Nguyen Van Ty

The work is in good condition overall as viewed. Upon close observation, there is indication of slight wear and handling around the edges. No restoration has been detected under ultraviolet light examination.
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With his origins in Hanoi, Nguyen Van Ty graduated as laureate of the 11^th promotion (1941) of the first the Fine Arts School of Hanoi under the tutelage of French painters. A brilliant and talented student, he made his mark on Vietnamese modern art history at an early age, excelling in the techniques of oil painting, silk painting, woodblock print and lacquer painting. All his works, and in particular the quality of his sketches, indicate a quality of robustness and freedom in composition that outpaces the codes of the Ecole de Beaux-Arts Hanoi. The art of the spontaneous with its in-situ and long-winded sketches was taught to Nguyen Van Ty by his professor Joseph Inguimberty. In turn, Nguyen transplanted these lessons to the construction of this lacquer masterpiece.

Although lacquer has had a centuries-long history in Vietnam in the form of lacquered tools, bowls and boxes, it was always a form of decorative art tied to objects of use. It was not until the establishment of the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Hanoi that the lacquer tree, rhus verniciflua, truly came into its own as an art form, with lacquer works taking on monumental scales on large wooden panels.

Created in 1943, the present work entitled “Rapid of Cho Bo on the Black River” is a major work of this artist and of the period, as chronicled in various books and articles. Nguyen Van Ty is considered a master and pioneer of modern lacquer painting, along with such artists as Nguyen Gia Tri, Pham Hau and Le Quoc Loc. Artworks by Nguyen Van Ty from this period rarely seen, and this piece undoubtedly belongs to the Golden Age of Vietnamese lacquer painting (1930 – 1945).

The eight panels of this work depict a wonderful natural landscape from the Black River (“Rivière Noire”) in North Vietnam, now renamed Song Day and located in the city of Cho Bo, about 80 kilometres South West of Hanoi, on the road to the highlands of North Vietnam on the territory of the Blue Thai tribe. This particular region of North Vietnam is renowned for its beauty, where wide expanses of natural spaces are still preserved today.

The shapes of the pirogues and the clothes of the characters offer an ethnographical portrait of the region and its inhabitants, depicting everyday life in harmony with one’s natural environment. The magnificent highlands in the background contrast with the splendid textured golden sky, evoking the atmosphere of dawn and dusk. These dark cliffs, almost as if a void of gravity across the work, are surrounded by the powerful movement of swirls and waves, as if oscillating around and in obedience to the majesty of these cliffs. The waves are directly engraved on the lacquer surface, before the material dries, creating a soft golden reflection on the water surface of the rapids and creating a mood suited for quiet contemplation.

This work witnesses the brilliant work of a lacquer painter who uses rudimentary colours – black, red, gold, coach roach and blue (a rare innovative process at the time) – to transcend the possibilities offered by this medium. Nguyen Van Ty’s impact can still be felt today, in the practices of Vietnamese artists continuing this national tradition.