The person who contributed to laying the foundation for modern Vietnamese fine arts

Artist Victor Tardieu (5th from the left) and artist Nam Son (4th from the right), Mr. Tran Phuc My, and students from the Indochina Fine Arts School at Van Mieu - Quoc Tu Giam. *Photo: Archival material* .

Adopting Western painting techniques and materials.

- Sir, could you share about the early days when the late painter Nam Son Nguyen Van Tho was involved in building the Indochina School of Fine Arts?

Growing up, I heard my father recount many memories of the early days of building the Indochina School of Fine Arts. In those stories, my father always mentioned the first time he met his teacher and lifelong friend, the French painter Victor Tardieu, in Hanoi . My father affirmed that this chance encounter completely changed his life.

Passionate and gifted in painting, my father was taught classical Chinese and drawing by Confucian scholars Pham Nhu Binh and Nguyen Sy Duc from a young age. They took him to visit many temples and pagodas, and meticulously taught him about the ethics and culture of our ancestors. With this formal education, my father became a civil servant at the Indochina Department of Finance. Despite his busy schedule, he still found time to paint in his spare time. While participating in the decoration of the Annam Student Association, he met the painter Victor Tardieu. From then on, a close friendship blossomed. Crucially, his artistic talent continued to develop. My father became familiar with Western painting techniques and materials such as paint mixing, canvas stretching, and perspective. He was the first person in Indochina to paint oil paintings in the neoclassical style.

Excuse me, could you please go back and answer the question you asked earlier?

- Well, I'm just rambling a bit to answer that question. At this age, I see that the root of everything that has happened since then stems from the genuine friendship between two talented friends of different ages. One is a renowned and modern Western painter. The other is a naturally gifted artist with a strong East Asian flair.

Everyone knows that the journey from the initial idea to the planning and construction of the Indochina School of Fine Arts was a long, arduous, and challenging one. There is documentation of this process, such as a photograph of my father present at the construction site. It's also a special coincidence that the construction site at that time (now at 42 Yet Kieu Street, Cua Nam Ward) was very close to my parents' house on Nguyen Du Street today.

Preserving the foundation of national art

- I understand that Mr. Nam Son wrote a draft of "Outline of Vietnamese Fine Arts." Could you tell our readers more about this story?

- I was also going to mention the draft my father wrote in 1923. Before Governor-General Martial Merlin signed the decree approving the proposal of painter Victor Tardieu to establish the Indochina School of Fine Arts in Hanoi, my father had to convince his friend with the draft for the establishment of the Vietnam School of Fine Arts, written in French.

Fortunately, my family still possesses a handwritten copy of my father's Outline of Vietnamese Fine Arts, written in the Vietnamese Quốc ngữ script. The first sentence reads: "Establish a university to train talented artists who will maintain the artistic foundation of our ancestors, thereby reforming and creating an Indochinese art with a distinct Vietnamese character."

So, when did painter Nam Son go to Paris (France) for further studies?

- In early 1925, my father arrived in Paris and was welcomed by Victor Tardieu to his home. My father studied at the National School of Fine Arts, the National School of Decorative Arts... During this time, he diligently studied day and night to acquire European painting skills.

Later, my father recounted many interesting memories from Paris. Particularly noteworthy was his opportunity to meet and befriend two great Asian painters: Si Bi Hong (China) and Fujita Tsuguharu (Japan).

- And surely the painter Nam Son played an important role in the first entrance examination (1925-1930)?

- My father was the chief judge of this competition. In the first round, only 10 out of over 200 applicants were selected. Of those, 8 studied painting, and after 5 years, only 6 graduated. Later, they all became prominent figures in Vietnamese visual arts.

The Indochina Fine Arts School had a large number of students from its first graduating class until its closure in 1945. I still keep the student register. It includes many famous names who made significant contributions to Vietnamese fine arts, such as Cong Van Trung, Tran Van Can, Bui Xuan Phai, Luong Xuan Nhi, Phan Ke An, Le Pho, Le Thi Luu, Trinh Huu Ngoc, Ton Duc Luong, and others.

- Among the students of painter Nam Son, who do you remember most?

- I was impressed by artists like Cong Van Trung, Trinh Huu Ngoc, Luong Xuan Nhi... When my father was alive, during the years of Hanoi's evacuation, artist Trinh Huu Ngoc regularly cycled to visit and bring him food and supplies. In 2003, on the anniversary of my father's death, artist Cong Van Trung said: "Without Teacher Nam Son, there would be no Indochina Fine Arts School, and without Teacher Nam Son, there would be no artist Cong Van Trung today."

Thank you very much, sir!

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/nguoi-gop-phan-dat-nen-mong-cho-my-thuat-hien-dai-viet-nam-723382.html