The students being enthusiastic about experiencing printing and drawing traditional painting
Coming to the “Color of Spring” exhibition at Quang Dien district's Center for Culture, Information and Sports, the public and visitors are able to admire a collection of over 100 Vietnamese folk paintings from 4 unique painting genres: Đông Hồ, Làng Sình, Hàng Trống, and Kim Hoàng - each with their own distinct aesthetic of rural Vietnam, which has become ingrained in the consciousness of the people.
The exhibition gathers a multitude of emotions from a large number of visitors who love folk paintingsby conveying familiar and intimate images of daily life in familiar and typical paintings of Vietnam. Through the talented carvings and drawings of the artisans, the paintings are imbued with rich and diverse content and brilliant natural colors of high artistic value, conveying profound humanistic meanings, and bring many implications to each painting for art lovers.
At the exhibition, visitors can see a pair of paintings called “Tiến Tài, Tiến Lộc” hanging outside the gate like guardian deities, banishing evil spirits, and welcoming good fortune and prosperity. There are also paintings such as “Vinh Hoa” and “Phú Quý” symbolizing the auspiciousness of the new year, and a set of four paintings representing the passage of time through the four seasons of Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter.
The images in each painting not only symbolize the seasons, but also represent auspicious symbols in oriental philosophy such as yellow apricot blossoms, roses, lotus flowers, chrysanthemums, phoenixes, cocks, deers... with the hope of bringing good blessings throughout the four seasons; or the painting “Lý ngư vọng nguyệt” signifies the determination to strive for success in life just like the tale of the carp overcoming obstacles to become a dragon.
The paintings not only fulfill the aesthetic and spiritual needs of people but also contain and promte a human moral message that educates people about good virtues and hopes for good things in the new year.
Ms. Dinh Thi Hoai Trai, Director of the Hue Museum of Fine Arts, shared that nowadays, the traditional folk painting villages are not as developed as they used to be. However, Vietnamese folk paintings are still highly appreciated and considered a unique form of art that needs to be preserved and conserved. Therefore, displaying and exhibiting folk paintings has been strengthened and emphasized in order to introduce them to the public and contribute to the preservation and promotion of cultural values, as well as to honor the traditional craft villages.
“The exhibition is a very meaningful event that plays an important role in preserving Vietnam's folk paintings. The Hue Museum of Fine Arts hopes to bring the public to the heart of the tradition, back to the days of ancient folk painting, to admire, feel, and cherish the beauty that once shone. After having a specific understanding, everyone will together preserve and promote traditional art on the path of development," said Ms. Dinh Thi Hoai Trai.
In addition to displaying and introducing folk paintings, there were also practical educational art activities for students and folk-art enthusiasts. Nguyen Thi Nhu Y, a student from Nguyen Chi Thanh School, said that participants could learn about the meanings of the paintings, the differences and similarities between genres of folk paintings, and even directly received guidance on printing and painting folk paintings. At the same time, this helped to connect past and present generations, making us interested in learning about the culture and traditions of our nation through the folk paintings left by our ancestors.
The exhibition is truly a festival of aesthetics and creativity for many generations of artisans who hascreated the aesthetic space of the four folk painting genres with their simple and authentic beauty, but full of humanistic meanings and traditional educational values. Through the event, the public, especially the younger generation, have the opportunity to better understand the customs, practices, and daily life of the past through the values and meanings of the folk painting genres, honoring the traditional craft villages. Since then, we can jointly preserve, inherit, and promote the cultural quintessence left by our ancestors.