Joining the heroic atmosphere across all regions of the country, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory (May 7, 1954 – May 7, 2024), on the morning of April 26, the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum opened the exhibition with the theme ‘Road to Dien Bien’.
The exhibition displays 70 works by 34 artists, created in the period from 1949 to 2009 (belonging to the collection of the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum) with visual genres such as: painting, graphic, poster, sculpture, etc. The works are created on a variety of different materials: oil, lacquer, gouache, silk, watercolor, bronze, plaster, etc. Besides traditional display method, the exhibition also combines the application of cinemagraph projection technology to bring vivid and interesting experience to viewers.
The artists in the exhibition include generations of typical artists in Vietnamese modern art, from the Indochina period such as: To Ngoc Van, Tran Van Can, Mai Van Hien, Nguyen Sang, Tran Dinh Tho, Phan Ke An, Ta Thuc Binh, Duong Huong Minh… the Resistance Class: Nguyen The Vy, Dao Duc… and also contemporary artists: Tran Khanh Chuong, Luu Danh Thanh, Cao Trong Thiem, Minh Dinh… bringing unique works, rich in artistic value, imbued with national spirit.
Photo: Việt Nam Fine Arts Museum
The exhibition ‘Road to Dien Bien’ demonstrates the diversity of styles, genres and materials through each work. These are composed directly or from notes and sketches of individual artists during the fierce days of the Dien Bien Phu campaign. Among the artists, many directly went to war, becoming artist and soldier, joining the armies heading towards Dien Bien. Instead of holding guns, the artists held brushes and painted realistically and vividly the developments of the struggle in the Dien Bien Phu campaign.
The exhibition ‘Road to Dien Bien’ is like a slow motion film of the past so that viewers can immerse themselves in the heroic and tragic atmosphere of the nation. Through each work we could feel the fierceness, hardship, loss… but there are also romantic and poetic moments.
We might mention classic works such as ‘Party admission in Dien Bien Phu’ by artist Nguyen Sang. This is the most outstanding work in his career, an epic poem about the patriotism and revolutionary spirit of the Vietnamese people. The work was recognized by the state as a National Treasure in 2013.
Nguyễn Sáng (1923 – 1988). ‘Party admission in Điện Biên Phủ’. 1963. Lacquer. 112.3×180 cm. (Photo: Việt Nam Fine Arts Museum)
Or sketches by artist To Ngoc Van, from the 1950s, To Ngoc Van participated in the border campaign, directly going on the road with fellow resistance soldiers to fight for the country. That’s why he drew many sketches on the battlefield. Whether drawing with pencil, iron pen, charcoal, or watercolor, the artist made it carefully and meticulously, vividly recording the events during the war as well as daily life after the decisive moments of life and death. These are not only pure sketches but also contain the artist’s feelings, emotions, understanding, and concerns before the fierce war and the fate of the nation.
Photo: Việt Nam Fine Arts Museum
Or the painting ‘Singing during the campaign season’, a work bearing the mark of revolutionary romantic realism by artist Mai Van Hien. The painting highlights the spirit of optimism and love of life, “singing over the sound of bombs” of the army and people. Even though the war was chaotic, separated and lost, after those fierce battles, soldiers and compatriots still had moments of rest and cultural activities to regenerate energy and motivation to fight for and protect the country.
Mai Văn Hiến. ‘Singing during the campaign season’. 1994. Oil (Photo: Việt Nam Fine Arts Museum)
The very famous lacquer work ‘Remembering an afternoon in the Northwest’ by artist Phan Ke An, created in 1955, the new green color scheme in ‘An afternoon in the Northwest’ accurately describes the spirit of “the grandeur of the great forests of nature in the Northwest”. Combined with the light from the gold, the painting becomes deep and green with a special visual impression. Looking at the painting, we feel like the mountains and forests are moving forward with the footsteps of the army.
Phan Kế An. Remembering an afternoon in the Northwest. 1955. Lacquer.
There are also works such as ‘Be Van Dan uses his body as the gun stand’ by artist Le Vinh, ‘Pulling artillery in Dien Bien’ by Tran Dinh Tho; ‘Dien Bien the year’ by Cao Trong Thiem; ‘Viet Bac’ by Dao Duc, ‘Farewell before the duty’ by Luu Van Sin, ‘The entire country goes to war’ by Luu Danh Thanh, ‘Road to Dien Bien’ by Tran Khanh Chuong… are all valuable works, deeply expressing the spirit of patriotism and nationalism.
Đào Đức. Việt Bắc. 1954. Silk. (Photo: Việt Nam Fine Arts Museum)
Trần Văn Cẩn. Soldiers build the bridge.1954. Crayon. (Photo: Việt Nam Fine Arts Museum)
Nguyễn Sáng (1923 – 1988). The enemy burned my village. 1954. Oil. 87×127 cm
The exhibition ‘Road to Dien Bien’ is a deep gratitude to the heroes and martyrs who participated in the Dien Bien Phu campaign, arousing and promoting the spirit of patriotism and the spirit of great solidarity of the entire people, making us appreciate and be more proud of the history of Việt Nam.
The exhibition is open from April 26 to May 15 at the 1st floor of Building B, Vietnam Fine Arts Museum, 66 Nguyen Thai Hoc, Ba Dinh, Hanoi.
Along with the exhibition, there is an art talk program with the theme ‘Road to Dien Bien’ at 9:30 a.m., April 27, 2024 and ‘Memories of artist and martyr To Ngoc Van’ at 9:30 am, May 11, 2024.
Written by Viet Art View
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