Artist casting portrait statues of Long Thuong village

Long Thuong Village, also known as Dragon Village, is located in Dai Dong Commune, Van Lam District, about 30-35 km southeast of Hanoi . This place is famous for its traditional bronze casting craft with a history of more than 200 years. Bronze products such as statues, bells, censer, cranes, candlesticks, decorative lamps, trays, vases, incense burners, etc. have been widely consumed domestically and internationally. Generation after generation, the village's artisans have not only preserved the traditional features in each product but also innovated and improved their techniques to create more sophisticated and unique products. Notably, the Tap Yen bronze workshop owned by artisan Duong Van Tap is the only household among nearly 200 production and business households in the Long Thuong bronze casting village to preserve and develop the profession of casting portrait statues.

Artisan Duong Van Tap sculpts model based on photo

Previously, following family tradition, artisan Duong Van Tap's bronze casting facility specialized in making products. bronze worship objects, bronze statue, bronze bell, bronze gong, souvenirs and feng shui. However, 15 years ago, Mr. Tap realized that to build a brand, there must be a difference in the product. Thinking and doing, he started learning how to make lifelike statues. This is a job that requires sophistication, high skills and a sharp artistic eye to be able to realistically recreate the appearance, spirit and soul of the character through each statue.

According to artisan Duong Van Tap, the most difficult step in making a portrait is sculpting the model from a photo. First, the customer will provide a portrait photo, the artisan's task is to sketch, mold the statue in clay or wax, and then edit. This completely manual step requires the ability to observe and perceive. Because according to artisan Tap, a portrait is not simply a resemblance to the face, but most importantly, it is expressing the character's spirit, temperament, and lifestyle. This is why the artisan calls it “transmitting the spirit”, which means transmitting the “soul” of a real person into the statue . Then there are the steps of creating a mold, melting and pouring bronze, cooling, surface treatment and finishing decoration.

The profession of casting portraits is a living proof of the combination of tradition and modernity, art and technique. To complete a portrait, artisan Duong Van Tap must work for 1-2 months, even longer if the statue is large. On average, each year, artisan Duong Van Tap's facility supplies the market with about 500 portraits. There are two popular finishing styles in the art of casting portraits: gold-plated statues and antique-colored statues. On average, each portrait statue costs from 20 to 30 million VND.

Because of meeting the requirements and quality of the products, customers, whether near or far, still come to Tap Yen bronzeware facility in Long Thuong bronze casting village as a familiar and reputable address to visit and place orders. Mr. Nguyen Van Dac, a customer in Hai Duong province who once ordered here, commented: the products made by Mr. Tap are very unique, with high manufacturing techniques and sophistication. Initially, his family only intended to order a portrait statue, but after receiving the finished product, his family continued to order 2 more portrait statues.

According to artisan Duong Viet Bach, Chairman of the Long Thuong Bronze Casting Village Association, Dai Dong Commune, the profession of casting statues is gradually becoming a trend, serving the increasingly high tastes of customers because in addition to commemorating famous people and national heroes, many families today want to preserve the image of their loved ones, so the current market demand is very large. However, this is a very "choosy" profession, so in the coming time, the Long Thuong Bronze Casting Village Association will focus on training and teaching the profession to young generations to preserve and promote the value of the traditional profession in the locality.

In the midst of modernity, when the technology of craft villages is creating a series of mass products, the art of casting statues of gods is still steadily developing, creating handmade products with their own unique mark. This is not just a production process, but a delicate combination of craftsmanship, aesthetic sense, metallurgical techniques and above all, the heart and soul of the artisan who breathes life into each traditional product of the homeland.

Thu Trang

Source: https://baohungyen.vn/nghe-nhan-duc-tuong-truyen-than-cua-lang-long-thuong-3181319.html