57 - Ⓟ ƒ LEBADANG (1921–2015)

Ⓟ ƒ LEBADANG (1921–2015) "Green Buddha," 2003 Watercolor on paper Signed and dated in the lower right corner 150 x 170 cm (Slight tears) LÊ BÁ ĐẢNG (1921–2015) “Green Buddha,” 2003 Watercolor on paper Signed and dated in the lower right corner 150 x 170 cm (With a few slight tears) Around 2001, at the age of eighty, Le Ba Dang entered a final creative period during which he produced a serene synthesis of the major themes that had marked his body of work. In his series known as the “Buddhas,” produced through 2010, and later the “Cosmic Family,” the artist developed compositions in which the human figure seems to emerge from an abstract, luminous, and shifting space. The Buddhas, reduced to the essential presence of a face, convey a meditative and spiritual vision; the faces seem to float in a cosmic substance, evoking both the artist’s polished stainless-steel sculptures and the Buddhist conception of a world in perpetual transformation. Around 2001, having turned eighty, Lê Bá Đảng entered his final creative phase, in which he presented a harmonious, tranquil synthesis of the major themes that spanned his artistic career. In the series titled “Buddha,” created up until 2010, followed by the “Cosmic Family” series, the artist developed compositions in which human figures seem to emerge from an abstract, luminous, and ever-changing space. The Buddhist figures are simplified, reduced to the essential presence of the face, expressing a contemplative and spiritual gaze. These faces seem to float within a cosmic medium, evoking both the artist’s polished stainless-steel sculptures and the Buddhist concept of a world in constant motion and perpetual change.