Strolling through the Land of Lacquer

02 – 08 Aug 2023
Vietnam National Museum of Fine Arts
66 Nguyễn Thái Học, Ba Đình, Hà Nội

From the organizer:

Lacquer painting is honored as a wonder of Vietnamese fine arts. Grasping the field of lacquer painting resembled a gentle stroll to leave time to savor and capture the eclectic approaches to lacquer art amidst its evolution process. The Muse profoundly presents Strolling through the Land of Lacquer.

Vietnamese lacquer paint has existed for many generations, but only since the inception of the L’Ecole des Beaux-Arts de l’Indochine (the Indochina College of Fine Arts, currently known as Vietnam University of Fine Arts) in 1925 did artists begin to transform lacquer from crafting to artistic invention. Initially, the Indochinese artists attempted to paint lacquer with oil painting techniques, which were taught by French professors, however, their efforts were to no avail. This realization sparked the need for a different approach to the new material. Among the pioneering generation, a name that was known to most was Nguyen Gia Tri, whose style pursue Expressionism with adorning feature but obscured than the artistry. Due to the influence of the second principal of the Indochina College of Fine Arts, Mr. Evarite Jonchère, the fashion of 2nd generation lacquer painters Le Quoc Loc, Hoang Tich Tru, Pham Hau, etc. was more of decorative style to utilize the strengths of traditional Vietnamese art. It’s acknowledged that the third generation, specifically painters Nguyen Sang and Nguyen Tu Nghiem, had redefined the concept of composing with lacquer paint.

From these insights, one can wonder what the 4th generation is contributing to this contemporary art and how it is advancing so far. We don’t seek answers to these questions, but rather bring them into the discussion by exhibiting paintings from various Northern lacquer “sects”. While strolling, we can barely notice all the details, let alone the complete scene, this limitation unburden our minds, and bring us to a state of calmness, to fully perceive the surrounding. Likewise, this exhibition may miss some of the important artists, and leave the mysteries to the art researchers.

In this exhibition, we proudly present these 10 artists, whose names are no stranger to art lovers:
– Lý Trực Sơn
– Nguyễn Quang Trung
– Phan Cẩm Thượng
– Triệu Khắc Tiến
– Vũ Văn Tịch
– Nguyễn Thị Thúy Nguyệt
– Nguyễn Xuân Lục
– Nguyễn Thị Quế
– Đỗ Thị Kim Đoan
– Phạm Trà My

Each of these artists is currently on a path to explore lacquer in unique artistic perspectives, some are opposite, namely the conventional and unorthodox, being reactive and converse with materials, standardized techniques fore implementation, and vice versa. We savor the fruits of their artistic labors, along with their amalgamation as well as distinction, for the eyes of viewers.

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