Celebrating the funny side of life
An inside look at cartoons from the last
90 years is given in the newly published Biem Hoa Vietnam
(Vietnamese cartoon).
Formerly an architect, artist Ly
Truc Dung spent much time researching artists who made great
contributions to the formation of Vietnamese cartoons.
"The book is published to honour Vietnamese cartoons. I have been
collecting the materials for years. In the process of writing this book,
I had lots of difficulties because of poor documents," said Dung.
The book begins by telling the history of the first person to draw
cartoons and then goes on to discuss other famous artists in Vietnam
that have brought publicity to the country. Each page tells the history
of caricature through various individuals.
Painter and
researcher Nguyen Quan said, "Vietnamese cartoons came from the
country's love of laughter and comedy, to become a unique art that has
developed with the nation."
To celebrate, a variety of
cartoons are displayed at the French Cultural Centre at 24 Trang Tien
Street, Hanoi. The works on show are from talented artists of past
generations, such as Nguyen Gia Tri, To Ngoc Van, Phan Kich, Mai Van
Hien, and more recent well-known pen names, including Choe, Com, LAP,
LEO. They portray the realities of life with a critical eye.
Artist Nguyen Van Nhan criticises collecting money during
parent-teacher meetings. Dung's cartoons published in Van Nghe Newspaper
chide uncontrolled deforestation. Artist V. Thanh depicts the dangers
of driving motorbikes with the image of incense and a tombstone. And
artist DAD describes the consequences of urbanisation. The exhibition
runs until March 14./.