The image of farmers in the fields, plowing, pulling young rice, planting rice, especially harvesting rice, carrying rice home… has entered art with many works of literature, poetry, music, and paintings; become an inspirational subject.
The work “Village production team” of artist Hoàng Tích Chù. Source: Website of Việt Nam Fine Arts Museum.
At Việt Nam Fine Art Museum, two paintings Village production team, 1958, lacquer, artist Hoàng Tích Chù (1912-2003) and Phổ Minh tower pagoda, 1966, lacquer, artist Nguyễn Sáng (1923-1988) depicting scenes of rice planting have become typical works of the museum on the theme of building the socialist country.
The work “Phổ Minh tower pagoda” of artist Nguyễn Sáng. Source: Website of Việt Nam Fine Arts Museum.
Artist Văn Bình (1917-2004) studied in class 12 of Indochina Fine Arts College with Dương Hướng Minh (1919-2008), Nguyễn Trọng Hợp (1918-1999), Nguyễn Thị Kim (1918-2011), Trần Đình Thọ (1919-2010)… At that time, he and artist Trần Đình Thọ was mentioned by professional circles as “bamboo of Thọ, banana of Bình”, implying special achievements in art with a personal impression.
From the left: Artist Nguyễn Văn Tỵ, artist Trần Văn Cẩn, artist Văn Bình (The fourth)
The lacquer painting Planting rice before dawn was created by artist Văn Bình in 1990; Dimensions 80 × 120 cm, depicting images of labor that are both realistic and poetically romantic.
Realism lies in the very subject of labor – planting; Romance – countryside landscape before dawn with typical Vietnamese vegetation.
Basically, the painting depicts a scene of early morning rice planting. But if we look at the painting carefully, putting our eyes under the artist’s own eyes, we will see much more than that. Based on the colours, based on the details of colour, darkness, light and dark on the sky, one can see the sophistication in observing and describing the phenomenon. This is the sky that is getting warmer because the sun is about to rise. In fact, farmers often plant rice very early, partly to avoid the sun, partly according to folk experience, rice seedlings planted when the sky is still dark will be better under bright light.
The composition of the painting clearly shows the harmonious, coherent arrangement between people and scenery. Large plant forms such as bamboo and rows of trees are reduced to large dark areas; while the banana are covered in cool green. A large tree spreading its foliage serves as a central, balanced highlight. The artist did not focus on detailed descriptions but focused on flat shapes, sometimes with large and small outlines to create highlights.
We will not see here the use of milled gold contours for shapes like others of his earlier paintings. But the relationship between the colours in the painting is simpler, brighter, more refined and seems to match the large areas of colours. Because perhaps, after replacing the lens for his eyes in 1986, his eyes became clear. And that seems to be what we see in Planting rice before dawn with a light and fresh feeling.
Written by Viet Art View
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