Unique face painting art of Binh Dinh opera

tuồng Bình Định - Ảnh 1. — Tuong art is a unique cultural feature of the martial arts land of Binh Dinh - Photo: DUNG NHAN

Binh Dinh has long been known as the "land of Tuong", the cradle that gave birth to many famous stage figures such as Dao Duy Tu, Dao Tan... and a series of famous opera troupes of the time. Tuong Binh Dinh is not only a traditional art form, but has become a part of the people's consciousness.

Face painting artist

In the art of Tuong Binh Dinh, makeup, also known as face painting, plays a special role. The artist not only knows how to sing, dance, and act, but also has to paint his own face every time he steps on stage.

It is not simply a matter of embellishment, but the way they breathe life into the character: from the colors, lines to the layout must follow traditional conventions. At the same time, it must express the personality, fate and social class of the role.

In Binh Dinh, Tuong artists are taught face painting from the very first day of their career. However, each person is only painted by the teacher once and only half of the face. The rest, the learner must complete on their own.

In particular, the artist must use both hands to draw corresponding to each side of the face, which requires dexterity, perseverance and deep understanding of art.

tuồng Bình Định - Ảnh 2. — To have an impressive appearance on stage, Binh Dinh Tuong artists spend a lot of time painting their characters' faces - Photo: DUNG NHAN

Young artist Thai Phien shared: "In Tuong, makeup is a very important factor. The performer not only needs technique, but also sophistication, understanding of art and character traits to properly express personality through each stroke."

As for People's Artist Xuan Hoi, face painting cannot be done arbitrarily, because the audience can guess the character by looking at the face.

"Each face type: red, black, striped, fierce or gentle, evokes a personality. When combined with dialogue, movements and costumes, the character truly comes to life on stage," he said.

Nghệ thuật vẽ mặt độc đáo của tuồng Bình Định - Ảnh 4. — Gorgeous costumes and carefully painted faces are unique features of Binh Dinh Tuong art - Photo: DUNG NHAN

Loyalty or flattery, right or wrong

The makeup of Binh Dinh opera consists of three main techniques: face painting, face stamping and face pulling. The colors must be bold and the lines must be clear to enhance the ability to express the face, even when the artist is standing dozens of meters away from the audience.

This helps the audience, just by looking at the face, to somewhat understand the character's nature: loyal or flattering, righteous or evil.

Along with some provinces and cities in the Central region, Binh Dinh is the center of Tuong art and this art form has become an indispensable spiritual "food" for the people here.

Through the ups and downs of national history, Binh Dinh Tuong art is still preserved and developed.

The majestic sound with examples of loyal and selfless characters, sacrifice for a great cause, lessons about human behavior, heroic tragedy, the sound of the drums of the opera and the art of "face painting" in the opera are the attractions for anyone who comes to Binh Dinh.