Adoption and Development of Popular Images in
Mai Th?’s Paintings A Consideration for
Modern Vietnamese Genre Painting
著者
NIMURA Junko
journal or
publication title
VERBA
volume
43
page range
34-56
year
2020-03-16
URL
http://hdl.handle.net/10232/00031629
Adoption and Development of Popular Images in Mai Thứ’s Paintings
A Consideration for Modern Vietnamese Genre Painting
Junko Nimura
Currently in Vietnam, interest is reviving in the work of Mai Thứ (梅忠恕, 1906-1980 ) [Fig.1]. In the spring of 2015, a road was built bearing his name in the city of Hải Phòng1. Reevaluations of Mai
Thứ’s works are also becoming evident, with his work garnering attention at modern art auctions. However, it would be difficult to say that research related to Mai Thứ is progressing2. Little is known
about him and his paintings. Previous studystated that his preferred themes were women, children, and daily scenes of people’s lives. Jean-François Hubert stated: “ A theme which he returned to often,
Mai Thứ enjoyed the challenge of capturing the innocence, beauty, and carefree disposition of young children in his paintings.”3 Toshiko Rawanchaikul wrote: “In comparison with Pho, his style was
closer to illustration.”4 I would tend to agree with these opinions, but so far previous studies have
not deeply engaged with his work.
This paper analyzes the works and thought of this artist, focusing on prints of popular art of East Asia, through a comparative approach.
1. Background of Mai Thứ
Mai Thứ was born in Kiến An. His father was a high-ranking official who was employed at the court. After graduating from lycée (French high school), Mai Thứ became one of the first students at Hanoi’s École des Beaux-arts en Indochine in 1925 [Fig.2]. He was later employed as an art teacher at a high school in Huế until 1937. It was at this ancient capital that Mai Thứ mastered the Đàn bầu, which is a traditional Vietnamese single-stringed instrument [Fig.3]5.
In 1937, Mai Thứ traveled to Paris to attend l’Exposition universelle de Paris 1937. He then
1 http://thuvien.haiphongcity.vn/vn/index.aspmmenuid6660pparentmmenuid6658pfuseaction63particleid65305
(accessed 2nd April, 2018)
2 The official site created by Mai Thứ’s daughter is the most reliable source (http://www.mai-thu.fr/biographie). 3 Jean-François Hubert, “Mai Trung Thứ: Admiring Painting”, Asian 20th Century Art, Hong Kong, 23 Nov. 2014,
p.309.
4 50 years of Modern Vietnamese Paintings: 1925-1975 (Exhibition catalogue), The Sankei Shimbun, Tokyo,
2005, p. 206.
5 The recording Musique du Viet Nam that he made with famous musicologist, Trần Văn Khê (1921-2015)
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immigrated to France, which brought about an immense change for him. Oil painting [Fig.4] was his method of expression at that time, but soon after, he transitioned into silk painting. It was also during this period that he established a unique way of representing female beauty, by portraying women with a long and youthful face which shifted away from realistic expression [Fig.5].
In Paris, Mai Thứ participated in the Salon des Indépendant and the Salon d’Automne. He also made portraits of people in Macôn city where he stayed and worked on church frescoes [Fig. 6,7].
In 1954, he married a silk textile designer, Jeanne Sineray (1913-2010, known as Sao). Two years after their marriage, their daughter was born. During this time, he began to create a great number of artworks with children as the subject. His pieces were also small, as smaller pieces were sold for a relatively affordable price at the time [Fig.8]. For Mai Thứ and Sineray, art was strongly correlated with their life and was something secular and democratic.6 His proactive creation of illustrations and
posters likely arose from these principles. In his later years, he participated in UNICEF campaigns and worked on “peace paintings” to voice his opposition to the Vietnam War [Fig.9].
Mai Thứ died at age 73 on October 10th 1980, and was laid to rest in a cemetery located in Vanves on the outskirts of Paris. His ashes returned to Vietnam in February 2019 in the family vault of Ro Nha (Kiến An).
2. The East Asian Intimiste Artist
Mai Thứ, Lê Phổ (黎譜 1907-2001), and Vũ Cao Đàm (武高談 1908-2000) were collectively known as the Vietnamese Art Trio of Paris [Fig.10].7 In 1943, the three held an exhibition at the Henri
Joly Art Gallery called The Three Indochinese Painters [Fig.11]. At this exhibition, Mai Thứ was referred to as an intimiste. A reporter for the periodical Effort stated,
M. Mai Thứ, qui garde aussi pour la peinture sur soie une préférence toute nationale, s’approche davantage de la réalité. Si le sujet religieux est moins souvent traité par lui, par contre il reste un
intimiste. Son art a tendance à être surtout décoratif et ce n’est pas point un reproche que nous
faisons. Ses « Baignades », ses « Maternités » [Fig.12] sont peintes dans un style vraiment personnel [...].8
6 Interview with Ms. Mai Lan (13th Aug. 2015)
7 Pierre Do Dinh, « La pousse vietnamienne », France-Indochine, mars 1953, p.251. 8 Anonyme, « Trois peintres indochinois », Effort, le 27 décembre 1943.
(translation)
Mr. Mai Thứ evidently has a national touch in his artwork, as seen through his preference for silk paintings. He partakes in a more realistic approach towards his art. In comparison to the more common religious paintings, Mai Thứ is considered an “intimiste”. His artwork has a tendency to be ornamental, but not in a negative sense. His works Baignades and
Maternités were painted in a truly personal style [...].9
Evidently, in comparison to common idealized and dignified subjects, Mai Thứ’s works reveal antithetical intimate tendencies from the Western point of view. The term intimité refers to painting that depicts ordinary and mundane actions and objects and seeks out their poetry and idealism. The origin of the term goes back to the Netherlands, which gave birth to Vermeer and other well-renowned artists. Following France’s Chardin, Millet, and others, the Les Nabis painters gradually developed
this art style over time.10 As modernization progressed and urban spaces became homogenized and
rationalized, people made living spaces more intimate places of comfort and relief. This is where such subject matter came to be produced. Mai Thứ’s intimité reflects social economic conditions that were present during the time.
3. New “yīng xì (嬰戯)” Paintings
Mai Thứ’s art prominently treated children as an intimiste subject. From the 19th century, the
intimite theme of children became a popular subject for many French artists [Fig.13,14]. During this
time, civil society was developed and became highly established, and children came to take a central position in the family rather than being seen primarily as a source for labor. Children appeared to possess a “universal role”, and acted as a form of spiritual support for most families. Given these conditions, a large number of art works with children as the main subject became more prominent in the West.11
In East Asia, a type of child imagery developed in China, and then diffused into neighboring countries and became ingrained into their culture. These types of drawings are known as yīng xì (嬰 戯), yīng yóu (嬰遊) or karako (唐子) [Fig.15]12. During China’s Song Dynasty, this kind of art style
9 Anonyme, « Trois peintres indochinois », Effort, 27 décembre 1943.
10 Camille Mauclaire, Les états de la peinture française de 1850 à 1920, Payot, Paris, 1921, p.112. Camille
Mauclair positioned the painters of Nabi school as Intimists.
11 Philippe Ariès, L'Enfant et la vie familiale sous l'Ancien Régime, Plon, Paris,1960. 12 In Japan, these types of images are called «hyakushizu 百子図 » or « karako 唐子 »..
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was very popular on pottery [Fig.16].13 It was also popular in nianhua (年画, New Year’s paintings which were hung in households with hopes for good fortune or to expel evil spirits in the coming year) [Fig.17]. In Vietnam as well, the yīng xì art style was frequently used in a folk prints [Fig.18,19]. These images also possess the meaning of prosperity when bearing offspring. According to popular prints researcher, Ryo Miyama, Chinese nianhua was displayed to “wish for good fortune, appreciate beauty, educate children, and enjoy the New Year’s tradition.”14 Vietnamese culture also considered
some of their folk prints as talismans of good fortune. These were printed from woodblocks to decorate the interior of a household on New Year’s and other various occasions.
Vietnamese yīng xì woodblock prints often featured, in admiration for their cultures children with topknots dressed in a traditional Chinese style. The children are drawn plump with fair skin. In comparison with this, Mai Thứ alters his depiction of children, showing them in contemporary Vietnamese styles, both in terms of hair and clothing. From this, it can be said that the depiction of children in popular prints is recycled as a kind of genre painting, while maintaining the quality of bringing good fortune.
These works of Mai Thứ’s Calligraphie and La musique were published and printed by UNICEF in 1957, and the Braun company15 respectively and were widely circulated [Fig.21]. They decorated
the walls of French homes, elementary schools and other public education institutions.
We can examine these artworks in concrete terms. Mai Thứ’s work Class (1963) [Fig.22a] shows a scene which unfolded at locations such as the temple schools of the past. Eighteen boys are depicted, but the possible significance of this number is unknown. The boys are arranged in a half-circle, evoking a resemblance to Hàng Trống popular woodblock prints [Fig.23]. The elderly man is wearing silk clothing, bearing a pattern that depicts the Chinese character for long life (壽) [Fig.22b], and the children are reading. The pupils are all boys, seemingly representing success in the “đắc thọ đa nam tửb (得壽多男子, achieve long life and have many boys)” tradition that welcomes the birth of male children. In addition to this, Maurice Durand (1914-1966) states that some works of Hàng Trống possess a traditional theme of “hữu phúc khán nhi tôn (有福看児孫, blessedness is seeing one’s grandchildren).”16 From this, one can understand that the happy image of seeing one’s children and 13 Kayoko Sugitani, “Patterns on Jingdezhen Porcelain of the Yuan and Ming Dynasties: with a central focus on
Chinese children”, The Kajima Foundation for the Arts annual report, No.26, 2008, p.492.
14 Ryo Miyama, A brilliant world of Chinese new year pictures 中国年画の小宇宙, Bensei Shupan, Tokyo,
2013, p.ⅳ
15 The Braun publishing company is founded by Adolphe Braun in 1847. They are still selling some copies of
Mai Thứ’s poster. http://www.editionsbraun.fr/gb/catalogue/rubrique/mai-thu-61/ (accessed 29th July, 2018) 16 Maurice Durand, Imagerie populaire vietnamienne, École Française d’Extrême-Orient, Paris, 2011(1960),
p.20. Durand translated this phrase into French ; Puissez-vous obtenir le bonheur et contempler enfants et petits-enfants.
grandchildren was firmly established.
The 1962 work Baignades [Fig.24] is likely to remind one of the nianhua work Collecting Lotuses
in Beautiful Scenery [Fig.25]. First, the Chinese character for “lotus” has the same pronunciation as
the Chinese character for “continuity,” and thus expresses continuation. In connecting this with children, it hints at good fortune through “successive births of children.”17 Mai Thứ’s work depicts
two plump, pale boys on a boat. However, in Playing with Water, the lotuses are absent, which may reflect some degree of Western influence.
Mai Thứ also made many works on familial themes. In his 1944 work La famille [Fig.26], he intimately portrays a beautiful woman with some lovely children. It is possible that Mai Thứ referred to popular prints for these works as well. It has been said that one variety of nianhua combines images of beautiful women and children, with hopesfor a prosperous family.18 Depending on the work, some
images of women and children may refer to religious art, in particular to images of the Virgin and Child or the Bodhisattva Guanyin, who enjoys deep-rooted popularity in Vietnam.
In this manner, a number of Mai Thứ’s images of children have a pedigree in yīng xì pictures, and serve the purpose of bringing prosperity in offspring and good fortune. Simultaneously, they are paintings that depict the healthy growth of children and a desire for peace. Mai Thứ is known for strongly expressing his opposition to the Vietnam War and painting pictures of children in their natural state of playing and learning in good health and may have been Mai Thứ’s take on a “prayer for peace”.
4. Images of Beautiful Women in the East Asia
The word intime in French suggests the meaning of “that which is private”. Just as Bonnard often painted women bathing, there are more than a few voyeuristic works by Mai Thứ which enter the intimate realm of women. Women grooming themselves appears to be the most prominent theme, as he repeatedly used this as the subject matter of his paintings [Fig.26, 27].
Japanese mass audience woodblock prints can be seen as one of the inspirations for Mai Thứ’s depictions of women. A student of l’ École des Beaux-Arts, he constantly made reference to the Edo period’s ukiyo-e artworks19. It is well known that the woodblock prints of Harunobu and Hokusai
became an inspiration for French artists at the end of the 19th century20. These images of women from
everyday life contrasts with the traditional academic poses seen in classical art. Images of women in
17 Ryo Miyama, op.cit., p.61. 18 Idem.
19 Quang Phòng, Các họa sĩ Trường cao đẳng mỹ thuật Đông dương, Nhà xuất bản Mỹ thuật, Hanoi, 1998, p.120. 20 Quang Phòng, op.cit., p.120.
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Japanese prints are aimed towards a mass audience and reveal an appreciation of the beauty of women. This is done through portraying private spheres of life, including putting on makeup, arranging hair, bathing, robing and disrobing. As pointed out by Colta Ives, the kind of female “grooming” seen in
ukiyo-e artwork charmed artists at the end of the 19th century such as Degas and Cassatt.21, 22
The 1942 work Jeune femme [Fig.28] can be shown to have an influence from okubi-e a style often seen in the works of ukiyo-e artists in the middle part of the Edo Period [Fig.29].23 The close-up
structure focusing exclusively on the area around the face is a unique feature, which is rarely seen in Western pieces. This, in turn, evokes the magical and exotic sense possessed by the hair as written of by Charles Baudlaire.24 Also, the hair was a symbol of elegance both for men and women in
Vietnam.25 This symbolism is reiterated in Mai Thứ’s painting, as the reduction in the number of
colors causes the women’s black hair to be emphasized. In the Taisho Period, Goyo Hashiguchi was called the “modern-day Utamaro”. The influence of Utamaro’s Combing the Hair, from the series “Ten Types in the Physiognomic Study of Women” has been pointed out in Hashiguchi’s work Woman
Combing Her Hair [Fig.30].26 Mai Thứ’s Woman Fixing Her Hair is also a work that would not seem
out of place in this tradition.
Japanese woodblock prints were not the only influencing factor adopted by Mai Thứ. He was also influenced by the so-called “white woman” or tố-nữ (素女) female imagery seen in Vietnamese popular art [Fig.31, 32]. The origins of the “white woman” can be traced to ancient China. She is depicted as a mysteriously pale-skinned hermit, and in Taoism governs the realms of health and sexual love. In historical documents, she is also known as the goddess of music.27 In Vietnam, the imagery
of the “white woman” holding a traditional musical instrument was a favored theme in popular woodblock prints. While the detailed history is not agreed upon, the image of the “white woman” can be seen in the woodblock prints of Hàng Trống, Đông Hồ, and others.
21 Ives Colta, The Influence of Japanese Woodcuts on French Prints, trans. by Shigeru Oikawa, Kodama sha,
Tokyo, 1988, pp. 43-45, 65.
22 The periodical Le japon artistique, refered by French japanophilies such as Bonard, published some prints
with women combing their hair (No.25, 34).
23 Okubie is the Japanese portrait print or painting in the ukiyo-e genre showing only the head or the head and
upper torso.
24 Charles Baudelaire, Les fleurs du mal, Poulet-Malassis et de Broise, Paris, 1861, p.55. BNF. 25 Nguyen Van Ky, La societé vietnamienne face à la modernité, L’Harmattan, Paris, 1995, pp.239-244. 26 Edo-Tokyo-Museum (ed.), Beautiful Shin-Hanga - Revitalization of Ukiyo-e, Asahi Shinbun sha, Paris, 2009,
p.49.
27A Vietnamese intellectuele Phạm Quỳnh (1892-1945) mentioned about tố-nữ in his essay « Cuộc đấu-xảo của
Mai Thứ’s work The Musician [Fig.33, 34] features a young woman playing an instrument. It diverges from the traditional form of the “white woman”, and adopts a traditional Vietnamese look through the use of an áo dài garment. Mai Thứ used the long portrait composition commonly seen in Japanese kakémono, which emphasizes the East Asian aspect of the painting. However, it is likely that this work of Mai Thứ retains some influence of the “white woman”, as it expresses the theme of good health for both mind and body. This piece alters the theme toward familiarity over mystery and features a calm and humanistic expression. It strays from traditional Taoist and Chinese worldviews, because in these works beautiful women are painted to be admired for their beauty.
5. Ideology of Popular Art
In this paper, I have indicated the possibility that Mai Thứ created his art with an awareness of popular folklore for audiences in Vietnam and East Asia. However, in the era of French rule, this kind of Vietnamese popular print was considered a worthless and “clumsy imitation” of Chinese models.28
If so, why did Mai Thứ adopt and develop this disdained type of a Vietnamese popular printm One of the reasons could be related to his fondness for art reproductions. Previous researchers have noted his loyalty to silk painting29, however it is important to point out that Mai Thứ also had his paintings
printed by various processes including lithography, serigraphy, and off-set, as seen in this paper. He also had some experience in book illustration[Fig.35].
In 1964, “trio” members Lê Phổ and Vũ Cao Đàm decided to sign a contract with the gallery of Wally Findlay to create oil paintings for the American market. Regarding this, Mai Thứ was not interested in doing oil paintings and declined the offer.30 Mai Thứ could be critical of oil painting,
generally regarded in the West as unique and authentic, an idea which was introduced in Europe after the Renaissance. It can be said that Mai Thứ wished to go against this belief. As oil painting was highly regarded in European society, it was only reserved for a small number of people who could afford it. Contrasting with this, art reproductions could be sold at a low price and could reach more people. Moreover, as Walter Benjamin once suggested, art reproduction could affect the value of Fine Art. He stated:
28 François Ranquet, « Indochine; L’art appliqué », L’Art vivant, spécial exposition colonial, 1931, p.62. 29 Toshiko Rawanchaikul, “Mai Thứ”, 50 years of Modern Vietnamese Paintings:1925-75, p.206: Corinne De
Menonville, La peinture vietnamienne : Une aventure entre tradition et modernité, Arhis, Paris, 2003, p.157.
41
Around the 1900s, technological reproduction had reached a standard at which it had not merely begun to take the totality of traditional artworks as its province, imposing the most profound changes on the impact of such works; it had even gained a place for itself among artistic modes of procedure.31
Paul Valery also stated:
Neither matter nor space nor time is what, up until twenty years ago, it always was. We must be prepared for such profound changes to alter the entire technological aspect of the arts, influencing invention itself as a result, and eventually, it may be, contriving to alter the very concept of art in the most magical fashion.32
It is unsure if Mai Thứ read the above texts, but having had a passion for taking pictures and making films33, Mai Thứ may have been aware that art reproductions could promote revolutionary
criticism in regard to the conventional artistic view. He went against the idea of L’art pour l’art and wished to liberate artwork from traditional European perceptions.
In 1930, Lu Xun promoted woodblock art pieces among young artists in Shanghai as a democratic and political medium. This art represented agony and struggle, and was shared in the hope of starting a social revolution. Mai Thứ also circulated these pieces, but his work was not as revolutionary or political in comparison with Lu Xun’s woodcut prints. Mai Thứ tended more toward an artistic revolution by altering the very concept of art through reproduction techniques.
We conclude that Mai Thứ had ademocratic element in his work, in terms of both inspiration and media. Mai Thứ’ likely considered his own work to be an extension of popular art meant to provide ornamentation to the living space and bring about peace or good health, as opposed to works created for salons or museums.
31 Walter Benjamin, The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, Penguin Books. London, p.5. 32 Paul Valéry, « La conquête de l’ubiquité » (1928), in Œuvres, tome II, Pièces sur l’art, Gallimard, Paris, Bibl.
de la Pléiade, 1960, pp. 1283-1287.
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank Ms. Lan Mai for sharing the valuable information and Mr. Timothy Steiner for carefully proofreading the manuscript. This work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI (Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research C, 2017-2019) Junko Nimura, Grant Numbers JP17k02281.
謝辞
貴重な資料をご提供いただいたLan Mai 氏、英文校正をしていただいた Timothy Steiner 氏に心から感
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【Fig. 2】Mai Thứ (second from the left) with his class mates and professor Victor Tardieu (center). Photo courtesy of Mrs. Lan Mai.
Upper left【Fig.3】Mai Thứ playing a Đàn bầu. Photo courtesy of Mrs. Lan Mai.
Upper right【Fig.4】Mai Thứ, A girl Resting on Her Elbow, 1936, oil on canvas (Fukuoka Asian Art Museum). Lower left【Fig.5】Mai Thứ, The Tea Time, 1943, color on silk.
Lower right【Fig.6】Mai Thứ, Portrait of Mme Marie Estelle Lambert, 1940, oil on silk, Photo courtesy of Mrs. Lan Mai.
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【Fig.7】Mai Thứ, A memorial of the First World War, 1941, frescoes, Inside the St. Pierre Church in Macôn, Photo taken by author.
Upper【Fig.8】Mai Thứ with his small pieces. Photo courtesy of Mrs. Lan Mai. Lower right【Fig.9】Mai Thứ, The War, 1968, color on silk.
47
Under left 【Fig.11】Galerie Hessel, Exposition de Trois peintre Indochinois, 1943. Upper right【Fig.12】Mai Thứ, Maternité, 1942, color on silk.
Lower right【Fig.13】Mary Cassatt, Mother About to Wash Her Sleepy Child (detail), 1880, oil on canvas. Lower right【Fig.14】Maurice Denis, Maternité devant la mer ou Maternité au Pouldu, 1899, oil on canvas.
【Fig.15】An example of Karako. Shinemo Inaba, Sarasa Zuhu (an illustrated reference book of Japanese patterns), 1785.
【Fig.16】Bowl with an underglaze- blue illustration of children playing in a garden, Ming period, Palace Museum, Taipei (Catalogue of the special exhibition of Selected Hsüan-te Imperial Porcelains of the Ming Dynasty, Taipei, 1998, p.359).
49 Left : Mai Thứ, Légende de Fées, 1942, color on silk. Right : Mai Thứ, Mère et l’enfant, 1942, color on silk.
【Fig.17】An example of Chinese new year painting. Gao Yinzhang (1835-1906), The blessing of the good and the joyfulness. Mothers and Sons, Yang liu qing print (China).
【Fig.18】Prosperty of descendants. Hàng Trống Wood Print (Masae Tadokoro, The Vietnamese Folk Prints, p.13).
【Fig.19 】 Five sons passing the imperial examination, Hàng Trống Wood Print. (Masae Tadokoro, The Vietnamese Folk Prints, p.13).
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【Fig.22a】Mai Thứ, La classe, 1963 (Printed by Braun on bristol paper).
【Fig.21】Mai Thứ, La ronde, 1965, printed on paper (Printed by Braun on bristol paper).
【Fig.20】Mai Thứ, Calligraphie, 1956, color on silk (Printed in 1957 by UNESCO as a postcard).
【Fig.22b】(detail of Fig 22). A chinese character 壽 (meaning long life) is displayed.
【Fig.23】Anonymous, Playing Children, woodblock print of Hàng Trống (Masae Tadokoro, The Vietnamese Folk Print, 2008, Ribun Shuppan, p.12)
Left : Anonymous, Hữu phúc khán nhi tôn 有 福 看 児 孫 （ Durand, Imagerie Populaire Vietnamienne, 2013, p.77）
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Upper left 【Fig.24】Mai Thứ, Bagnade, 1962, silk on paper (Printed by Braun on bristol paper) given to Cernuschi Museum in Paris.
Upper right【Fig.25】Collecting Lotuses in a Beauty Scenery (From The galaxy Microcosm of Chinese New Year picture, p.61) .
Left【Fig.26】Mai Thứ, La famille, 1944, color on silk.
Left: 【Fig.27】Mai Thứ, La femme se coiffant, 1955, color on silk. Right【Fig.28】Mai Thứ, Jeune femme, 1942, color on silk.
【Fig.29】Utamaro Kitagawa, Combing the Hair, 1802, Wood block print. 【Fig.30】Goyo Hashiguchui, Woman Combing Her Hair, 1920, Wood block print.
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【Fig.31】【Fig.32】White woman 素女（Imagerie Populaire Vietnamienne par Durand, pp.64-65）
【Fig.33,34】Mai Thứ, Les Musiciennes, 1968, color on silk (printed for Monographie, Les presse de la société française de régie, 1968, pp.6-7).
【Fig.35】Mai Thứ, La lecture, 1971, color on silk (1st cover of Le Tresor de l’Homme : contes et image du Vietnam, Edition la Frandole, 1972).
