The unique idea of "painting" pictures and images using agarwood, starting with portraits of President Ho Chi Minh and the late General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, originated from Ngoc Duc's trip to attend the "Agarwood - Buddhism" exhibition in China in May 2024. At that time, he coincidentally discovered a booth displaying paintings made from agarwood with crude, monotonous lines that lacked artistic merit.
Le Ngoc Duc stands beside a portrait of President Ho Chi Minh, created by assembling many thin and very small pieces of agarwood. PHOTO: QUANG VIEN
But when asked about the price, the young man, born in Tien Phuoc, a place famous for agarwood in Quang Nam province, was astonished. "A very ordinary agarwood painting, measuring 40 x 40 cm, costs 8,000 yuan, or nearly 36 million dong. I wonder why Vietnam doesn't develop this product line, when we have the raw materials and our artisans are extremely skilled," the young man from Quang Nam confided.
"So I decided to build a workshop for creating paintings and photographs of agarwood with a national identity, to create works that honor Vietnam's precious treasure and, through that, to inspire agarwood enthusiasts about our national culture," Ngoc Duc added.
Le Ngoc Duc (standing) is sketching a work with his colleagues. PHOTO: QUANG VIEN
Much effort was put into creating the portrait of President Ho Chi Minh.
Agarwood is considered a precious material, so when Lê Ngọc Đức had the idea of using agarwood as a medium for his paintings and photographs, his first thought was to find a "noble person" to create the portraits. And, Ngọc Đức chose to create portraits of President Ho Chi Minh and the late General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng.
This portrait of the late General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong was created with great dedication by Le Ngoc Duc and his colleagues. PHOTO: QUANG VIEN
To create portraits that accurately resemble and capture the essence of President Ho Chi Minh and the late General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, Ngoc Duc needed talented collaborators in the fine arts, along with the special affection the team had for President Ho Chi Minh and the late General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.
Each portrait measures 60 x 90 cm, but it takes the artist more than half a month to complete.
I want to establish an agarwood painting workshop for the hearing-impaired and those from disadvantaged backgrounds who have a strong passion for art. Through these artworks, I also want to spread the culture and art of our nation and introduce a precious Vietnamese treasure: agarwood.
Le Ngoc Duc
Artworks made from agarwood, achieving high artistic value, require the meticulous skill of artisans. Thin pieces of agarwood, about 3-5 mm thick, with only the agarwood oil remaining, can be broken into small pieces and assembled to create works of art. However, to obtain such pieces, they must be polished repeatedly to completely remove the sapwood of the agarwood tree. After cleaning, the agarwood pieces are sorted into different color shades, usually eight shades. This creates a wide range of colors and shades in paintings or photographs.
Paintings and photographs created using agarwood are considered the "exclusive trademark" of young artist Le Ngoc Duc. PHOTO: QUANG VIEN
When creating a piece, the artist sketches the shape of the artwork onto the canvas. Then, they draw the basic outlines. As they get more detailed, the artist must fully visualize the artwork in their mind.
A painting made from agarwood. PHOTO: QUANG VIEN
"The way we create paintings and photographs using agarwood is similar to collage art. The artist layers many layers of agarwood on top of each other, so that from any angle you can see the realism and soul of the artwork. In many places, we layer 5-6 layers, creating a 3D effect for the work," Ngoc Duc shared.
Mr. Hoang Van Truong, Chairman of the Tien Phuoc Agarwood Handicraft Association (Quang Nam), enthusiastically spoke about Le Ngoc Duc's initiative to use agarwood chips to create paintings and photographs. According to Mr. Truong, Tien Phuoc district in Quang Nam province has a traditional agarwood handicraft village that produces many popular products such as agarwood sculptures, bead necklaces, and bracelets. However, Le Ngoc Duc's idea of using agarwood chips to create portraits and paintings is very clever and unique.
"These are highly aesthetic products, requiring skilled artisans to create them. To create high-value artistic agarwood products, we need groundbreaking ideas from young people like Le Ngoc Duc," Mr. Truong said.
Mr. Hoang Van Truong, Chairman of the Tien Phuoc Agarwood Handicraft Association, shared his thoughts on Le Ngoc Duc's agarwood paintings and photographs. PHOTO: QUANG VIEN
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/doc-chieu-dung-tram-huong-ve-chan-dung-185250312105752746.htm
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