Footnotes

Provenance
Private collection, Switzerland

武高談
夢
油彩 畫布
1989年作

簽名：vu cao dam 1989 (右下)

來源
瑞士私人收藏


Vu Cao Dam stands out as one the most influential artists within Vietnam's modern art movement. Originally from Hanoi, he spent most of his career in Paris, exhibiting his works across both Europe and America.

From 1926 to 1931, Vu Cao Dam learnt the principles and techniques of Western art at the École des Beaux-Arts de l'Indochine in Hanoi. Upon graduation, he received a scholarship to continue his studies in France, where he initially focused on sculpture but then switched to painting.

This cross-cultural background enabled the Vietnamese-born painter to explore and blend both artistic traditions into his own distinctive style, combining the colours and gentle strokes of French Impressionism and Post-Impressionism with the motifs and themes of Vietnamese culture. Indeed, most of his paintings depict events set in historic Vietnam, as evidenced by figures wearing traditional clothing. He also considerably drew inspiration from classic Vietnamese literature, with scenes from the 19th century epic poem The Tale of Kieu frequently appearing in his works.

Written by the poet Nguyen Du, The Tale of Kieu relates the misfortunes suffered by Thuy Kieu, a skilled and beautiful woman who sacrifices her love, freedom, and virtue to save her family - thus triggering a series of tormenting ordeals. Fascinated by the story, Vu Cao Dam frequently illustrated scenes and characters from this poem. In his paintings, Kieu is portrayed as a symbol of beauty, grace, and resilience, and her purity is highlighted by the presence of flowers and birds surrounding her. Other protagonists appearing in Vu's works include Kim Trong, Kieu's first and true love, and Thuy Van, her younger sister.

Le Rêve (The Dream) is likely freely inspired by the scene from the Tale of Kieu describing the first encounter of Kim Trong and Thuy Kieu. However, the lady's nostalgic gaze, the distance separating the two lovers, and the misty quality created by the colourful and textured background all suggest that the rider and his horse are only a vision or part of a dream. Although no infant is mentioned in the poem, the child held by Kieu might represent the innocence and purity she preserves despite the hardships she goes through, or the bond between her and Kim Trong, who despite their separation by fate and misfortune, remain loyal and faithful to each other.