Who else paints portraits...

Recently, a person in Nha Trang City posted on Facebook information looking for people to draw portraits. Suddenly, I remembered that the profession of drawing portraits in the coastal city has almost fallen into oblivion.

According to the elders, in the years before the country's liberation, the profession of portrait painting in Nha Trang was quite developed. During the time of war and chaos, many people died without leaving behind portraits of their loved ones, so many families had to ask artists to "restore" portraits of their loved ones to worship or preserve their images for future generations. Famous portrait painting shops include: Sang, Viet Nam (Doc Lap Street, now Thong Nhat Street), Hoan Kiem (Nguyen Hoang Street, now Ngo Gia Tu Street)... In the 60s and 70s of the last century, many families often brought old photos of their loved ones to ask artists to redraw them for worship. Even many living people asked artists to paint portraits because they loved the soulful black and white colors of it. “At that time, there were many customers coming to portrait painting shops. In addition to customers in Nha Trang, customers from Cam Ranh, Ninh Hoa, Tuy Hoa, Phan Rang... also often came to these painting shops to order paintings. People liked portrait paintings because they lasted longer than photographs, had the mark of time, and did not tarnish when exposed to humid climates,” painter Le Vu recalled.

Painting of General Vo Nguyen Giap by Bui Anh An.

20 years ago, when I arrived in Nha Trang, there were still some art shops that accepted portrait paintings such as: Le Tinh (Le Thanh Phuong Street), Sao Hoa (Thong Nhat Street)... Back then, I used to hang around these art shops to watch artists draw portraits. The tools for drawing were quite simple (charcoal powder, brushes, a few brushes made from toothpicks, incense sticks...) but the portraits in the portrait style were very soulful. There are two types of portraits: Redrawing from a photo and drawing according to the description of the person ordering. Regardless of the genre, it requires the artist to be extremely patient and diligent to convey the spirit of the person being painted. I remember, once an old lady from Ninh Hoa came to ask artist Pham Sanh (now deceased), the owner of Sao Hoa painting shop, to draw a portrait of her husband who had died in battle but there was no model photo. She brought a photo of her son, then added impressive details about her husband so that he could draw a portrait to worship. After several revisions, one day she exclaimed “here is my husband” and hugged the painting and burst into tears... Time has eroded everything. The painters who knew how to paint portraits in Nha Trang such as Le Tinh, Pham Sanh... gradually retired and passed away quietly.

Some portrait paintings by artist Le Vu.

Currently in Nha Trang, it seems that only painter Le Vu knows how to paint portraits. But because of his talent, he rarely stays at home and often lives in Truong Son Craft Village. A few years ago, I visited his home. This talented artist showed me some portraits he painted of poet Nguyen Khuyen, revolutionary Nguyen Thai Hoc, famous singer Elvis Presley, actress Marilyn Monroe... All of them exuded the character's spirit, making viewers unable to take their eyes off. According to painter Le Vu, to be able to paint portraits, one must study the profession for at least a few years, and to be proficient, one must practice for a lifetime. Because when painting a portrait, in addition to painting to resemble the model's photo, the painter must also express the character's spirit, that's why it is called "portrait". Normally, a simple portrait takes a painter a day to paint, while complex ones can take up to several days. “Sometimes, customers just give me a tiny photo of their family and ask me to draw a portrait of someone based on it. Some people don’t even have a model photo, they just tell me from memory so I can draw and edit it gradually. It takes a few tries before the customer is satisfied,” said artist Le Vu.

Nothing lasts forever! In the past, to restore a portrait of the deceased, people often sought out portrait painters, but now, with Photoshop techniques, people can recreate a photo quickly and at a much cheaper price. It is natural that the profession of portrait painting gradually falls into oblivion… Knowing this, one cannot help but feel sad and regretful about a cultural feature.

THANH NGUYEN

Source: https://baokhanhhoa.vn/van-hoa/nhung-vung-ky-uc/202408/con-ai-ve-tranh-truyen-than-7cd248f/