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| Wednesday, 8 December 2004 |
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Rediscover Vietnam When Bill Clinton visited Hanoi and bought a painting done by the impressionist artist Le Than Tsun five years ago, the value of his paintings shot up from the US$300 - US$500 range to US$4000 - US$8000! Today he is one of the most sought after artists in South East Asia. Vietnam is buzzing as an investors' paradise nowadays, and Vietnamese art has come to be in high demand among reputable galleries in the USA, Europe, Australia, HongKong and Singapore. An exhibition and sale of modern Vietnamese paintings takes place at the Harold Pieris Gallery of the Lionel Wendt. It features a selection of oil on canvas paintings from the foremost Vietnamese schools of art, depicting a variety of themes, with a few being typically Vietnamese. Some paintings incorporate a splash of the renowned lacquer work that is unique to the Far East. This technique produces a metallic sheen obtained through layers of metallic paint. What generally comes to mind when someone refers to Vietnam is the horror of war and graphic scenes from American movies. Most people think of Vietnamese art in terms of pictures of the typical Vietnamese women with the conical hat bending over rice paddies, an old man or woman solemnly sitting by the roadside or vendors carrying goods on their shoulders. The reality is somewhat different. To the Vietnamese, art is an integral part of daily life - throughout the many wars and hardships they have had to endure, art has been a constant source of solace and peace for generations - a means of escapism from the horrors of war and daily drudgery. Art plays a big role in the educational curriculum of Vietnam and upon retirement many people enrol in the National University of Arts and Literature to further pursue their artistic talents. What is distinct about modern Vietnamese art is the brightness and light play the artists use in their work. The paintings at this exhibition were handpicked by a Sri Lankan couple who were based in Hanoi, Vietnam for the past three years. They were fascinated by the variety, colour and detail used by many artists they came to know and at the end of their term decided to bring down a collection of paintings from a very select group of artists to be exhibited and sold in Sri Lanka. |
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