What does it mean for an artist to preserve and continue the legacy of traditional Vietnamese lacquer across generations? Through this solo exhibition, Nguyễn Xuân Việt showcases his vast expertise and his endless enthusiasm for lacquer painting.
“Nguyễn Xuân Việt: Keeper of the flame for lacquer painting” is a solo exhibition by artist Nguyễn Xuân Việt now on view at Eight Gallery, which features 58 works of lacquer paintings and oil paintings created between 1980 and 2022.
Widely known in Vietnam’s art community, Nguyễn Xuân Việt has devoted more than half of his life and creative energy to painting with sơn ta (Vietnamese traditional lacquer). Because of his passion for a material that requires a great deal of patience and meticulousness, art collector and writer Trần Hậu Tuấn regards him as the “keeper of the flame for lacquer painting,” an artist who considers lacquer art as a personal religion.
Installation view of “Nguyễn Xuân Việt: Keeper of the flame for lacquer painting.”
Born in Nakhon Phanom (Northeastern Thailand), Nguyễn Xuân Việt (born 1949) returned to Vietnam alone at a very young age to join the army in the Southern battlefield, attended Vietnam University of Fine Arts in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh University of Fine Arts, and became an apprentice of master painter Nguyễn Gia Trí (1908–1933) just one year after Reunification.
Spring, 1987. 60 x 120 cm. Lacquer.
Upon arrival at the gallery, we encounter a series of large-scale lacquer paintings. The main themes of his works featured in the space include landscape, human movements and nature. Lotus (2004) is a major highlight work of this room, with detailed brushstrokes and flexible flows of colors, and the combination of traditional lacquer with materials like egg shells, which elevated the texture and liveliness of the artworks.
Lotus, 2004. 118 x 257 cm. Lacquer.
Many of his works, including those featured in this exhibition and even from other collections outside of the exhibition revolve around religious themes. A variety of religious elements are featured in this exhibition: the birth of Buddha, a scene of Christmas Eve, portraits of statues from Hindu temples, human activities at Angkor Wat temple, and the portrait of a Muslim woman. When asked about the religious diversity of his works, Nguyễn Xuân Việt mentioned that he is typically drawn to the ruins of ancient temples. Since many well-known religious paintings belong to the category of oil painting. Therefore, Nguyễn Xuân Việt wanted to experiment with lacquer, and he was hoping to approach more target audiences from different cultural and religious backgrounds.
The birth of the Buddha, 1998. 80 x 60 cm. Lacquer.
Moving to the upper floor, we observe a series of landscape, nude and portrait oil paintings. This is quite a surprise to find in this exhibition and also from the artist in general because he is well-known for working with lacquer. It was later revealed that the artist has been working on landscape, portrait and nude paintings in silence, and most of these works have not been previously shown to the public. Most landscape oil paintings featured in this exhibition were created during his trip in Paris in 1999–2000.
Some works of oil painting from “Nguyễn Xuân Việt: Keeper of the flame for lacquer painting.”
In addition to Nguyễn Xuân Việt’s interests in landscapes, portraits and religious paintings, another significant career highlight is his abstract lacquer paintings. He is not the first painter to venture into this realm of abstraction with lacquer. However, his skills and control over limitless flow of lines and colors are exceptional. The artist implied simply that he did not intend to paint anything specifically, and he was just following his own freedom. Therefore, viewing his lacquer paintings is like venturing into the hidden depths of the unknown, where the audience can only feel it by using their imagination.
(Left) Abstract, 2021. 40 x 30 cm. Lacquer.
(Right) Abstract, 2012. 60 x 60 cm. Lacquer.
We also find some publications on display on the ground floor of the gallery. Throughout his apprenticeship under painter Nguyễn Gia Trí, Nguyễn Xuân Việt was constantly taking notes of the master’s words on painting techniques and thoughts on creation. As he realized that lacquer was still somehow underappreciated in the art scene in the 1980s, he collected all his records and research materials, and emphasized the history, significance and potential of traditional lacquer in the art world.
Three different editions of “Painter Nguyễn Gia Trí's words on creation” and poetry collection “Time and the Sea,” all written by Nguyễn Xuân Việt. The publications are now on display at the exhibition.
Three different editions of Painter Nguyễn Gia Trí's Words on Creation showcase his process of recording Trí’s important ideas and research materials on sơn ta. Meanwhile, the poetry collection Time and the Sea written by Nguyễn Xuân Việt reflects the artist’s personal background, nostalgia towards his birthplace and hometowns, his view of the world, and even inspirations from his travels. Flipping through the pages, the audience might find some similarities between his poems and paintings in the exhibition, as if they are all aligned and interconnected.
Landscape of Huong Pagoda, 1998. 80 x 180 cm. Lacquer.
Other than his expertise and preciseness, as reflected through each painting, there exists a great value of time hidden somewhere in Nguyễn Xuân Việt's works. The colors of his landscape works are not too bold and glamorous, and the surfaces feature a touch of old-school dark tones. These elements represent the traces of time, as the work ages in the finest way through months and years. Being the flame keeper of lacquer painting, Nguyễn Xuân Việt is continuing the legacy of the master painter who came before him, and also preserving an important heritage of the Vietnamese art scene for many generations to come. Sơn ta, as a material, has become his visual language. With pride, this is his own unique way of communicating with the world.
“Nguyễn Xuân Việt: Keeper of the flame for lacquer painting” is now on view at Eight Gallery until September 29. More information can be found in this Facebook post here.
