Artists and fine-arts lovers celebrate the birth of Nguyen Phan Chanh (1892-1984) in Hanoi on July 20.
"Chanh is considered one of Vietnam 's foremost silk artists," saidTran Khanh Chuong, Chairman of the Vietnam Fine Arts Association. "Heworked prolifically during the war era, but never depicted battlescenes. His art celebrated peace, beauty and the daily lives of people,especially rural people."
Chanh's daughter, writer NguyenNguyet Tu agreed. "He once said he didn't bring war into his paintingsbecause ‘guns could shoot through silk'.
"He painted children, young women, farmers and workers with a love for life and plenty of optimism," she said.
Chanh, among the first students of the Indochina College of Fine Arts,now Hanoi University of Fine Arts, was one of the greatest Vietnamesepainters of the last century, creating his own style and techniques forpainting on silk.
Before he started work, Chanh washed thesilk canvas in warm water. When the first layer of colours dried, hewashed the painting again before adding new colours until he wassatisfied with the work.
In 1928, he became the firstVietnamese painter to have a painting reproduced on a postage stamp inFrance . It was titled Nguoi Di Cay (Transplanters in the Field).
After winning a prize for his work in Paris in 1931, he built a career as a lecturer of fine arts.
In 1996, he was posthumously awarded the Ho Chi Minh Prize, the noblest award for literary and fine-art work in Vietnam .
Chanh left about 170 silk paintings and 52 sketches when he died,according to his family. Most of them are stored in museums and privatecollections throughout the world. His family owns a small number.
His work has been displayed in France , Italy , the US , Japan ,the former Czechoslovakia , Hungary , Romania , Poland and theformer Soviet Union .
In 1932, paintings such as O AnQuan (Children Playing Games), Rua Rau Cau Ao (Washing Vegetables by aPond), Len Dong (Mediumship) and Em Be Cho Chim An (Children FeedingBirds) were the first Vietnamese paintings introduced to a Frenchaudience in Illustrations magazine.
However, as time goesby, the fragile paintings have been damaged, some seriously. Japanesespecialists who love his work volunteered to restore them. The firstthree restorations were enjoyed by 36,000 visitors to an exhibition inJapan last year.
Japanese specialists are now workingon another five silk paintings. They will showcase the restored worksand borrow others from private collectors to organise an exhibition ofChanh's paintings in Japan next October.
Paris FineArts Museum and private collectors who own Chanh's paintings willorganise an exhibition commemorating him in Paris in September.-VNA
"Chanh is considered one of Vietnam 's foremost silk artists," saidTran Khanh Chuong, Chairman of the Vietnam Fine Arts Association. "Heworked prolifically during the war era, but never depicted battlescenes. His art celebrated peace, beauty and the daily lives of people,especially rural people."
Chanh's daughter, writer NguyenNguyet Tu agreed. "He once said he didn't bring war into his paintingsbecause ‘guns could shoot through silk'.
"He painted children, young women, farmers and workers with a love for life and plenty of optimism," she said.
Chanh, among the first students of the Indochina College of Fine Arts,now Hanoi University of Fine Arts, was one of the greatest Vietnamesepainters of the last century, creating his own style and techniques forpainting on silk.
Before he started work, Chanh washed thesilk canvas in warm water. When the first layer of colours dried, hewashed the painting again before adding new colours until he wassatisfied with the work.
In 1928, he became the firstVietnamese painter to have a painting reproduced on a postage stamp inFrance . It was titled Nguoi Di Cay (Transplanters in the Field).
After winning a prize for his work in Paris in 1931, he built a career as a lecturer of fine arts.
In 1996, he was posthumously awarded the Ho Chi Minh Prize, the noblest award for literary and fine-art work in Vietnam .
Chanh left about 170 silk paintings and 52 sketches when he died,according to his family. Most of them are stored in museums and privatecollections throughout the world. His family owns a small number.
His work has been displayed in France , Italy , the US , Japan ,the former Czechoslovakia , Hungary , Romania , Poland and theformer Soviet Union .
In 1932, paintings such as O AnQuan (Children Playing Games), Rua Rau Cau Ao (Washing Vegetables by aPond), Len Dong (Mediumship) and Em Be Cho Chim An (Children FeedingBirds) were the first Vietnamese paintings introduced to a Frenchaudience in Illustrations magazine.
However, as time goesby, the fragile paintings have been damaged, some seriously. Japanesespecialists who love his work volunteered to restore them. The firstthree restorations were enjoyed by 36,000 visitors to an exhibition inJapan last year.
Japanese specialists are now workingon another five silk paintings. They will showcase the restored worksand borrow others from private collectors to organise an exhibition ofChanh's paintings in Japan next October.
Paris FineArts Museum and private collectors who own Chanh's paintings willorganise an exhibition commemorating him in Paris in September.-VNA
