Reverse carving on copper paintings

Mr. Duong Ngoc Long (58 years old), a renowned bronze casting artisan in Phuoc Kieu bronze casting village (Dien Phuong Ward, Dien Ban Town, Quang Nam Province ), was taught bronze casting techniques by his father from the age of 15 and has been dedicated to the craft ever since. For the past 5 years, Mr. Long has switched to reverse engraving on bronze to create high-value artworks that suit consumer tastes.

Artist Duong Ngoc Long stands beside his newly completed bronze painting.

Mr. Long explained that the difficulty in creating copper paintings lies in transforming the designs on paper into soft, vibrant lines on the copper material. Because it's called reverse engraving, the craftsman must have a multi-dimensional spatial perspective. "To create a copper painting, the craftsman must reach a high level of skill. Copper paintings have the advantage of durability, which is why they are loved by many," Mr. Long said.

In the hands of the artisan, the hammer acts like a scale, while the chisel is seen as a paintbrush. There are many types of chisels – carved, chiseled, large, small, etc. – but for the craftsmen in Phuoc Kieu bronze casting village, each chisel is used only once for a single painting. To create vivid paintings, the craftsmen skillfully combine negative engraving and reverse chiseling techniques so that the finished work can be viewed from the positive side.

Having just completed a bronze statue of the heroic martyr Nguyen Van Troi, sculptor Nguyen Van Huy (44 years old, from Phuoc Kieu village) explored new avenues for the Phuoc Kieu bronze casting brand. Initially, Huy only produced lightweight souvenir products made from pure bronze to serve as gifts for tourists visiting Quang Nam. However, as he began working on it, he came up with a different idea: to spread the cultural and historical values ​​of Quang Nam through Phuoc Kieu bronze.

Thus, a new line of unique souvenirs was born. From the towers in the My Son temple complex, the mystical Apsara dancers, the Japanese Bridge in Hoi An, to the portrait statue of Heroic Vietnamese Mother Nguyen Thi Thu… each product created by Huy has a different size, weight, and design, mostly lightweight, aesthetically pleasing in color and form.

Sculptor Nguyen Van Huy shared that to create a vivid and realistic painting on bronze, the craftsman must combine skillful workmanship with imaginative vision to know how to apply varying depths and thicknesses to the carvings, and adjust the hammering force appropriately.

A bronze artwork created by artist Duong Ngoc Long.

"When the traditional values ​​of Phuoc Kieu craft village, which is over 400 years old, are given a new look with distinctive shapes, styles, and colors, they can endure in today's constantly changing modern life," Huy said.

Phuoc Kieu craft village is renowned for the talent of its artisans and the exquisite carving process. Particularly noteworthy is the family secret of mixing unique alloys to produce copper, brass, and bronze products. After more than four centuries of ups and downs, many generations of artisans in the village still keep the flame alive, passing on their skills to the younger generation.

At its peak, Phuoc Kieu had over 30 family-owned foundries with approximately 200 workers and 10 artisans. Today, the village's artisans and craftsmen have improved and upgraded their bronze casting methods to produce unique products that suit consumer tastes, as well as opening up new avenues for their livelihoods. The art of reverse engraving on bronze was born and continues to this day.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/duc-nguoc-tren-tranh-dong-185241231180831223.htm