Mai Trung Thu (1906 – 1980), Portrait de Madame M. Denis | 枚中栨 (梅忠恕 1906 – 1980), 德尼女士

Gift from the artist to the parents of the present owner in 1940, and thence by family descent.

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藝術家於1940年贈予現藏家之父母，後家族流傳至今

In 1939, on the eve of the Second World War, Lê Phô, Mai-Thu, and Vu Cao Dam—driven by a strong sense of duty—sought to contribute to the defense of France, a country that had welcomed them and whose culture they deeply respected. Following the example of their mentor Victor Tardieu, who had served during the First World War, both Lê Phô and Mai-Thu volunteered to join the French army.

In July 1940, shortly after his demobilization, Mai-Thu settled in Mâcon, where he was warmly received by several local families. These supportive ties soon led to a series of artistic commissions. In 1941, he was entrusted with the creation of a commemorative mural honoring the fallen soldiers of the First World War, located in the Chapel of Sainte-Thérèse-de-Lisieux at the Église Saint-Pierre in Mâcon. That same year, he also received a number of private portrait commissions, which allowed him to fully demonstrate his refined talent as a portraitist. From 1937 onward, Mai-Thu dedicated himself to painting on silk—a delicate and unforgiving medium that leaves no room for correction. His technique combined precision in line with subtle washes of color, merging the elegance of East Asian aesthetics with the visual language of Western art. This synthesis is particularly evident in his balanced compositions, the realistic rendering of his subjects, and the restraint shown in the use of backgrounds.

It was within this context that Mai-Thu created Portrait of Madeleine Denis shortly after his demobilization. Depicting the daughter-in-law of a well-known surgeon in Mâcon, the work was offered as a gesture of gratitude to his hosts. It stands today as one of the rare works from the artist’s Mâcon period. In the same year, he also produced a drawing of Madeleine Denis’s son, Denis, to mark the child’s first birthday, on 9 September 1941. Also in 1941, Mai-Thu painted Portrait of Mme N.D. and Her Daughter, portraying Nicole Denis, the surgeon’s second daughter-in-law. This work was later exhibited at the Musée des Ursulines in Mâcon (June–October 2021) and at the Musée Cernuschi in Paris (October 2024–May 2025, cat. no. 57).

Portrait of Madeleine Denis encapsulates the hybrid aesthetic that Mai-Thu cultivated throughout his career: a classical seated posture, frontal gaze, and simplified composition are combined with delicate contours, soft tonal gradations, and understated elegance. Similar qualities are present in one of his signature works, Young Woman on the Veranda, painted in Huế in 1937. In this composition, Madeleine Denis is shown in a dark blue dress, seated on a green patterned cushion, her hands gently folded on her lap, and her gaze turned slightly to the right with a composed and serene expression. The overall composition is clean and symmetrical, with a gradient background in cool and warm shades of green that lends spatial depth and a calming rhythm. The curved lines of the skirt and cushion soften the verticality of the framing, adding movement and grace to the image. The rendering of her face and hands is especially refined, the soft, luminous tones standing in contrast to the darker hues of her attire and surroundings, further emphasizing the quiet dignity of the sitter.

The frame was designed and crafted by the artist himself, with an inner red and outer green double border that echoes the palette of the sitter’s jewelry, enhancing the harmony of the whole. In the upper left corner, Mai-Thu’s name appears in brush-written Chinese characters, accompanied by his seal—a deliberate affirmation of his continued connection to East Asian artistic traditions.

This portrait, preserved by the family through successive generations, captures a moment of suspended time—an intimate exchange between the artist’s gaze and the familial bond it reflects. In the sitter’s calm and luminous presence, East and West meet in silent dialogue upon silk, giving rise to a work that is at once rare, poetic, and profoundly human.

1939年，在第二次世界大戰爆發前夕，黎譜、梅忠恕與武高談懷抱強烈的責任感，渴望投身保衛法國——這個接納他們、並深受他們敬愛的國度。遵循恩師維克多・塔迪厄（Victor Tardieu）於第一次世界大戰從軍之典範，黎譜與梅忠恕毅然志願加入法國軍隊。

1940年7月，梅忠恕退伍後暫居馬孔（Mâcon），受到地方人士熱情接待與支持，隨即展開多項藝術創作。1941年，他獲委託為馬孔聖彼得教堂（Église Saint-Pierre）內的聖德蘭小堂（Chapelle Sainte-Thérèse-de-Lisieux）創作一幅紀念第一次世界大戰戰士的壁畫。同年，亦有多件私人肖像畫委託而至，展現其肖像造像功力之深厚。自1937年起，梅忠恕便專注於絲綢畫創作。於這不容悔筆、極具挑戰性的媒材之上，他精準掌握線條筆觸與暈染技法，兼融東方藝術之韻味與西方繪畫的形式語彙，尤體現在人物神態的寫實刻畫與克制的背景處理之間。

正是在此脈絡中，梅忠恕於退伍不久後創作了《瑪德蓮・德尼肖像畫》，馬孔當地外科名醫之媳婦。本作為藝術家奉贈東道主，以表謝意，亦為其馬孔時期罕見之作。1941年，他亦為瑪德蓮之子繪製一幅素描，紀念其於9月9日滿周歲。同年他亦創作《N.D.女士與女兒肖像畫》，描繪名醫另一位媳婦妮可・德尼。該作曾展於2021年6月至10月的烏蘇林修道院博物館，以及2024年10月至2025年5月巴黎瑟努奇博物館（編號57）。

《瑪德蓮・德尼肖像畫》充分體現梅忠恕歷年來所發展的混合美學：經典坐姿、正面凝視與簡潔構圖，融合細膩線條、柔和色調與含蓄的優雅氣質，亦可見於其1937年在順化創作的代表作《陽台上的少女》中。畫中人物身著深藍長裙，端坐於綠色圖案座墊之上，雙手交疊膝前，目光平和微偏，神情靜謐。整體構圖簡潔對稱，背景以冷暖交融的綠色層層渲染，右側牆面提供微妙空間延伸，營造沉靜穩定的視覺節奏。座墊與裙擺之曲線動勢打破畫面線性框架，增添畫面的韻律與動感。面部與雙手以柔和暈染技巧處理，與衣飾與背景形成光感對比，進一步突顯人物的精神內蘊。

畫框由藝術家親手設計與製作，紅綠雙層描邊與畫中項鍊等飾品色彩相呼應，強化整體形式統一。畫面左上方以毛筆署名並鈐印，表達藝術家對東亞書畫傳統的延續與尊重。

此作由家族代代珍藏，猶如時間凝結於絲綢之上，凝視與情感在畫布與觀看之間靜靜流動。透過這張寧靜柔和的臉龐，東西文化於絲綢之上靜靜交會，成就一件兼具視覺詩意與人文溫度的典雅之作。