Sparkling Dong Ho butterfly paintings at the exhibition of national achievements

Meritorious Artisan Nguyen Huu Qua, representative of Dong Ho folk painting village, will bring to the exhibition unique traditional handicrafts of his hometown Bac Ninh - iridescent Do paper paintings imbued with the "national soul".

Proud of Kinh Bac colors

With a calm demeanor, eyes shining with pride, and skillful hands flipping through familiar woodblocks, Meritorious Artisan Nguyen Huu Qua chose traditional paintings: Vinh hoa, Phu quy, Tinh ma tu, Tinh si tu, Nhan nghia, Le tri, Ca truong danh flute... to display and introduce at the exhibition space of national achievements. Each painting is a story, a philosophy of life, a humane message about the desire for happiness that our ancestors conveyed through images, lines, and colors.

Meritorious Artisan Nguyen Huu Qua (standing far left) and his son, Artisan Nguyen Huu Dao, demonstrate and introduce Dong Ho wood carvings to tourists.

The artist was moved: “This is not only an opportunity to introduce products, but also an opportunity for Dong Ho paintings to shine in a national event, converging political , economic and cultural values. I hope that visitors will feel that, along with socio-economic development, our homeland is still preserving and maintaining unique and distinctive heritages.”

Not only exhibiting, Meritorious Artisan Nguyen Huu Qua also brought tools, woodblocks, and Do paper to perform directly. He wanted the public to see with their own eyes, touch the paper with their own hands, and have vivid experiences to love the heritage more...

If infrastructure projects and technological achievements reflect economic stature, then simple and rustic folk paintings demonstrate the identity and soul of the Vietnamese people. The presence of Dong Ho paintings at the exhibition has a special meaning, affirming that in the journey of national development, culture cannot stand aside, but is the source of endogenous strength. And a nation that always knows how to preserve the past, cherish the heritage of its ancestors, will certainly steadfastly and confidently step into the future...

Family traditions preserve the "national soul"

Born in 1963 in Dong Ho painting village, Meritorious Artisan Nguyen Huu Qua is the second son of the late Meritorious Artisan Nguyen Huu Sam - a man who devoted himself to preserving the painting profession through many changes of the times.

Dong Ho paintings are traditional folk paintings that are handcrafted with unique color mixing techniques and characteristic line and block printing. The paper used to print the paintings is Do paper covered with a layer of mother-of-pearl to create a sparkling beauty. The colors of the paintings are completely taken from available nature: Black from bamboo leaf charcoal, red from young bricks, yellow from Sophora japonica flowers, green from leaves, white from crushed shells and mother-of-pearl shells.

Mr. Qua's childhood was associated with the sound of chisels, rustling Do paper, and shimmering colors of silk. At the age of 12, he was already proficient in "assistant" tasks such as rubbing silk, mixing colors, and proofing. Under the guidance of his father and other artisans in the village, in 1975, he officially entered the profession, went through the cooperative period, then opened his own workshop and has been steadfastly attached to the painting profession for the past half century.

Mastering every step from modeling, carving, mixing colors to printing, he also taught himself Chinese and Nom characters to understand the meaning of each painting. Meritorious Artisan Nguyen Huu Qua is recognized by the community as one of the leading artisans of Dong Ho folk paintings. He believes: "Preserving the profession is not only preserving the technique, but also preserving the soul, philosophy of life and outlook on life of our ancestors."

During the period from 2011 to 2015, with the support of French researcher Jean Pierre Pascal, Meritorious Artisan Nguyen Huu Qua collected 149 lost paintings from the war against the French. To date, he has restored about 80 paintings and owns nearly 800 woodblocks with 250 paintings - a priceless "documentary archive" of Dong Ho paintings.

Devoted to his profession, Meritorious Artisan Nguyen Huu Qua has achieved many outstanding achievements, contributing to affirming the value of Dong Ho folk paintings. His typical works include: Sac phong, Phuc-Loc-Tho, Tu binh which won outstanding products at the Vietnam Handicraft Product Competition in 2009, 2010, 2011; 7 paintings and woodblocks displayed at the Chiaksan Folk Woodcut Museum - Korea, along with many works with rich and diverse themes such as: Book covers (including Dong Ho paintings); Dong Ho calendar woodblock paintings; paintings of a girl watering flowers, a girl catching crabs, Farming work, Tam duong nghinh phuc, Kim hau hien phuc, Tinh si muoi, Uy tran son ha...

Not stopping at domestic level, he has brought Dong Ho paintings to many international forums: ASEAN Traditional Arts Festival in Thailand (2006), Korean Folk Woodcarving Festival (2015), opened a private exhibition on Dong Ho folk paintings at East China Normal University, China (2016), and many events in Europe... In each place, he directly performed, introduced and guided international friends to experience firsthand and feel the "soul" of Vietnamese culture.

Every year, the artisan actively participates in teaching students, students, and domestic and foreign tourists the basic techniques so that Dong Ho paintings not only exist in books but also come alive in the experiences of the younger generation. With his persistent contributions to preserving and promoting the cultural heritage value of Dong Ho folk painting, Mr. Nguyen Huu Qua was awarded the Medal "For the Cause of Culture, Sports and Tourism" (2011), the title "Artisan of Vietnamese Craft Villages" (2012). In particular, in 2020, he was honored to be awarded the title of Meritorious Artisan by the President.

Presently, the family of Meritorious Artisan Nguyen Huu Qua, from husband and wife, son and daughter-in-law, all participate in making paintings. The house in Dong Khe quarter is both a living place and a production workshop, filled with the sound of chisels, pounding scallops and brilliant colors every day.

Article and photos: Thuan Thao

Source: https://baobacninhtv.vn/lap-lanh-tranh-diep-dong-ho-tai-trien-lam-thanh-tuu-dat-nuoc-postid424951.bbg