Artisan Nguyen Van Duc with sculpture about Uncle Ho

La Xuyen wood carving village, Yen Ninh commune (Y Yen) is famous nationwide for its sophisticated wooden products with high artistic value, favored by customers. Amidst the bustling sounds of the craft village day after day, the house of Meritorious Artisan Nguyen Van Duc, member of the Vietnam Fine Arts Association, is quite quiet, displaying his dedicated works of art sculpture. In the works he expressed his feelings, mainly on the theme of beloved Uncle Ho - the father of the Vietnamese nation.

The relief "Uncle Ho with the people of Nam Dinh " at Nam Dinh Provincial Museum.

Photo: Nam Dinh Provincial Museum

Born in a village with a tradition of wood carving, little Nguyen Van Duc grew up with the sweet lullabies of his grandmother and mother, and the clacking sounds of chisels and planes from his father. Throughout his childhood, he was friends with wood, production tools, and wood carving products soaked in the sweat, passion and dedication of his grandfather, father, and artisans in the village, gradually nurturing Nguyen Van Duc's dream of becoming a skilled craftsman in the village. He spent time studying cultural subjects well, passing the entrance exam to the Sculpture Faculty of Hanoi University of Industrial Fine Arts. With the capital of secrets and quintessence of the profession passed down by his father and the knowledge acquired at university, in 1990, Mr. Duc returned to his hometown to set up a wood carving workshop and teach the profession to young craftsmen. This was the period when his talent reached its peak. Many sculptures with high technical and artistic standards were continuously created and displayed in a number of localities in the country. In June 1995, Meritorious Artisan Nguyen Van Duc was admitted to the Vietnam Fine Arts Association.

If in the folk theme, Meritorious Artisan Nguyen Van Duc freely creates with free-flowing lines, both humorous and gentle, then in the portrait theme of famous people, his works also demonstrate a serious, meticulous, careful and delicate working spirit in each sculptural stroke. Typical works are about the National Duke, Commander-in-Chief of Hung Dao Vuong Tran Quoc Tuan, First Prize Winner Luong The Vinh, famous general Yet Kieu, General Vo Nguyen Giap, Hero Vo Thi Sau... In 2016, he was trusted by the elders in the village to carve the statue of the founder of the profession, Ninh Huu Hung, worshiped at La Xuyen communal house.

Like many other sculptors, artisan Nguyen Van Duc always wanted to create works on the theme of beloved Uncle Ho. However, it was not until the late 90s, when he felt his skills were mature enough, that he began to do so. Sculpting portraits is difficult, sculpting portraits of leaders is even more difficult, so he carefully researched sources of documents, deeply felt the shape, style, soul and moral example of Uncle Ho, to create the most beautiful works. Through each sketch on paper, test version on materials such as plaster and wood carving, each work not only clearly shows the gentle and leisurely demeanor, steadfast spirit and depth of Uncle Ho's soul, but also bears the mark of the talent of this excellent artisan. To him, President Ho Chi Minh is not only a wise leader of the nation but also close, kind and tolerant, so in his works he focuses on creating the right pose, especially the detailed lines on the face. With his passion and respect for President Ho Chi Minh, he has completed over 10 sculptures of various sizes, shapes and postures. Many woodblock sculptures were converted from historical documentary photos of Uncle Ho to wood, mainly with the theme of Uncle Ho with children, typically the work "I dream of meeting Uncle Ho" created in 2015 for the National Fine Arts Exhibition.

Artisan Nguyen Van Duc is nearly 70 years old this year. Due to health conditions, he is currently not expanding the production and business of fine art wood, but only selecting works made to order. However, he still has a burning desire to create a set of sculptures of President Ho Chi Minh through historical periods. This is like a historical record expressed through artistic wooden sculptures to record important milestones in the life of the father of the Vietnamese nation. On the occasion of the 133rd anniversary of Uncle Ho's birthday and the 60th anniversary of his visit to the Party Committee, government and people of Nam Dinh province (May 21, 1963 - May 21, 2023), artisan Nguyen Van Duc created a sculpture of Uncle Ho planting trees. In this work, Uncle Ho's posture is slightly bent down, holding a shovel, along with a child with a joyful and radiant face. The entire image has a harmonious and delicate composition in every sculptural line, the face exudes joy, expressing Uncle Ho's spirit of love for work, love for nature and concern for the environment. That optimistic spirit seems to spread to the entire space of the painting, making the work come alive and soulful. At the same time, through the painting, the author wishes to spread to everyone the spirit of learning and following Uncle Ho's example "For the benefit of ten years, plant trees, for the benefit of a hundred years, educate people".

With nearly 3 decades of passion for the subject of Uncle Ho, Meritorious Artisan Nguyen Van Duc hopes that through his works, he will contribute to preserving forever the image of President Ho Chi Minh in the hearts of millions of Vietnamese people./.

Lai Thanh Thu

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