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Lot Essay
Throughout his life, Vu Cao Dam repeated that his work was essentially drawn from the Kim Van Kieu, a poetic saga (written by Nguyen Du, 1765-1820) that for many represents the very emblem of the deepest Vietnamese soul. A dramatic epic love story - from which Vu Cao Dam chose to illustrate moments of happiness, love and serenity found in the tale.
Vu Cao Dam came from a lineage of learned men, in which each male was given a name whose meaning was linked to eloquence. It was a tradition that in certain distinguished families, men were given names that were related to a virtue particular to that family. Thus, Vu Cao Dam literally means 'High Words'. His father's name, Vu Dinh Thi, means 'the Erudite Poet', which suited him perfectly as he was a remarkable linguist who founded a school of translators in Hanoi and whom also represented the Vietnamese Empire at the World Fair in Paris in 1889. This is why Vu Cao Dam very naturally considered as a reference, the grand learned Vietnamese tradition which he, by nature, both bore and acted upon.
With regards to the Kim Van Kieu, Vu Cao Dam did not content himself with a simple illustration of the highly popular book; he added his personal touch, he breathed his truth into it, and derived inspiration and created master paintings from it. In some rare paintings, we can identify precise scenes of the tale. For example in Le Poète, (Lot 421), there is a probable allusion to the two sisters Kieu and Van overhanging from the top of a tree. While in Le Poète, 1979 (Lot 423) and La Famille (Lot 422), the two other works symbolize more than they describe Kieu's story.
Executed in 1964, 1970 and 1979 our three masterworks (Lots 423, 422 and 421 respectively) show works from the Findlay period at its best. They are works of maturity, with a studied composition, but which symbolises the very essence of the greatest Far Eastern poetry. The result is an extraordinary mixture of mastery and the most intense sensitivity. Here, more than ever, the tenderness that is one of Vu Cao Dam's greatest virtues bathes the works in a quiet, graceful and elegant harmony.
Christie's would like to thank Yannick Vu-Jakober and Michel Vu for their valuable insights into their father's works.
Jean-Francois Hubert
Senior Consultant, Vietnamese Art
Vu Cao Dam came from a lineage of learned men, in which each male was given a name whose meaning was linked to eloquence. It was a tradition that in certain distinguished families, men were given names that were related to a virtue particular to that family. Thus, Vu Cao Dam literally means 'High Words'. His father's name, Vu Dinh Thi, means 'the Erudite Poet', which suited him perfectly as he was a remarkable linguist who founded a school of translators in Hanoi and whom also represented the Vietnamese Empire at the World Fair in Paris in 1889. This is why Vu Cao Dam very naturally considered as a reference, the grand learned Vietnamese tradition which he, by nature, both bore and acted upon.
With regards to the Kim Van Kieu, Vu Cao Dam did not content himself with a simple illustration of the highly popular book; he added his personal touch, he breathed his truth into it, and derived inspiration and created master paintings from it. In some rare paintings, we can identify precise scenes of the tale. For example in Le Poète, (Lot 421), there is a probable allusion to the two sisters Kieu and Van overhanging from the top of a tree. While in Le Poète, 1979 (Lot 423) and La Famille (Lot 422), the two other works symbolize more than they describe Kieu's story.
Executed in 1964, 1970 and 1979 our three masterworks (Lots 423, 422 and 421 respectively) show works from the Findlay period at its best. They are works of maturity, with a studied composition, but which symbolises the very essence of the greatest Far Eastern poetry. The result is an extraordinary mixture of mastery and the most intense sensitivity. Here, more than ever, the tenderness that is one of Vu Cao Dam's greatest virtues bathes the works in a quiet, graceful and elegant harmony.
Christie's would like to thank Yannick Vu-Jakober and Michel Vu for their valuable insights into their father's works.
Jean-Francois Hubert
Senior Consultant, Vietnamese Art