Nguyen Gia Tri (Vietnamese, 1908-1993) Fish Becoming Dragon

Nguyen Gia Tri (Vietnamese, 1908-1993)
Fish Becoming Dragon

signed Ng Tri (lower right)
lacquer on paper

60 x 80 cm (23 5/8 x 31 1/2 in)

The work is accompanied with a photo-certificate of authenticity issued by Duc Minh Art Gallery & Nguyen Gia Tue (the son of the artist), dated 13 Jan 2000.
Provenance
Duc Minh Art Gallery, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Private Collection, USA, acquired from the above in 2000
Private Collection, Asia

阮嘉智
魚化龍
漆 紙本

簽名：Ng Tri (右下)

此作附越南胡志明市Duc Minh藝廊和Nguyen Gia Tue（藝術家之子）於2000年1月13日開立之作品保證書照片

來源
越南胡志明市Duc Minh藝廊
美國私人收藏，於2000年得自上述來源
亞洲私人收藏

An ancient folk tale in Vietnam recounts the story of the fish which became a dragon. According to legend, only the bravest fish would swim against the current beyond the waterfall, and it would be rewarded by being transformed into a Dragon. First recorded in San Qin Ji (Recordings of the Three Qin) during the Eastern Han dynasty (25–220), the tale symbolises the ultimate success one can achieve through perseverance and determination.

Gia Tri was born into a family of Imperial craftsmen and is revered as the greatest Master of modern lacquer. A graduate of the École des Beaux-Arts de l'Indochine, he is celebrated for expanding the boundaries of established techniques and discovering innovative ways of using traditional materials. His creative spirit pervades this work with its unusual use of wet lacquer on paper. The painting, bordering on abstraction, depicts something that has yet to materialise, capturing the indefinable moment of transformation of one being into another. The artist's use of vibrant colours and large, free-form, almost calligraphic brushstrokes overlaying energetic gestural marks displays a bold digression from the established norms of the time.