The project originated from the passion and love for traditional lacquer folk art of artists from Latoa Indochine: Pham Ngoc Long, Luong Minh Hoa, Nguyen Van Phuc (HTPhuc), Tran Linh, Tran Hai Yen, Nguyen Trong Khang, Pham Huy Tuan, Nguyen Manh Ha and Hoang Dinh Duy to restore and preserve the old folk art values.
With the view "Going to the end of communication, you will meet modernity", LaToa Indochine is a brand with the purpose of reviving the traditional handicraft art of the nation that is gradually fading away, in order to bring traditional products closer to the people and international friends.
At the Opening Ceremony on the afternoon of October 7, Mr. Pham Ngoc Long, Chairman of Latoa Indochine, said that this is a journey that Latoa Indochine has long cherished, with the idea of preserving cultural values and quintessence. At the same time, he wishes to preserve and restore Vietnamese folk paintings, cultural and artistic values, national values, feng shui values and bring them to a new level; spreading traditional values not only in Vietnam but also becoming one of the product lines welcomed by the whole world.
Each work is a story of art and culture in artistic creations with engraved lacquer material. In which, engraved lacquer is a new creation based on the traditional technique of lacquer and engraving, thereby depicting the delicate lines as well as the flexibility of the material, making folk paintings more rich, splendid and luxurious. The work is first sketched by the artist, using a concave carving tool for each detail to create black lines like traditional folk paintings. Next, using then, cockroach wings to color the lacquer, gold leaf, silver leaf... each color is a layer, after each layer is a polishing step. The entire process for a work must be up to 15 - 20 steps and takes about 45 - 60 days to complete.
There are 3 main groups of paintings displayed at the exhibition: Folk paintings, Famous people paintings, Buddhist paintings. In which, folk painting themes are applied and created with rich colors. The painting of the Rooster God from Kim Hoang village is one of the famous paintings that has been restored, with the meaning of bringing luck. In particular, at the opening ceremony, Hanoi Museum received from Latoa Indochine a portrait of Nguyen Trai, which was transformed into carved lacquer, measuring 106cm x 106cm and put on display. The original painting was painted with gouache on canvas in 1917, signed by the author: PDTUE, 1/1/1917, measuring 220 x 200cm. The portrait is painted with stylized strokes, skillful color harmony, many curves are calculated according to a certain formula.
Encountered in the exhibition are mascots that breathe life into folk paintings such as Red Tiger, Cat Muop, Pig Dan,... to stories passed down through generations such as Thach Sanh, Kim Van Kieu story, Truc Lam Dai Si xuat son do,... all carrying the characteristics of that period.
Each folk painting, whether it is a mascot, a slice of a story or a folk panorama, exudes spiritual meaning and at the same time brings viewers into a space of nostalgia for a world that was once very lively and colorful through the art of re-engraved on lacquer material in a sophisticated and sharp way.
The Five Tigers painting, a Hang Trong painting, represents the desire to entrust people to the five directions and protect them from evil forces. The painting borrows 5 “Tigers” to represent the Five Elements, which are the universe’s mutual generation and mutual inhibition, creating a living space for all things, including humans.
Besides, "The Road" also introduces many paintings inspired by Buddhism: The painting adaptation "Truc Lam Dai Si Xuat Son Do", "Huong Van Dai Dau Da"...
The exhibition conveys the message of needing to preserve and maintain the traditional beauty, cultural history of the Vietnamese people in general and folk paintings in particular, making Hanoi Museum a destination for the public who love traditional art and want to learn about folk paintings. From there, it creates the premise for developing folk paintings on lacquer into a unique cultural product of the capital.
This is a very meaningful event that contributes significantly to the Vietnamese Folk Painting Conservation Project. At the same time, the exhibition also inspires art lovers with new emotions, emotions to continue their creative journeys.
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