Lacquer painter Doan Van Nguyen: 20 years for an exhibition

21:58' 22/04/2007 (GMT+7)

VietNamNet Bridge - The Exhibition of painter Doan Van Nguyen at 29 Hang Bai, Hanoi shows not only a huge creation but also a serious passion for the traditional lacquer painting.
With 35 works on show, with the oldest created in 1986 and the lastest in 2007, the largest of 2.4 square metres and the smallest only of 20 x 30cm size, the exhibition is a summary of 20 years of working of the artist Doan Van Nguyen.
Nguyen has won various prizes for his creativity, such as the National Prize for a set of 5 art works, and various Gold Medals at different national fine arts exhibitions. Some of his works are now on display at the Prime Minister’s Office, Fine Arts Museum, Military Museum, and at Museums in Russia, Germany and Chile.
Art critics say this is a a rare opportunity for lovers of lacquer painting, as it is very difficult to collect such a high number of lacquer painting with such high quality on display.
It takes months, sometimes years to accomplish a lacquer painting. Lacquer painting requires artists to paint various layers to get the required impression. The artist has to polish the painting various times, letting the colour mature and polish them again. It has taken Nguyen his whole life to compose several dozens of such paintings.
“This is a huge collection, showing a huge workload for the artist. It also reflects a serious passion for this unique art.” Tran Khanh Chuong, General Secretary of the Vietnam Fine Arts Association commented on the exhibition. “Doan Van Nguyen is not in anyway similar to his predecessors, or his sucessors. He has a special individual style, both modern and traditional.
The exhibition is not only a collection of his life works, but also reflects the different artistic period Nguyen has experienced. The works also shows his creativity and efforts in searching for new materials to be applied to this traditional art form. Many of his findings, such as the use of egg shell and gold, have been developed by his students and successors to leading greater successes.
Professor Doctor Nguyen Do Bao says Doan Van Nguyen has made a trademark of his own by using strong strokes. At the same time, his paintings are always fully worked out and generates in viewers a feeling of praising for life.
Nguyen Quoc Huy, one of his outstanding student, says what he learnt most from Nguyen is the passion for the traditional form of art, his patience and love for art. “He is very careful from sketching, to making the painting. He doesn’t mind going back and adjust his painting to reach perfection, that’s what many young artists are ignorant of”, Huy says.
Thanks to his efforts and excellence, Nguyen has been dubbed “an authentic lacquer painting artist” by art critics and lovers.
(Source: Nhan Dan)