1993 APT1 Conference : Identity, tradition and change

- 5 - a e s t h e t i c o r s o c i a l m a n i fe s to e s , b u t o n ly fo llow ed from i n d i ­ v i d u a l a f f i n i t i e s . T h e re fo re , i t i s i n a p p r o p r i a t e and u n r e a ­ l i s t i c to adop t an " E u r o p e o c e n t r i s t " o r " O c c id e n t o c e n t r i s t " a t t i t u d e i n t r y in g to t r a c e b e l a t e d waves o f th e co n om ica lly advanced West i n an und e rd ev e lop ed c o u n t r y . To a f o r e i g n e r who asked him w he the r o r no t he was in f lu e n c e d by k a t i s s e , Nguyen Sang q u i e t l y showed him Lunar New Year g r e e t i n g wood- c u t s by way o f r e p l y . And Nguyen Tu Nghiem came c lo s e to cub ism by d i s c o v e r in g r e l i e v o s i n communal houses w ith tw i s t e d human b o d ie s seen c o n c u r r e n t ly from d i f f e r e n t a n g l e s . He c a n d id ly d e c la r e d t h a t he found th e works o f I to d e r n i s t s more com p reh en s ib le th an European c l a s s i c a l p a i n t i n g . Should • ex change s w ith th e o u t s id e world have b een more a c t i v e and n a t i o n a l a r t i s t i c t r a d i t i o n s e x p l o i t e d w i th g r e a t e r s e l f - c o n f id e n c e , V i e t n ^ e s e p a i n t i n g would have r e ap e d more im­ p o r t a n t ach ievem en ts . Gandhi was r i g h t i n say ing t h a t th e most a d v i s a b le a t t i t u d e o f I n d ia n s i n t h e i r c o n t a c t w ith th e West i s to a b s t a in from b o th e x c e s s iv e complex o f s u p e r i o r i t y and e x c e s s iv e complex o f i n f e r i o r i t y . However, o n ly i n an a t ­ mosphere o f sh a red e x p e r i e n c e s , e q u a l i t y and f r i e n d s h i p , can o r d i n a r y peop le have such an a t t i t u d e I Hope t h a t t h i s o p p o r tu n i ty has come f o r Vietnam a f t e r lo n g c e n t u r i e s o f c o n f r o n t a t i o n and s e l f - d e f e n c e . 4 - W ithout su rv ey ing th e major changes in V ietnamese p a i n t i n g in the p a s t 7 d e c ad e s , w ith o u t c o n s id e r in g co n c re te works o f in d iv i d u a l a r t i s t s , i t would be v e ry hard to in d e n - t i f y ana l a b e l Vietnamese p c i n t i n g . I s t h e r e a V ietnamese con tem po ra ry p a i n t in g ? The answer i s i n t h e a f f i rm s t i )& . What does i t mean ? Th is can h a rd ly be e x p l a in e d c o h e r e n t ly . A ccord ing to con cep ts o f 7 /e s te rn p a i n t i n g , i t can be s a i d t h a t a num ber.of a r t i s t s , e s p e c i a l l y in Ho Chi k in h c i t y , a r e b e in g keen on a b s t r a c t i o n i sm , e x p r e s s i o n i s t - f a u v i s t a t t r i b u t e s w ith s t r a i g h t f o rw a r d n e s s and vehemence o f c o l o r ­ i n g . &o re b e f i t t i n g to o th e r a r t i s t s i s a tendency to n a i v e ty f low in g from f o lk a r t and c o u n t ry l i f e , n o t so d i f f e r e n t from