Obscured Brilliance: Modern and Contemporary Vietnamese Lacquer

Abstract

This article gives a brief overview of the development of Vietnamese lacquer painting, a unique art form, which came into being due to French and Vietnamese artists collaborating in the 1920s and has continued to flourish throughout the ensuing periods of war and independence. Under-theorised and relatively obscure, the use of layering, combining mixed media and sanding processes, differed from lacquer arts in other Asian countries at the time, and can be used create a spectacular array of textures and finishes. While the impact of the political context on artistic expression has been explored elsewhere, this study has focused on the processes, techniques and modern styles in the context of the global art world.