When studying Vietnamese painting, especially modern art, we will be surprised by many masterpieces created by the painters in Vietnam. These authors have been famous not only in the nation but also all around the world. Who are they?
Let’s research these artists and their styles!
1. Nguyen Gia Tri (1908 – 1993)
Nguyen Gia Tri is the most influential painter of modern Vietnamese lacquer paintings. He was a pioneer who changed lacquer paintings from decorations into works of art.
Gia Tri created classical beauty in artworks. He was the only one who discovered the soul of traditional lacquer, making it no longer ordinary but noble.
The young woman’s beauty in his paintings shows her wishes for freedom and dreams.
Although not yet recognized as national treasures, all his works are implicitly considered valuable paintings and prohibited from being removed from Vietnam.
The work of “Vuon Xuan Bac Trung Nam” (The Spring Garden in the North-Middle-South), displayed at the HCMC Fine Arts Museum, has achieved a high quality of lacquer. The artist created this one for 20 years, from 1969 to 1989. It is also the last work of Mr. Tri, in which he showed most of the talent and knowledge of lacquer.
Artistic style: He was a leader in lacquer paintings, so he has been dubbed the father of lacquer paintings in Vietnam. He coordinated the etching method with new lacquer skills. He also applied the principles of Western painting structure to create modern works that still carry a national character.
Main works: Young Women in the Garden, Spring Garden in the North-Centre –South, and Young Woman with the Confederate Rose.
2. To Ngoc Van (1906-1954) – Pen name: To Tu
To Ngoc Van is a painter who is proud of the art of Vietnam. His name is also given to a street in Hanoi capital and Ho Chi Minh City. He has left his works famous in Vietnam and other parts of the world.
The masterpiece “Thieu Nu Ben Hoa Hue” (Young Lady with Lily) was created by Tô Ngọc Vân in 1943 while teaching at the Indochina Fine Arts College. The painting depicts a young lady in a white ao dai tilting her head gracefully toward the white lily. The girl’s figure combines the surrounding details and colors, forming a homely shape and exuding a gentle sadness. Unfortunately, this masterpiece is now lost somewhere.
The “Two Women and Baby” was officially recognized as a National Treasure in 2013. This painting masterpiece is currently on display at the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum.
Artistic style: To Ngoc Van was the first person to have merit in using oil painting material in Vietnam. He tried to express the gentle beauty of the Vietnamese, typically young women.
Main works: Young lady with lily, Two women and baby, and Young girl with lotus.
3. Nguyen Tuong Lan (1906-1946)
Nguyen Tuong Lan is one of the four famous painters of the early period of Vietnamese art (including Tri, Van, Lan, and Can). Not much information is available about Nguyen Tuong Lan because the war destroyed the documents. Also, only a few of his paintings are still left.
He is considered one of the few painters capable of bringing pure colors for silk paintings into a fictional symbol and courteous harmony.
With generous rhythms, Nguyen Tuong Lan pioneered the creation of abstract art as early as the 1940s.
He studied the 4th course at Indochina Fine Arts College. After graduating, he opened a gallery in Hanoi. He mastered most of the materials in oil paint and lacquer. Although he composed many works, they retained a few. Perhaps that is why his image in the foursome is quite faint, even though he is a talented painter of Vietnam.
Artistic style: Mastering most of the materials of oil paint, lacquer, silk, woodcarving, and pencil drawing
Main works: Cho Mien Nui (Mountain Market), Hien Ve Hoa (Show of Flowers), Doi Ban (Two Friends)
4. Tran Van Can (1910 – 1994)
Tran Van Can left the typical works with high value in arts and humanities.
“Em Thúy” is an oil painting created by Mr. Can in 1944. It is the pinnacle of his work and the top of Vietnamese art.
With a realistic, gentle, and unobtrusive expression, Tran Van Can grabbed and kept the viewers with innocent and pure beauty. He did not care about the style when drawing but only raised the character’s spirit.
Artistic style: He is also one of the few artists who has experience with many different materials, all of which he had successful works. He also contributed to improving the lacquer material into a famous painting material.
Main work: Em Thúy
5. Nguyen Tu Nghiem (1922-2016)
Nguyen Tu Nghiem is also a rare Vietnamese artist with his own museum, which is located at 90 B2 Tran Hung Dao, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi.
The painting of artist Nguyen Tu Nghiem combined modern style with traditional ways to create his own identity. The lines, colors, and rhythm are always stylized, based on Dong Son drum motifs, Ly Tran pottery patterns, folk paintings, and pagoda architecture.
Shaping techniques cover modern and stylized skills, but all still evoke beliefs and cultures in Vietnam and Southeast Asia.
Artistic style: Nguyen Tu Nghiem is good at traditional lacquer but not sharpened, and later is color powder and gio paper. Common themes in his paintings are ancient dances, Thanh Giong, Kieu, and zodiac animals.
Main works: Ancient Dance, Xuan Ho Guom, 12 Zodiacs
6. Duong Bich Lien (1924-1988)
Duong Bich Lien created many paintings. When he died, he wanted to burn all of them. Despite that, hundreds of his works remain, mostly kept and cherished by his friends.
“Hao” is a work of Duong Bich Lien currently in the collection of Mr. Ngo Tan Trong Nghia, owner of the famous Apricot Gallery of Hang Gai Street, Hanoi. The picture is set in 1972, the period when the US bombing was fiercest. When looking at this painting on the war topic, we can see the artist’s inner state, which is bleak and cold to the shudders.
That painting traveled around and came to many places. In the end, it belongs to the owner of the Gallery Apricot, but he did not disclose the purchase price.
Artistic style: Duong Bich Lien has studied the world’s art trends. He uses lacquer and oil paints to show all materials smoothly and nicely. He is an expert in portraits of girls.
Main works: Uncle Ho at the Viet Bac battlefield, Yellow afternoon
7. Nguyen Sang (1923-1988)
Nguyen Sang, an expert in lacquer, has made many contributions to modern Vietnamese painting. He successfully exploited modern European art combined with Vietnamese traditional art.
He had the honor of designing the first postage stamps of an independent Vietnam, released in 1946. These stamps show the portrait of President Ho Chi Minh. The stamps have the words “VIET—NAM” and the image of the leader who founded Vietnam.
Artistic style: Nguyen Sang used his drawing to serve the resistance of the nation. Besides, he also painted on many different topics, such as women and flowers, the ancient scenery of the pagoda, the majestic landscapes, the peaceful countryside, and folk games.
Main work: Adopting the Party in Dien Bien Phu.
8. Bui Xuan Phai (1920-1988)
Bui Xuan Phai is the most famous painter in Vietnam with street paintings. His paintings are both ancient and realistic, capturing the essence of Hanoi’s old streets in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s.
The color patches in Phai’s paintings often have bold borders. The streets and buildings are the main objects but are closer to humans, creating a sense of depth in each work.
In addition to the old town, he successfully painted other topics, such as rowing, portraits, the countryside, nude, and still life.
The Vietnamese village and ancient Hanoi followed him in the life of an artist, creating a passion for painting right from early childhood. In his career, artist Bui Xuan Phai drew many different types, reflecting vividly and honestly the nation’s activities.
Artistic style: He specializes in oil painting materials and is passionate about Hanoi Ancient Town. Right from his time, the public admired his creations and called his style “Pho Phai.”
Main works: Hanoi Old Quarter, Hanoi resistance war, and Bullock cart in the old town.
9. Nguyen Phan Chanh (1892-1984)
Nguyen Phan Chanh created a different style of Vietnamese silk paintings without mixing them with other countries, even famous places such as China and Japan.
His works often show the images of the farmers, the women, and the love of mother and children. Nguyen Phan Chanh succeeded because he knew how to combine traditional drawing with the scientific knowledge of European painting.
Artistic style: He was the first to bring glory to Vietnamese silk paintings. He is one of the Vietnamese painters using the Western forming method for oriental silk painting.
Main works: Choi O An Quan (Playing Stones in Squares), Tien Dung and Chu Dong Tu, Sau Gio Truc Chien (After Hours of Battle).
10. Le Pho (1907-2001)
Le Pho is a master in Vietnam and around the world for the last impressionism with many expensive works. He is also referred to as the Vietnamese painter of French land. The public valued his works thanks to his talent for creating impressive paintings. His works often have the highest price in the world of art compared with Vietnamese artists.
Artistic style: The major materials are oil paint and silk. The main topics are flowers, dreams, and noblewomen.
Main works: Hoai Co Huong (Homesick), Kim Van Kieu, Purple Curtain, Young Widow, Young Lady by Orchids, Still Life, Paysage du Tonkin, Peony Vase, Long Me (Mother’s Heart), and Beauty Lady in the Sunshine.
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These Vietnamese painters are famous in Vietnam and all around the world. Their paintings have become an invaluable price. Some works are preserved in the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum and HCMC Fine Arts Museum. But many are still traveling somewhere. Once you find one of their paintings, you can get rich quickly!!!
