When it comes to traditional lacquer painting, few people are unfamiliar with artist Nguyen Truong Linh - the leader of the Vietnamese Lacquer Artists Group. His brushstrokes evoke a sense of nostalgia and closeness to folk art, yet remain highly creative and modern.

Artist Nguyen Truong Linh (born 1971, Hanoi) is one of the leading figures in traditional lacquer painting. Besides being the leader of the Vietnamese Lacquer Artists Group, he currently teaches at the Hanoi College of Culture and Arts, serving as the Head of the Fine Arts Department.

Women, rural landscapes, and Hanoi temples are parallel themes that artist Truong Linh always focuses on. For him, the image of women is a beautiful, aesthetically pleasing, and inexhaustible subject for the artist to explore thoroughly, from all aspects. As for the themes of rural landscapes and temples in Hanoi, he believes that these beautiful features will gradually diminish and be replaced by restoration and hybridization.

Living amidst the hustle and bustle of Hanoi, artist Nguyen Truong Linh's inspiration for creating rural landscapes often comes from field trips and real-life experiences. Art is sometimes not far away, but simply hidden in the things around us.

“I’ve traveled to many places, and each rural area is changing more and more with industrialization. The gradual transformation of old things sometimes makes me feel sad. Ancient village temples are nestled on the roadside, covered in dust. Modernity is overwhelming tradition too much, and it’s gradually disappearing. To preserve the soul of the countryside, I often focus on small aspects that have their own unique meaning,” he shared.

The Long Bien Bridge is the creative inspiration for artist Nguyen Truong Linh. He has been connected to this bridge since his childhood in Cau Go Street. The artist has diligently observed the life and movement on the bridge and painted it for decades. So much so that when people mention him, they think of the Long Bien Bridge, with its streets and the lives of the people living beneath it. The dominant colors in his paintings are grayish-brown, tinged with yellowish rust, beneath the bridge's soaring arches that resemble ancient rooftops.

In 2022, the male artist also painted a series of 10 pictures of temples and pagodas in the old town. There are places that you would never see if you weren't paying attention because they are hidden in extremely narrow alleys.

“Previously, my creative focus was the Long Bien Bridge because I studied and painted it extensively. In 2024, I plan to continue painting the Long Bien Bridge, but it will definitely be different from my previous work. Besides the Long Bien Bridge, I will only paint a few other things in Hanoi. Another direction I'll explore is temples in the city, which are different from village temples. Because in the past, the city was a village street. Craft villages gathered here in the capital, each street specializing in a different trade, and there were many temples clinging to the city. Temples in the countryside are vast, while temples in the city are located in narrow alleys,” said artist Nguyen Truong Linh.

Furthermore, he always explores the fate behind the gentle beauty of women. The image of women is always present and linked to the creative ideas in the male artist's paintings. Examples include works such as: "The Shadow of Injustice," "The Dream of Kieu" (I, II, III), "Waiting Wife," etc. In addition, the image of a strong, sensual woman is also seen in "The Mortal World," "Giving Birth to the Land," "The Long Tri Festival Night," "Thang Long," etc.

One can recognize the vibrant colors in works such as: "The Girls," "Night Butterflies," "Wandering Melody," "Autumn for You," "Ancient Temple in the Old Town," "Hanoi Has Long Bien Bridge," "Winter," "Two Faces," "Waiting Wife," "Sunshine at the Sacred Temple," "Time," "Nostalgia for the Countryside," etc.

Artist Nguyen Truong Linh takes viewers into a world of contrasts, clashes, and oppositions between tradition and modernity, between reality and abstraction… but hidden within are the various emotions he wants to convey to the public.

Artist Truong Linh further shared: "In recent years, lacquer painting has regained the attention of many people, including artists. The public's reception has also improved, which is seen as a motivation for artists to create."

Prior to the 2010s, the art market was quite chaotic. At that time, the art scene was booming, particularly in exporting handicrafts, including lacquerware. They used a different material instead of traditional lacquer by applying a glossy coating to the surface before painting. Unlike traditional lacquer painting, where the artist would paint and reveal layers during the polishing process, deciding when to stop or continue polishing.

Therefore, when presented abroad, the public often finds that Vietnamese lacquer paintings are not traditional, leading to misunderstandings about the concept of Vietnamese lacquer painting. That's why Nguyen Truong Linh established the Vietnamese Lacquer Artists Group in 2013. The group comprises artists of diverse ages (from 35 to 72) and adheres to traditional lacquer techniques, from using lacquer as the raw material, preparing the base, applying the pigments, using gold and silver, following the exact methods used to create a lacquer painting by previous generations of masters.

Artist Truong Linh recounted: “In the 10 years of working with the Vietnamese Lacquer Artists Group, what makes me happiest is that wherever I go, people ask, 'What's new in the group this year? Are there any exhibitions?'... This proves that people still remember our group, no matter where they are or what age group they belong to; we remain in the hearts of the lacquer art-loving public. Maintaining that respect is very difficult. Over the past 10 years, we've faced quite a few challenges; in 2019, the group even had to cancel an exhibition due to the impact of the pandemic.”

Lacquer is a traditional material used for lacquer painting, found only in Vietnam. Lacquer trees are mainly grown in Phu Tho province, and harvesting the lacquer can easily cause contamination. Furthermore, the lacquer's drying time depends on weather conditions, drying when humidity is high. The main colors are usually reddish-brown, amber, and black.

During his 10 years as the leader of the Vietnamese Lacquer Painting Group, artist Truong Linh also faced many difficulties. Most notably, he had to persuade artists of different generations to exchange ideas and introduce new techniques into painting. Traditional lacquer painting relied on a few prominent materials such as vermilion, mineral pigments, eggshells, snail shells, and mother-of-pearl... but now there are many more less labor-intensive polishing methods that still achieve the desired results.

The male artist confided: "Each exhibition we hold faces many difficulties. We have to encourage the group members to create works that are different from previous ones, with different subjects… so that when the paintings are released, they will convey and evoke emotions in the public."

In 2023, the Vietnamese Lacquer Painting Artists group plans to hold an exhibition in Ho Chi Minh City in October, focusing on a modern perspective on traditional objects: wells, banyan trees, village communal houses, etc.

Artist Nguyen Truong Linh said that in recent years, many people have returned to the trend of enjoying lacquer painting. Although it takes a lot of time and effort, lacquer remains a durable material with high traditional value, expressing contemporary voices. For example, in a realistic lacquer painting, when the colors are polished, the subject matter reveals abstract elements in each section of the painting. When the lacquer is applied layer by layer, the image changes in each section; this is the surreal element within a realistic painting.

"From the initial sketch to completion, a lacquer painting can take two months or even up to six months, depending on the artist's skill and technique," he said.

In 2023, the Vietnamese Lacquer Painting Artists Group will also have a new project supported by an art-loving businessman, hiring artists to paint at an estate in Phu Tho. This will bring together artists specializing in lacquer painting to create artworks for gifting and display at the Hung Temple Festival.

In the near future, there will also be a small exhibition of traditional Vietnamese lacquer paintings at the Hung Temple Festival in Phu Tho. The aim is to honor the source, as Phu Tho is a major supplier of lacquer resin for the artists. Additionally, this project will donate paintings to various cities… The future development plan is to open a Vietnamese Lacquer Museum in Hanoi – this is also considered a long-term project.

Here's a short video of the artist painting with lacquer: