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Exhibition displays rare colour in lacquer paintings

Traditional lacquer paintings are on display at an exhibition entitled Lam (Deep Blue) in Hanoi.
Exhibition displays rare colour in lacquer paintings ảnh 1Duoi Anh Trang (In the Moonlight) by Tran Nam Anh (Photo courtesy of the artist)

Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Traditional lacquer paintings are on display at anexhibition entitled Lam (Deep Blue) in Hanoi.


The exhibition showcases 50 lacquer paintings by 25 artists who use traditionallacquer techniques.

The paintings depict the beauty of life, culture, people’s portraits andabstract images.

This is the fourth exhibition in recognition of the fifth anniversary of thegroup Vietnamese Traditional Lacquer Artists.

Besides displaying the latest artworks by the painters, the exhibition alsofocuses on a highly challenging requirement for expressionism.

All of the artworks are coloured with shades of blue, the most difficult colourin traditional lacquer which is rarely used nowadays.

The popular palette of lacquer paintings includes vermilion (red pigmentrefined from minerals that have a mercury sulfide base), black and brownrefined from sap of sumacs and some other materials such as silver leaves andgold leaves, eggshells, pearl and seashells.

In the 1930s and 1940s, painters from the Fine Arts College of Indochinaexperienced and succeeded in appropriating traditional techniques of lacquerwork to make unique pieces.

Members of the Vietnamese Traditional Lacquer Artists mainly use traditionallacquer, which aims to keep and develop lacquer work of our ancestors andmasters who initiated the unique value of Vietnamese lacquer paintings,according to artist Can Manh Tuong.

The group consists of many artists of different ages who have built theirexcellent reputation through lacquer paintings.

Although many painters are still young, they have a passion for researching andcreating to contribute new values to the great achievement of Vietnamese fineart.

“We want to bring new experiences in expressive techniques and new effects ofeyesight in the nuances of blue with full optimism and hopefulness,” hesaid.  

The exhibition will run until October 10 at the Vietnam University of FineArts, 42 Yet Kieu street, Hanoi. Visitors can enjoy the visual exhibition untilJanuary 10 next year, through Indochine Art, online artwork trading websiteat https://www.indochineart.vn/.-VNS/VNA 

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