Vietnamese graphic art 'on the rise' or alarming?

Market - woodcut by Nguyen Hoang Tuan

Two artists Nguyen Nghia Phuong and Trinh Tuan shared when answering questions from Tuoi Tre Online at the launching ceremony of the 4th ASEAN Graphic Painting Competition and Exhibition - Vietnam 2024 organized by the Department of Fine Arts, Photography and Exhibition on May 31.

Where is Vietnamese graphics?

Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Nghia Phuong said he joined the art council of the ASEAN Graphic Arts Competition and Exhibition since its first organization in 2012.

Looking at the paintings of artists from other countries in the ASEAN region, we see that the technical means in creation as well as the form of expression of graphic paintings are very rich, with many new creations, such as installation graphic paintings, multi-layer graphic paintings, etc.

Meanwhile, Vietnamese graphic arts have a long history, but in recent years, investment in training graphic artists in Vietnamese schools has not been as much as in other countries in the region.

However, recently, Vietnamese graphic artists have been very active in participating in exhibitions in Asian, European and Latin American countries.

By participating in these international exhibitions, as well as the ASEAN Graphic Painting Competition and Exhibition, Vietnamese artists learn a lot.

Thanks to that, the quality of Vietnamese graphic paintings is increasingly improving, ranking among the strongest countries in ASEAN.

However, painter Trinh Tuan - who also taught for many years at the Hanoi University of Industrial Fine Arts - is not so optimistic.

Mr. Tuan said that not only the results of the ASEAN Graphic Painting Competitions and Exhibitions organized by Vietnam but also many annual international exchange activities on graphic painting show the level of Vietnamese artists.

Mr. Tuan gave an example: adding up the printing machines and printing techniques of all the schools that provide professional training in graphics in Vietnam is not equal to the machines and techniques in a small workshop of a small art school in a small province in Thailand or a few other countries in the ASEAN region.

Graphic painting techniques depend largely on printing facilities and machinery.

And the ASEAN Graphic Arts Competition and Exhibition is an opportunity for Vietnamese artists to know the strengths of each country. Artists will be able to self-evaluate their level to learn more.

Will hold exhibition in Hai Phong

Regarding the 4th ASEAN Graphic Arts Competition and Exhibition - Vietnam 2024, a representative of the Department of Fine Arts, Photography and Exhibitions said that this is an activity held every 4 years, starting from 2012.

Authors who are citizens of ASEAN countries are eligible to participate.

The subject is not limited, the work is graphic print, belonging to the following genres: relief print, sunburst print, flat print, transparence print, monoprint, print with other techniques, multi-dimensional print (print installation, print book art, multi-layer print).

The participating works must be composed from 2020 to present. Each author can submit up to 3 works, from now until August 5.

The 4th ASEAN Graphic Arts Exhibition is expected to open next December at the Hai Phong Museum (Hai Phong City), not in Hanoi like previous editions.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/tranh-do-hoa-viet-dang-len-hay-dang-bao-dong-20240531181550596.htm