Diversity Of Lacquer Reflects Artists

Diversity of Lacquer Reflects Artists

Glazed: Artists Le Xuan Chieu, Luong Khanh Toan,
Duong Sen and Nguyen Dang Khoat exhibit their
lacquer works at Phuong Mai Gallery in HCM City.
— VNS Photo Sunny Rose

HCM CITY — The exhibition Southern Colour VII, with 54 lacquer works by a group of four established Vietnamese artists, is on display in HCM City.The artists, Duong Sen, Le Xuan Chieu, Luong Khanh Toan and Nguyen Dang Khoat, were born in northern Viet Nam but later moved to HCM City to live and create art. This is their sixth group exhibition.

While four of the five artists met each other because of their mutual interest in lacquer art, they each have a distinct style.

Sen says his main theme is women. "Women are my obsession, my fear and focus of my admiration."

The influence of Chieu's birthplace of Ha Tay in east Ha Noi can be seen in his artworks, which depict the ethnic minorities there. Toan's works feature masks, and Khoat's lacquerworks evoke the mystery of the night.

Lacquered items have been found in ancient tombs in Viet Nam dating as far back as the third and fourth century BC.

Over the centuries, Vietnamese craftsmen and artists have mastered techniques using lacquer for decoration and preservation.

Lacquer paintings can now successfully compete with silk and oil paintings, according to Chieu, lecturer at HCM City College of Fine Arts.

To make lacquer, a piece of wood is covered with cloth soaked with the the sap of a lacquer tree and then coated with a layer of the sap mixed with earth. The board is then sand-papered and recoated with a layer of hot sap.

Polishing gives a smooth black surface with a brilliant luster. The lacquer often has between 10 and 20 layers.

Chieu said that eggshells, sand, clay, gold leaf and silver leaf were sometimes used in lacquer works as well.

Silver can be used below the layers of colours to create an effect of immense luster, whereas gold leaf is often applied as the final layer.

"So it's not like a silk or oil painting. Lacquer is very durable, and becomes more and more beautiful with time," he said.

The exhibition, which also displays materials and tools of lacquer artists, runs until Sunday at Phuong Mai Gallery, 129B Le Thanh Ton Street, District 1, HCM City. The works can also be seen online at www.vietnam-art.com.vn. — From Vietnam News


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