Le temple des Lamas, le pavillon des dix mille bonheurs, 1995
Oil on canvas, signed upper right and dated upper left.
114 x 146 cm
Provenance:
Private collection, France
Certificate of authenticity issued by the Bernard Buffet Endowment Fund
In this composition, Bernard Buffet depicts an Asian architectural motif with the graphic rigor and intensity that define his style. The pavilions, with their elegantly curved roofs, highlighted in deep reds and incisive blacks, stand out against a clear sky, asserting their monumentality.
The work represents the Lama Temple (Yonghe Gong), a major center of Tibetan Buddhism in Beijing. Built in the 17th century, it was originally a princely residence before becoming a monastery. Buffet focuses here on the Pavilion of Ten Thousand Blessings (Wanfu Ge), a monumental structure housing a colossal statue of Maitreya, the Buddha of the Future, carved from a single sandalwood tree trunk and measuring 18 meters high. The pavilion, symbolizing the infinite accumulation of blessings, is one of the spiritual and artistic treasures of the site.
Through the prism of his taut line and contrasting palette, Buffet transforms this historic monument into an emblematic image. Sacred architecture, rich in meaning and tradition, becomes under his brush a hieratic construction where descriptive precision meets expressive intensity.