The birth of "Flowers come in the night"
Inspired by the poetic idea in the poem Tay Tien by Quang Dung - "Muong Lat flowers return in the night mist", the works in this exhibition by artist Tran Quoc Long remind us of the fierceness of nature, of the people of Thanh Hoa, of the land of Muong - the artist's homeland. And it is the fierceness of nature that permeates the people born in this land, permeates his creative style.
But like Tay Tien, the more intense and troubled the lacquer flowers in "Hoa ve trong dem" are, the more profound, delicate, and full of life they are. Looking at the women appearing in mysterious black and lacquer, it is like wild flowers blooming in the quiet night, surrounded by mist.
Not stopping at traditional brown, black, gold and silver colors, Tran Quoc Long's lacquer breaks out with teal, orange, red colors... like the explosive emotions of a young man with many desires and struggles with life.
The paintings in the exhibition were created by him in a small rented room in the mountain town of Da Lat. At night, when the mist covered the yard, soaked every leaf on the peacock tree in front of the house, he began to paint. That was the moment when his quiet soul faced loneliness, the desire to express..., all of which he distilled and arranged on the paintings. He conversed with life through the color palette of lacquer. And just like that, the paintings like flowers were born in the silence of the misty night.
If you look closely at each painting on display in the exhibition, you will notice that they are all related to flowers. Because the artist created "Flowers come in the night" in the flower city of Da Lat. For him, Da Lat is the place that holds the artist's soul.
Paintings from the child of the sea
Artist Tran Quoc Long comes from a fishing family in the North Central region, exposed to the elements all year round. Therefore, his parents always believed that painting was a job for "rich kids" and wanted their children to have a specific and stable job. However, for Tran Quoc Long, he did not see any job more specific than painting. "Being able to do art is profitable," he confided.
He shared: “Lacquer is not simply a subject I study at school, but it is an art school I have devoted my whole life to pursuing. For me, painting lacquer is not difficult, I just need to make it unconscious so that it can penetrate into my body. Art does not need any techniques, just love for it.”
Keeper of traditional art
Lacquer painting is very laborious, but in 2018 alone, Tran Quoc Long was able to complete nearly 50 paintings. He said that only “crazy” people like him dare to do this. Because a lacquer painting needs to go through at least 15 layers. Just painting, polishing and curing the color overnight takes a lot of effort, not to mention the time spent coming up with the idea beforehand. He said that as long as he is in good health, there are times when he can paint up to 6 paintings in a month.
Tran Quoc Long is also one of the few Vietnamese artists pursuing traditional lacquer paintings. Most young artists prefer lacquer paintings painted with Japanese powder, which is quick to color, has more vibrant colors, and is much simpler to paint than traditional lacquer paintings. His choice is not only a difficult step but also a long step to preserve Vietnamese art. Because to paint traditional lacquer paintings, artists must use traditional Vietnamese paint combined with expensive metals such as gold and silver. What is special is that these paintings are done on bamboo panels (made from wood, alluvial soil, straw, usually 6-7 layers).
With such dedication and passion, the way artist Tran Quoc Long develops the art of painting is also the way he preserves traditional Vietnamese crafts such as silk making and lacquer painting.
The exhibition will be open to the public from December 15-19, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., at Bentley House, Landmark 81 building.You can watch a video introducing the artist and the exhibition at the following link: https://vimeo.com/306512377
