VietNamNet Bridge – At the age of 70, Thanh Chuong, one of the most distinguished painters in Vietnamese fine arts, said he is still as passionate as he was years ago.

Life of art: Painter Thanh Chuong speaks at his book launch. — Photo courtesy of VCCA

A book recently released by the Vincom Centre for Contemporary Arts explored the artist’s life and career.

The book, titled Thành Chương – Art and Life, affirmed the position of Chuong as one of the leading lights in Vietnamese contemporary art. He is considered the bridge between Indochinese art and đổi mới (renewal) art.

The 500-page book reveals the creative techniques and devotion of the artist through sketches, lacquer work, oil on canvas and watercolours.

Though Chuong started painting at the age of seven and has completed a huge number of artworks, this is his first book.

Chuong is a big name in Vietnamese fine arts, according to writer Nguyen Quang Thieu.

“Chuong joined the national fine arts industry with his own opinion and style. He is a pioneer in preserving traditional identity in art creativity. He has had a significant influence on young artists.”

Chuong was introduced to art very early in life, as his father is writer Kim Lan. When Chuong was young, he met famous writers and artists such as Nguyen Hong, Nguyen Tu Nghiem, Nguyen Sy Ngoc, and Nguyen Sang.

He spent 10 years serving in the army before working as an illustrator at Văn Nghệ (Literature and Arts) Newspaper in Hanoi.

“The world has learned about Vietnamese fine arts thanks to the generation of artists who graduated from the Fine Arts College of Indochina (former name of Viet Nam University of Fine Arts),” Chuong said.

“I want to work with other artists to build a new fine arts industry, with a Vietnamese identity and the ability to integrate with international art.”

Compiling the book was not easy for Chuong as he has spent most of his life creating. His vast body of work, including paintings, drawings and documents, took a lot of time to arrange on the pages of the book.

Chuong said that even at the age of 70, he still looks for the beauty in art.

“There are many things ahead. Art has no limit. My most beautiful piece is yet to be created.” 

Painter and art critic Nguyen Quan remarked that Chuong is a bridge between two generations of Vietnamese artists, between Western and Eastern art and between seriousness and fun. 

Source: VNS