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Lot Essay
Renowned Indo-European artist Adrien Jean Le Mayeur de Merprs is the proverbial painter-traveller of the early 20th Century who spent much of his artistic career seeking out beauty from the far corners of the world. In 1932, his quest took him to the exotic Indonesian island of Bali, which served as his inspiration for the next twenty-six years.
One of his major inspirations and influences during this period was a graceful Legong dancer, Ni Pollok, who became his wife and painting model for over two decades. Their partnership was one forged under their mutual understanding of each other's pursuit of aesthetic perfection. The relationship between painter and model has never been closer and more faithful than it was with Le Mayeur and Ni Pollok. In his oeuvre, Le Mayeur rendered countless impressions of Ni Pollok, alongside her coterie of graceful dancer friends in the garden of their Sanur home.
Through his impressionist scenes of the tropical Balinese scenes Le Mayeur constantly endeavoured to capture 'beauty, sunlight and silence'. Women in the Garden (Lot 3369) encapsulates his approach towards the use of light and dark to create tension in his work. A profusion of flowers in resplendent blue, violet, red and yellow jewel-tones make up the landscape of this composition. The viewer is allowed to feel as if he is witnessing a quiet moment of intimacy between the women. Le Mayeur's composition and treatment brings to mind the work of Gauguin: the manipulation of figure and form creates a sense of rhythm within an exotic genre scene. However, where Gaugin's women are poignant and indeterminate, Le Mayeur's Balinese ladies brim with an eternally dynamic energy.
One of his major inspirations and influences during this period was a graceful Legong dancer, Ni Pollok, who became his wife and painting model for over two decades. Their partnership was one forged under their mutual understanding of each other's pursuit of aesthetic perfection. The relationship between painter and model has never been closer and more faithful than it was with Le Mayeur and Ni Pollok. In his oeuvre, Le Mayeur rendered countless impressions of Ni Pollok, alongside her coterie of graceful dancer friends in the garden of their Sanur home.
Through his impressionist scenes of the tropical Balinese scenes Le Mayeur constantly endeavoured to capture 'beauty, sunlight and silence'. Women in the Garden (Lot 3369) encapsulates his approach towards the use of light and dark to create tension in his work. A profusion of flowers in resplendent blue, violet, red and yellow jewel-tones make up the landscape of this composition. The viewer is allowed to feel as if he is witnessing a quiet moment of intimacy between the women. Le Mayeur's composition and treatment brings to mind the work of Gauguin: the manipulation of figure and form creates a sense of rhythm within an exotic genre scene. However, where Gaugin's women are poignant and indeterminate, Le Mayeur's Balinese ladies brim with an eternally dynamic energy.