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| Book cover of "Southern Vietnam Glass Paintings - Artworks for Every Home". Photo: Thuy Trang |
After more than 10 years of research and study on glass painting styles in Southern Vietnam, author Huynh Thanh Binh has now published the book "Southern Vietnamese Glass Paintings - Artworks for Every Home" in a more complete version, aiming to provide readers and lovers of folk art from the South with more comprehensive and detailed information about the origins and history not only of Southern Vietnamese glass painting but also of glass painting in general from countries around the world .
Glass painting spread throughout Southern Vietnam.
According to books, glass paintings were present in the Hue imperial court from the Minh Mang - Thieu Tri eras, with imported art products and not widely available to the general public. It wasn't until the early 20th century that migrants from Guangdong who settled in the Cholon area began opening glass shops, selling mirrored glass for reflections, picture frames, cabinets, window frames, and various types of glass paintings. Southern Vietnamese glass paintings originated from this period.
By the 1920s, glass painting was popular in Lai Thieu (Thu Dau Mot). Later, around the 1940s and 1950s, the craft of glass painting spread throughout Southern Vietnam.
The 280-page book contains articles mainly on: the origins of Southern Vietnamese glass painting, the different styles of glass painting in Southern Vietnam, the techniques of creating glass paintings in Southern Vietnam, and the content of Southern Vietnamese glass paintings… It also covers the styles of glass painting from Lai Thieu - My Tho - Go Cong - Cho Tram - Cho Moi ( An Giang ) - Tay Ninh - Khmer… and the main functions of Southern Vietnamese glass paintings such as ancestor worship, portraits, folk beliefs, Buddhism, Catholicism, Cao Dai, celebrations, and interior and exterior decoration…
Today, glass paintings are still present in markets, shops, on buses and ferries, and in homes in the South.
Glass paintings in the cultural life of Southern Vietnam.
Glass painting has been and continues to be a part of the cultural life of Southern Vietnam, along with its prominent artisans and establishments.
By reading this book, you will gain a better understanding of the techniques of creating glass paintings, from materials, colors, glass used for painting, backing, and frames, to the stages of drawing patterns, sketching lines on the glass, drying, and coloring.
Regarding the content of Southern Vietnamese glass paintings, the author organizes them into thematic groups with specific illustrations for easy reference and research. Accordingly, devotional paintings include paintings of ancestors, paintings of objects of worship in various religions and beliefs; paintings of congratulations on joyous occasions, opening ceremonies, etc.; paintings for interior and exterior decoration of houses, ancestral halls, temples, etc.; and glass paintings of noodle carts, rice noodle carts, etc.
For over a century, artisans in Southern Vietnam have produced a large volume of glass paintings with diverse styles. These include hand-painted glass paintings using purely multi-colored paints (with added silver and gold glitter) or those combined with glaze techniques, and especially unique are glass paintings inlaid with mother-of-pearl. There are also paintings with fine lines, using a blue/red background with the main subject entirely rendered in gold glitter. For face and head collages cut from photographs or printed images, the artisan only paints the body, clothing, background, and scenery. Today, some glass painting workshops have transitioned from traditional hand-painting to advanced silk screen printing techniques, and even 3D printing onto glass.
Thuy Trang
Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/dong-nai-cuoi-tuan/202603/dac-sac-tranh-kieng-nam-bo-5af2ab4/
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