PHUNG PHAM
Vietnamese Master Artist
"An artist is like a poor man in search of gold. He won’t find it today. He won’t find it tomorrow. Sometimes even for the rest of his life, he might still be searching. Only with determination, desire, passion, one can have a glimpse of hope to find arts. And those who found it, found true arts."
Artist Phung Pham
Phung Pham (1932), the celebrated master artist in Vietnam, has garnered recognition for his unparalleled efforts in revitalizing the conventional lacquer painting technique in Vietnam. He stands among the select few who have seamlessly integrated contemporary artistic languages from East to West, all the while capturing the essence of Vietnam's rich cultural heritage. With breathtaking finesse, his works explore themes that not only encapsulate the beauty and spirit of the Vietnamese people but also serve as a testament to their enduring values, courage, strengths, and above all, Love.
Phung Pham was born in 1932 in a village in the northern midlands of Vietnam. His hometown has a beautiful name, Hong Chau commune, Yen Lac district, Vinh Phuc province. Yen Lac is a beautiful name, but perhaps its meaning “Peace and Enjoyment” wasn’t quite the way his life unfolded. Phung Pham grew up during a turbulent period of social upheaval: the August Revolution, the establishment of the young state, the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, nationwide resistance and subsequent evacuation, the Dien Bien Phu battle campaign, as well as land, trade, and industry reform. All of these describe a dramatic and unforgettable atmosphere, even though it has all gradually faded into history. Phung Pham recalls that he participated in the revolution from a very young age, at just 13 years old….
Beginning in the 1970s, Phung Pham created a series of beautiful woodblock prints. Using only black and white, the prints had elements of simplicity and purity, brought to life by the intertwining melody of lines. These lines created melodies, rhythms, movement, lights, waves, and intricate decorative patterns within the composition, background, and localized sections. The lines shaped the form of the work, while the colors added resonance…
…In Phung Pham’s works, one can see the influence of Fernand Leger, Picasso, modern Western graphics and Japanese woodblock printing, as well as patterns from traditional costumes of minority groups and Dong Son bronze drums. Inspiration was drawn from everywhere and anywhere. Throughout the ages, linear composition and geometric design have always been fundamental in the art of mankind. What is essential in the work of Phung Pham, however, is his personal absorption and distillation of these elements into his own unmistakable style.
The dream of transitioning to lacquer paintings began to take shape in the late 1980s, after the Doi Moi. One of the experiments, a painting entitled, “Fighting against drought” (1990, lacquer on wood, 113 x 133 cm), brought success to the artist, including a gold medal at the Nationwide Fine Arts Exhibition in 1990.
In the lacquer paintings, the existing themes and images in his repertoire are transformed into three-dimensional masses, blocks, cylinders, cones and pyramids. They are more solid, taut, with sharper angles, often depicted in an enlarged, close-up, frontal perspective. Thus, human figures appear rough and monumental, resembling bas-reliefs or sculptures.
Phung Pham’s lacquer paintings are not glossy and smooth like traditional lacquer paintings. He has his own technique, applying layers of color and polishing in order to produce a precisely desired effect. This blending of colors and the interweaving of layers conspire to create a sparkling harmony on the surface, owning to the shining layers of gold or silver beneath….
In his 90s, Phung Pham continued to labor in artistic pursuits, where drawing is tantamount to his very breath, and the joy of his life. His art, from woodblock prints to lacquer paintings, possesses a unique resonance and vitality, as well as a certain strangeness. It spans from East to West, from traditional Vietnamese to the language of the modern world. The stories, themes, and people are drawn either from Vietnamese cultural history, or the universal stories of humanity throughout time. As these themes are conveyed by the artist and depicted on canvas, they are honored in the enduring and timeless beauty of Phung Pham’s art.
Phung Pham Solo Exhibition - 10/10/2023
The exhibition of lacquer paintings by Phung Pham together with a 208-page large-size book about his life and works are among the efforts to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Thang Long Gallery at 41 Hang Gai Street, Hanoi. In this book, we aim to provide an overview of the artist’s life and his creative process. One may say Phung Pham is a very persevering artist who has the determination to successfully overcome many obstacles in life to pursue the path of art, remaining faithful to his own artistic beliefs. As a result, his art is unique, unconventional, and distinctly Vietnamese, despite an ever-flattening world due to globalization.
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