panel is at first glance dark and restrained, becoming unexpectedly vivid as its intricate detail and colours reveal themselves.
