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July 2003 Newsletter |
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Welcome to the July 2003 issue of the Vietnam Art Gallery newsletter. With over 745 pieces available for order on the site at any time, we're one of the largest Vietnamese art resources on the 'net today. Thanks for your support! This month, we take a look at the most widely used and associated symbol in Vietnamese art—the dragon... Plus, we examine what "contemporary art" really means in a country with thousands of years of continuous history. Our feature artist for July is Nguyen Duy Nhi
and his pieces are exciting and fiercely idiosyncratic! ========== Enter the dragon ========== The dragon is the most widely used and associated symbol in the history of Vietnamese Art. It is indeed from the prehistoric time that identified the Vietnamese as descendant of dragons and fairies (con rong chau tien). From the ancient time of Dong Son civilization to modern days of Nguyen dynasty, the dragon motif can be found in numerous sculptures and painting, royal palaces, religious and funerary architecture. The dragon symbol is not unchanging in history, however this motif had evolved through many shapes and forms, each appearance reflected the culture of the era and the belief of the populace and society at the time. Dong Son Period (400 BC to 200 AD) The "Giao Long" dragon, a reptile version of the dragon, was found carved on many weapon hatches and bronze urns (Dao Thinh-Yen Bai). Dai La Period (8th-10th century) Viet Nam was under Chinese colonization from the 1st through the 10th century, which left profound influence on Vietnamese Arts. As resulted, the Dai La dragon had many resemblance to its Chinese creature as displayed on decorative tiles found at Co Loa. Ly Dynasty (10th-11th century) The Ly dynasty marked the first era of independent Viet Nam from the Chinese colonization. During the Ly's reign, Vietnamese Art was allowed to flourish to its peak. The Ly's dragon had a distinctive appearance of the water serpent, a symbolic representation of the God of Rain and Water of the time. Unique features of the Ly's dragon that distinguished from the Chinese mythical creature are: thin and long, undulated body of a serpent, small head with long whisker and mane and fine legs with small claws. An exemplary Ly's dragon can be found on carved stone at the Chuong Son tower (Nam Ha province). Tran Dynasty (13th-14th century) The Ly's dragon carried many of its traits to the Tran's symbol such as long and small body and head. The dragon design carved on the front doors of Pho Minh temple (Nam Dinh) show the Ly's Art was still very influential several hundred years later. Later Le Dynasty (16th-17th century) The Chinese cultural influence reached its height as the Later Le kings adopted Confucianism, Budhism and Taoim as national religions. The dragon of the Later Le was considered as the symbolic representation of the emperor and his authorative power after the Chinese model. The dragon design was used extensively as decorative in many royal tombs and religious temples. The Later Le's dragon had same appearance and shared many traits of the Chinese symbol such as its menacing look, large body and head, thick scales, big and muscular leg with long and sharp claws and thick mane runs along body from head to tail. Nguyen Dynasty (18th-20th century) The dragon symbol during the Nguyen dynasty is one of "Tu Linh", the four mythical Chinese creatures of dragon, lion, tortoise, and phoenix. These mythical creatures appeared in numerous paintings, sculptures and art objects as well as in architecture decorative of the royal palaces and tombs in Hue. author: hytran@my-deja.com ====== Artist of the month: "Nguyen Duy Nhi" ===== Nguyen Duy Nhi's imaginitive use of colour against thick dark outlines gives bold life to two dimensional, abstract, cartoon-like art.  Nguyen Duy Nhi - "Peaceful" - $300 We have 194 online right now for you to inspect immediately. ==== The paradox of Vietnam's "contemporary" art ==== For a nation with an history that goes back thousands of years, Vietnamese contemporary art is relatively young. It began a mere 75 years ago with a group of artists who were trained at the Indochina School of Fine Arts (Ecole des Baux Arts de l'Indochine) of Ha Noi. With their acquired training from French instructors, the artists of this inceptive period re-discovered the beauty of the native landscape saw through a Western lens. They romanticized life and the people and painted these subjects in an ambiance of innocence and dream. Many well known works from this period show a strong influence of the Impressionism and Realism school of Europe and are highly admired and sought for by art collectors. In 1891, Le Van Mien (1873-1943), a young Vietnamese Confucian scholar, was considered as the gifted at the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux Arts, Paris. "Binh Van" (Reciting Poem), was one of the first important oil painting created according to the neoclassical painting method of the French Painting School at the end of 19th century. Indochina School of Fine Arts (Truong My Thuat Dong Duong) The Indochina School of Fine Arts was more than being the first institution provided art training to artists and artisans in Viet Nam. The school trained the first generation of artist that later established the modern era of Vietnamese art. During its 20 years of existence, the Indochina School of Fine Arts graduated a total of 128 artists in various disciplines. Many of these graduates were prolific painters and premiere artists of their time such as Bui Xuan Phai, Le Pho, Mai Trung Thu, Nguyen Gia Tri, Nguyen Phan Chanh, Nguyen Tu Nghiem, Nguyen Sang, To Ngoc Van, and Tran Van Can. Their work impressed many critics who praised the artists as the "Paris School of Viet Nam". Victor Tardieu, a French painter and accomplished teacher founded the Indochina School of Fine Arts in 1925. Its mission was to train Vietnamese artists to apply western techniques to their traditional art. At its opening in 1925, the school had only two faculties, painting and sculpting. Later the school added other faculties such as architecture (1926), lacquer (1930), jewelry craft (1933), ceramics (1934) and woodworking (1938). In the early 30's, the school introduced Vietnamese modern painting to the western world through many international fairs and exhibitions such as Rome (1932), Milan (1934), Bruxelles (1935) and San Francisco (1937). The Indochina School of Fine Arts closed its doors in 1945 when Viet Nam gained independence from France. The school reopened in 1946 as the Hanoi College of Fine Arts as it exists to the present days. Nguyen Phan Chanh (1892-1984), was determined to find a way to improve the tradition method of Chinese silk painting. His technique on silk with half tones and subdued contours, creating an atmosphere of serenity and mystique, and maintaining the typically pure Vietnamese inner emotion. The warm dark browns, the main colour of the dress of the peasant of North Viet Nam, wrapping in soft contours, emanating the innocence of the simple minded soul of the rustic folks. To Ngoc Van's (1906-1954) "Trua He" (An Afternoon in Summer, 1943), "Thieu Nu va Hoa Sen" (Lady and the Lotus Flowers, 1943), "Thieu Nu va Hoa Hue" (Lady and the Lilies, 1943, Oil) are recognized as the greatest of Vietnamese modern paintings. His paintings are marked by lively colours, voluminous figures, and skillfully and artistically depict human beings which daring and delicate, modern and at the same time traditionally Vietnamese. Mai Trung Thu's (1906-1980) subjects were women, children and daily life under Vietnamese conceptions. His silk paintings show a strong influence of Oriental styling and folk art. Le Van De (1906-1966): Graduate of the first entering class of the Indochina School of Fine Arts and later had additional training in Paris. His silk paintings were well known abroad.. He was the director of Gia Dinh School of Fine Arts in the South during the 50 and 60's. Nguyen Gia Tri (1908-1993) is a distinguished master in lacquer painting with an elegant style and his unique ideas about the mysterious, metaphysical nature of this material. Tran Van Can (1910-1994) engaged in social affairs and art training. A virtuoso in oil, lacquer, and silk painting with realistic, lyrical style. Le Thi Luu (1911-1988) perfected dedicate style in classical technique. Women and children were subjects on her silk paintings. ============ Fresh, New, Vibrant ============ Another relentless buying spree by Le Giang up in Hanoi has resulted in some wonderful finds. Here are three I thought you may like--click on the painting to see more works by that artist.  Minh Phu - "Eight" - $300 - more >>  Manh Phu - "Vietnamese Girls" - $200 - more >>  Minh Duc - "12" - $250 - more >> ============== Artist Roster ============== Our database of up-and-coming artists has doubled in the last few months. Think you can pick the next Bui Xuan Phai? 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