| It's not been long since Vietnamese art | | | | deliberate, expressing their wish to be treated |
| established its ground in the past century. With | | | | seriously by art lovers worldwide. Most Vietnam |
| the Ecole De Beaux Arts opening its doors to local | | | | artists borrow Western art techniques, but the |
| students some 70 years back, began the slow | | | | content always pertains to the intricacies and |
| diffusion of Vietnamese art into the local scenario. | | | | complexities of past Vietnamese cultural life. The |
| However, the cultural inception of Vietnamese art | | | | Vietnam artists too, like others, are moved by |
| goes back much further. When the first lessons in | | | | their surroundings and have opted for a sensitive |
| line drawing, anatomy, and landscape painting | | | | medium to put their identities into canvas using |
| were offered in the first half of the 20th century, | | | | colors and poetic imagery. |
| art students began to make use of the rich | | | | Generations of Vietnam artists have executed |
| cultural and religious background to bring new | | | | their work brilliantly. No two artists display similar |
| flavor to their work. Village huts, farmers, and | | | | characteristics. Rather, each one has his unique |
| daily life formed the themes of the paintings. The | | | | style. Among the artists of the older generation, |
| tradition of lacquer and silk paintings had already | | | | Bui Xuan Phai earned a name for having traded |
| begun very early and were used in temple | | | | paintings for food during the period of serious |
| decorations. The French colonial period saw a rise | | | | economic hardship. The younger generation of |
| in the number of students taking to painting. | | | | artists aims to make a mark for themselves in |
| These upcoming artists possessed sufficient skill | | | | the widening intellectual and business arena. This |
| but lacked the means to display them to | | | | generation of young artists also reflects to move |
| perfection. However, the scenario has undergone | | | | away from the past and create an indelible mark |
| a sea change today with modern artists executing | | | | on the future. Use of motifs, symbols, emblems |
| their abilities combining traditional and innovative | | | | form the chief weapons by which these artists |
| styles. | | | | try to convey the multiple emotions and feelings. |
| Art connoisseurs outside Vietnam often point out | | | | For long, Vietnam artists lacked the opportunities |
| some striking resemblance of Vietnamese painting | | | | to exhibit their skill in other parts of the world. |
| to European painting. But it would be absolutely | | | | Their imagination, however, did not wane away. |
| wrong to assume that Vietnamese art is a mere | | | | Rather, it gave way to fresher ideas leading to |
| replica of its European counterpart. An important | | | | experimentation. Vietnamese fine art has thus |
| justification of this is the desire of Vietnam artists | | | | new dimension and is being widely acclaimed by |
| to make them acceptable throughout the world. | | | | art connoisseurs worldwide. |
| The resemblance to European painting is often | | | | |