|
VietNamNet - A man of individuality in his nature, independent but never lonely, painter Nguyen Tu Nghiem has put the integration of traditions and his own sense of art in his artworks.
 |
| At home creating a new piece: Painter Nguyen Tu Nghiem. |
I was standing in front of a small appartment as the little white dog barked gently, like a kind of doorbell. An old man appeared behind the dog, walking in quite a brisk way for a gentleman aged 80, to open the door for me.
“I have been living here for ten years, but hardly go outside,” he smiled warmly.
Entering a half-lit room, I saw lots of paintings lying everywhere, some finished, many still on easels. Hiding somewhere behind those canvases were several wooden statues that he has collected over the years.
 |
|
Nguyen Tu Nghiem was born in 1922 in Nghe An, a province in Central Vietnam. Being the sixth child of an old scholar and former official of the royal court, little Nghiem was the only one amongst seven brothers and sisters that chose a career as an artist.
It seemed that his life was full of obstacles. Difficulties always appeared along his path, but all failed to eliminate his passion for painting.
The August 1945 Revolution interrupted his study at the Indochina Fine Arts College, and he joined the revolutionary force. One year later, French colonists returned to Vietnam, while the 24-year-old student was about to complete his graduation work. Once again, obstacles were thrown up, preventing him from finishing his academic career.
Like many other artists of his age, Nguyen Tu Nghiem left Hanoi for the nine-year Resistance War in Viet Bac. A small bag across his shoulder and a pencil in hand, he travelled, explored, and captured images of lands, people and the revolution in his sketches.
 |
|
One day, an air raid came when he was having lunch downtown with his renowned colleague Bui Xuan Phai. In the subsequent rush to evacuate, he lost the bag, which carried all his artwork. Fate challenged him the third time, but he did not give up.
His talent was recognised for the first time at the Exhibition on the National Revolution in 1949. The painting Partisans in Phu Luu won first prize, which enabled him to buy some paper and colours – luxury materials at that time.
A decade went by, and Nguyen Tu Nghiem returned to liberated Hanoi as a teacher for the Industrial Fine Arts College. Since then, he stuck with painting.
For nearly 40 years, he befriended brushes and easels in a little room, where he remained most of his time. Leaving behind dozens of seasons of blooming flowers and falling leaves, the artist has devoted his life to the world of colours.
Last but never too late, love came to him in his world, which was missing a caring hand. Finally, the old painter found a companion for life, the daughter of well-known writer Nguyen Tuan.
A man of individuality in his nature, independent but never lonely, Mr Nghiem has put the integration of traditions and his own sense of art in his artworks. As he used to say “I have never been close to any foreign arts, but the identity of my nation – from which I found humanity and modernity”.
 |
| With his wife Thu Giang. |
In Mr Nghiem’s paintings, viewers at first have the feeling that those colourful figures in strange positions somehow resemble the wooden and bronze statues in Vietnamese pagodas. But on a closer look, the similarity with contemporary characters, which exist in the very distinctive rhythm of Nguyen Tu Nghiem, would be revealed.
Waving goodbye to classic European principles, he takes an ancient route to exploit the various materials of folkloric legends and arts. The famous lacquer, Ancient Dance, still sparkles in the soft light of the room as obvious proof of his success.
That’s the reason why Nghiem was once labelled by critic Duong Tuong as “the artist whose inspiration comes from the stream of traditional values, who guilds his works with simplicity and sensibility, hidden under the cloak of innocence.”
As his memory fades with time, the story told by Mr Nghiem missed out on some parts of his life. Dedicated to a voyage seeking the mysterious beauties of this world, the old artist has almost forgotten himself.
Story by Nguyen Thanh, photos by An Thanh Dat. |
