Vietnamese traditional culture through 12 typical kinds of folk paintings

The exhibition features excellent works from well-known painting genres such as the Dong Ho, Hang Trong, Sinh Village, Southern Do The, worship, Hue and Southern Glass, Kim Hoang, Fabric, and Scroll Fabric styles.

Under the spotlight is a Hang Trong picture entitled “Tứ phủ công đồng” (one Vietnamese religious sect’s worship of a mother goddess) is the largest: 1.4m in width and 1.8m in length. Young artisan Le Hoan, son and sole successor to veteran artisan of Hang Trong folk paintings Le Dinh Nghien, said this was a typical Vietnamese picture. Hoan said each type of folk painting has its own beauty, depicting the cultural and spiritual life of the Vietnamese.

“Southerners mainly worship the Buddha and they have Worship and Gglass called Grand Market. In the central region, there is Hue royal court paintings, and Sinh Village paintings which are burnt after religious rituals. Northerners have worship paintings like Tứ phủ công đồng. Paintings are associated with Vietnam’s folk beliefs”, said Hoan. 

The 200 exhibited items are part of an 800 folk painting collection owned by Nguyen Thi Thu Hoa, who is also Director of the Hanoi Ceramic Museum. There are also items from Hanoi Museum. Visitors can take part in drawing folk paintings.

The head of the Division of Education, Public, and Communications of Hanoi Museum, Nguyen Thi Ngoc Hoa, said painting styles that were once popular are now on display. 

She noted, "For the first time, traditional painting styles at risk of dying out are introduced in Hanoi, including scroll fabric paintings from the south, Thap Vat paintings, and Hue Royal Court paintings.  We also introduce Kim Hoang paintings from Hanoi, which are very rare today. We are working on the restoration of wood blocks in order to revive the traditional Kim Hoang art.” 

Documentaries screened at the exhibition feature the history of Vietnam’s folk paintings, which flourished in the 16th century. 

With the development of wood blocks and printing, the production of folk paintings thrived.

Many types of paintings were named after the places where they were made, such as Dong Ho in Bac Ninh province, Hang Trong in Hanoi, Nam Hoanh in Nge An province, and Sinh village in Hue.

Nguyen Thi Thu Hoa, Director of Hanoi Ceramic Museum, has high hopes for her exhibition.

"We want to preserve and develop Vietnamese folk paintings. We will show the public not only the beauty of the pictures, but also their significance”, said Hoa. 

The exhibition “12 typical kinds of Vietnamese folk paintings” which opened on August 18 will run until 2017 at Hanoi Museum.