At the exchange session held at the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum on July 26, with the theme "Tran Thanh Thuc - Quietly a stream of fabric paintings", the artist shared honestly about her journey of more than four decades of quietly pursuing her own path. Not many artists choose fabric paintings as their main medium of creation - both because it is a difficult material and because of the fragile boundary between "visual art" and "applied art". But for artist Tran Thanh Thuc, fabric paintings are the most suitable language for her to tell her stories about memories, nature, women, fate, and even very ordinary perspectives.
Artist Tran Thanh Thuc’s works do not stop at visual beauty but always contain a deeper layer of meaning: sometimes it is the stillness of nature, sometimes it is the inner self of a woman, or the feelings in the changes of contemporary life. Fabric, under her hands, is not only a soft material but also becomes a material with strong expressive power, able to tell stories, whisper and move viewers.
At the exchange held at the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum, artist Tran Thanh Thuc shared honestly about his journey of more than four decades of quietly pursuing his own path.
Tran Thanh Thuc’s works appear like visual poems. Each piece of fabric is selected, cut, sewn, and attached… not according to mechanical rules but according to emotions and intuition. Natural scenes, images of young girls, old roofs, boats, bamboo fences… are all recreated with layers of warm colors, simple layouts that evoke many layers of meaning.
At the talk, the audience heard the artist share about how to choose each piece of fabric, how to perceive color and composition to create a fabric painting. What seems trivial – like an old piece of fabric, an uneven embroidery thread – is transformed into a soulful highlight in the overall composition.
Fabric painting for artist Tran Thanh Thuc is not an experiment, but a mature choice. From the early days of struggling to find her own voice, to being recognized by professionals, her journey is a testament to her perseverance and her desire to take her profession seriously – even if she does not follow the majority.
Artist Tran Thanh Thuc's works often recreate old Hanoi through layers of fabric that create depth and nostalgia.
Creating fabric paintings – for artist Tran Thanh Thuc – is not simply about creating shapes, but a journey full of challenges and patience. The difficulty comes from both materials, techniques and the time it takes to complete a work. First of all, it is the selection and processing of materials. The artist does not use brushes or paints, but uses pre-printed pieces of fabric, collected from everywhere – sometimes old scraps of fabric, sometimes floral fabrics from previous centuries. Each piece of fabric must be suitable in terms of color, pattern, material… and especially the emotions it evokes. To find the "right piece of fabric", she sometimes has to wait for months, even years to have the conditions to complete the work.
The art talk received much attention from the public, including young people.
Behind the feminine look of the paintings is a very resilient spirit. To create a complete canvas painting, the artist must go through a process that is all done by hand, requiring meticulousness and great patience. It is a slow journey, but also a journey of deep contemplation and reaching the end of the artistic self.
During more than 40 years of working with fabric paintings, artist Tran Thanh Thuc has overcome those silent obstacles – with patience and a lasting love for the material. It can be said that fabric paintings are not only a means of expression, but also a part of the artist’s life and emotions.
Creating fabric paintings is not simply about creating shapes, but a journey full of challenges and patience.
"Art Talk - The Paths of Art" is a series of programs initiated by the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum, aiming to create a space for dialogue between the public and artists. Each talk is an opportunity for the public to gain a deeper understanding of the creative journey of a contemporary Vietnamese artist - those who are contributing to diversifying the country's art map with their own materials, styles and spirits.
For Tran Thanh Thuc, it is a silent, feminine, and quiet journey – but it is this silence that creates a special, distinct flow with its own weight in contemporary Vietnamese art life./.
Source: https://bvhttdl.gov.vn/lang-le-mot-dong-tranh-vai-giua-dong-chay-my-thuat-duong-dai-viet-nam-20250726140253037.htm
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