Painting connects Vietnamese and Lao people

Large lacquer paintings of the Western Truong Son Mountains; pencil, pen or watercolor sketches of human portraits and life in Laos during the war years... The works of the late artist Tran Tuan Lan displayed at the "Father & Son" exhibition at the end of October 2023 recall a time when "a grain of salt was bitten in half, a stalk of vegetable was broken in half" of the Vietnamese and Laotian army and people.

Laos through the eyes of Vietnamese artists

We went to the "Father & Son" exhibition at the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum (66 Nguyen Thai Hoc, Ba Dinh, Hanoi) on a day at the end of October 2023. What made a strong impression on me was the 183x112cm lacquer painting "Western Truong Son". The painting recreates the entire fighting life of the Vietnamese and Laotian soldiers and people in the Western Truong Son: laborers building roads; a Laotian mother carrying her child to guide the Truong Son soldiers ; a Vietnamese soldier with a gun and a guitar; a painter-soldier sitting and drawing a Laotian girl, behind him are the mountains... Amidst the dark blue and dark brown tones, the wild flowers stand out - eye-catching highlights, creating an interesting visual effect. The lacquer painting "Tay Truong Son" is one of more than 60 works about people and landscapes by the late painter Tran Tuan Lan (1933-2010) and his son - painter Tran Tuan Long, displayed at the "Father & Son" painting exhibition at the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum in late October 2023. At the exhibition, in addition to enjoying large-scale lacquer paintings of landscapes and people from many places across the country, viewers can also see some of Tran Tuan Lan's emotional pencil sketches, watercolor portraits and landscapes of Tay Truong Son, the Lao battlefield in the years 1965-1969.

Painter Tran Tuan Long (right cover) next to a self-portrait of the late painter Tran Tuan Lan (Photo: Thanh Luan)

With meticulous and delicate strokes, the artist leads viewers back to the lives of soldiers and civilians along the Western Truong Son range during the war years such as: "President Suphanuvong working in the liberated area of ​​Sam Neua"; "Noong on xi" (1966); "Noong son tha" (1967); "Female guerrillas"; "Paper group of Neo Lao Hac Sat printing workshop"; "Doi ban hoc choc chong Trung thuc" (1968)... Artist Le Trong Lan, former Chairman of the Fine Arts Council of the Vietnam Fine Arts Association, expressed his impression of the sketches on the Lao battlefield by the late artist Tran Tuan Lan. In addition to the artistry, the highlight of these sketches is their authenticity. It is the authenticity that makes these works live forever. "The faces in Tran Tuan Lan's sketches during those years are all imbued with Lao character. The strokes are not ornate but are realistic and vivid, showing that the artist was a part of the war. Those sketches not only express the artist's feelings towards things and people, but also contain the artist's sincere feelings," commented Mr. Le Trong Lan.

Friendly strokes and colors

Visiting the exhibition, many former Vietnamese volunteer soldiers and experts who fought in the Lao battlefield were able to relive those old months. Lieutenant General Le Van Han, former Deputy Director of the General Department of Politics of the Vietnam People's Army and Vice President of the Vietnam - Laos Friendship Association, said: Looking at the paintings of the late artist Tran Tuan Lan, he felt like he was reliving the difficult but proud years in the Western Truong Son. The war years but forged the friendship between Vietnam and Laos.

The work "Paper group printing workshop" was created by the late artist Tran Tuan Lan in 1968. (Photo: Thanh Luan)

"Overcoming all hardships and challenges, under the leadership of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party, the Lao government and people of all ethnic groups shared the burden and wholeheartedly helped the Vietnamese army open the road, protect the Truong Son route, ensure the transportation of human resources and goods to serve the battlefield, and bring the revolutions of the two countries to final victory. The years when the Vietnamese and Lao armies and people lived and fought side by side created beautiful impressions in the souls of Vietnamese artists, including the late painter Tran Tuan Lan. His works not only realistically depicted the life and people in the Western Truong Son during the war years, but also expressed his attachment and love for the brotherly country of Laos," said Lieutenant General Le Van Han. Painter Tran Tuan Lan graduated from the Vietnam University of Fine Arts, worked as a lecturer at the Quang Ninh Provincial School of Culture and Arts, and was a member of the Vietnam Fine Arts Association. He received the Award of the Vietnam Fine Arts Association in 1996 for the work “Mao Khe Coal Mine”; the Award of the Vietnam Fine Arts Association in 2003 for the work “The Battle of August 5”; the First Prize of the Ha Long Literature and Arts 1996 - 2000 for the work “Bach Dang Tradition” and many other awards. In the years 1965-1969, he worked as a cultural expert in Laos. His works mark the journey from his homeland, country to the battlefield C of the brotherly Laos.

The work "Female Guerrilla" was created by the late artist Tran Tuan Lan in Sam Neua (Laos) in 1968. (Photo: Thanh Luan)

Painter Luong Xuan Doan, Chairman of the Vietnam Fine Arts Association, said: the life of the late painter Tran Tuan Lan was closely linked to the difficult life of the country, of the neighboring country of Laos, but was still clear in one look, one stroke of the pen. Whether it was charcoal, pencil or iron pen, it was still full of the voice of a beautiful, simple, and sincere soul. “He released the strokes, holding the emotions in the moment when his eyes looked and his hands drew, fossilizing the faces of people and landscapes anywhere, anyone. Art is a long road. He knew that and was not afraid of the long journey. Looking back and admiring forever the old sketches and the lacquer works that still vibrate with emotions over time. He was the one who quietly kept a humble love in the contemporary Vietnamese fine arts scene,” the Chairman of the Vietnam Fine Arts Association wrote about the late painter Tran Tuan Lan.