Human body is the best canvas for painting: artist

Artist Phuong Vu Manh (L) is painting on nude body of a model

Two illustrious body-painting artists Phuong Vu Manh and Ngo Luc discuss their love for and beauty of the art, which – like nude photography and body tattooing – is developing discreetly in conservative Vietnam.

As Manh hails from the northern capital of Hanoi and Luc from Ho Chi Minh City down south, the two’s viewpoints could be seen as representative of two regions and two styles.

Can you describe briefly what body painting is?

PVM: Body painting highlights the sympathy between human beings, between models and artists who combine together in their effort to seek perfect value.

NL: Body painting is the harmonious combination of human body, painting and sexual desire.

What are your ideas of the remark that it is more inspiring to paint on the body of a nude or semi-nude girl?

PVM: Not wrong. It’s a wonderful job to paint on the body of a nude girl because I can then express my ideas through the paintbrush and discuss with her – the model – about our perceptions of art, life as well as the outlook on politics and society.

You see, no canvas can bring me such feelings.

NL: To be frank, painting on a human body is inspiring and it’s even more so when you do it on the body of a person of the opposite sex.

If it’s the desire for sex, I will drop my brush.

What do you think about the idea that body painting is obscene?

PVM: Give them [critics] more info about the developments of body painting.

NL: I never think of it that way. Those who do think will not make that statement.

 

What is the difference of painting on a human body and on a canvas?

PVM: The best-ever canvas on earth is the human body and the body itself is the masterpiece of the Creator. And the artist just makes it look different with colors and patterns to display his/her perception.

NL: It’s much different. Human body is itself a wonderful work of art and the artist can just honor it.

A work of body painting can last for a couple of hours and then will be washed out. What do you think about its short life?

PVM: Body painting can actually survive longer with photography and filming. And I believe that in a not so far future, lovers of the art will search for collections of images of body painting.

In developed countries, an artist of body painting can earn from US$500 - US$5,000 by painting a piece of art. Some others work for media and advertisement firms with a handsome income of $1,000 an hour.

But it’s not the case in Vietnam now.

NL: The short-lived survival applies not only to body painting. For me, I make some small sum from body painting.

Do sponsors help?

PVM: My body painting events got sponsored. However, an artist needs their own work of art and then, I have to cover all costs.

NL: I see a clear border between doing a job to earn my livings and doing other things for my passion.

Anyway, you always need sponsors to be successful with body painting.

Do feelings of sexual sensation survive while you are painting on a body? And how does it help in making a great artwork?

PVM: I am a man and an artist. Either a man or an artist knows how to respect and honor natural beauty, especially the charming bodies of women. So both of the feelings intertwine to make up my feelings and urge me to draw.

But after a moment, I would forget I am a man and my feelings of an artist would rule until I complete my artwork.

NL: Nothing can stop sexual desire but it grows just only enough to make my feelings soar high and nothing more.

Artist Ngo Luc (R) is creating patterns on the body of a foreign model

 

You paint not only on men and women, but also on buffalos

PVM: It’s different to draw on the body of a buffalo. Its hairs are stiff and so you need more labor to make the ink adhere. And a buffalo can hardly understand you so you must understand him.

NL: For me, I like it best when I paint on the body of a woman.

Bio of artists Ngo Luc and Phuong Vu Manh Phuong Vu Manh, 42, graduated from the Hanoi Fine Art University in 1998 and has taken part in 40 exhibitions. Not only making body painting, he works on oil paintings, and lacquers. Ngo Luc, 32, graduated from the HCMC Fine Art University and becomes well known for his involvement in contemporary visual art.   A pattern created on model Hanh Quyen by artist Ngo Luc

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Sapa becomes Heaven on Earth during Tet

Both local and international tourists were dazzled when they witnessed miraculous sights in the Sapa tourism town in Lao Cai northern province during the first days of the lunar New Year of the cat.

Locals told Tuoi Tre that these picturesque scenes only appear on sunny days in Sapa, which was recently hit by a prolonged cold spell as temperatures dropped to minus 4 degrees Celsius.

Sapa is most beautiful in spring. Apricot, plum and cherry flowers are splendidly beautiful.

Markets are crowded and joyous, and are especially attractive to visitors. Minority groups come here to exchange and trade goods.

Following is a series of photos depicting Sapa’s fantastic landscape during two first days of the lunar New Year of the Cat:

 

 

Sa Pa is one of Vietnam 's top holiday and relaxation destinations at the height of 1,600m above sea level. The average temperature of the area is 15-18°C. It is cool in summer and cold in winter. Visitors to Sa Pa in the summer can feel the climate of four seasons in just one day. The best time to witness the scenic beauty of Sapa is in April and May. Before that period, the weather might be cold and foggy; after that period is the rainy season. In April and May, Sapa is blooming with flowers and green pastures. The clouds that settle in the valley in early morning quickly disappear into thin air. Sapa has many natural sites such as Ham Rong Mountain, Silver Waterfall, Rattan Bridge, Bamboo Forest and Ta Phin Cave. Sa Pa is also the starting point for many climbers and scientists who want to reach the top of Fansipan Mountain, the highest mountain in Vietnam at 3,143m. Fansipan is part of the Hoang Lien Mountain Range, also called the Alps of the North Sea area since Fansipan is not only the highest peak in Vietnam, but also in the Indochina Peninsula. The pyramid-shaped mountain is covered with clouds all year round and temperatures often drop below zero, especially at high elevations. Sapa is home to various families of flowers of captivating colours, which can be found nowhere else in the country.

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When the body is a work of art

Artist Ngo Luc is creating an artwork on the nude body of model Hanh Quyen

Body painting, a favorite art in Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and Australia, is slowly asserting its official status in conservative Vietnam after the art was debuted less than a year ago at the Hanoi-based French cultural center L’Espace.

It was only in March last year when nude or semi-nude models had their bodies painted with various patterns and colors to be presented to the public eye.

One month later, another official public display of body painting was held at an exhibition center at No 16 Ngo Quyen Street in Hanoi.

Previously, body painting events had been organized on a pilot and informal basis behind half-closed doors.

Despite its official status now, the art is yet to make its way into art school curricula in the nation, while artists performing the art are either amateurs or self-learners from documents on Internet.

Now, all exhibitions are held at places with limited entrance like a small gallery or a bar accommodating no more than 20 people.

Meanwhile, there are not that many body painting artists and they can be listed as Ngo Luc, Phuong Vu Manh, Dao Anh Khanh, Truong Tan, Bui Cong Khanh and Nhu Huy.

A local artist admitted that body painting in Vietnam is just in its embryonic period of development but will grow as lovers of the art are forming forums and clubs with an open-minded outlook.

Artist Phuong Vu Manh, 42, from Hanoi said he has organized over 30 shows of body painting to rave reviews from fans. Another artist Ngo Luc, 32, from Ho Chi Minh City has presented some 15.

 

A pattern created by artist Ngo Luc on model Kim Ngan

Recently, more and more young girls are willing to display their bare backs and hands painted with different colors and patterns as a way of self-assertion, according to Luc.

Body painting started in the 1930s but a strong revival took place in Western society in the 1960s, in part prompted by the liberalization of social mores regarding nudity.
Many World Body Painting Festivals have been held across the world for decades.

Nowadays, it is a favorite art in Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and Australia.

Followings are some other images of body painting by artist Ngo Luc:

 

 

Patterns on nude body of model Vinh Nghi

 

And on nude body of model Hanh Quyen

Model Lam Uyen

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Thousands gather for Dong Da fest

Thousands flocked to the Dong Da festival in Hanoi, aimed at marking the 222nd anniversary of the Ngoc Hoi-Dong Da victory.

This year’s fest will feature thurification and palanquin rituals with the participation of delegations from the capital’s districts of Thanh Tri and Thuong Tin and from Binh Dinh province.

The event is to commemorate the glorious feat of arms led by King Quang Trung (Nguyen Hue) against 29,000 Qing invaders in 1789.

The highlight of the program will see artists from Hanoi Traditional Opera Theatre performing an extract from the “Ngoc Han Cong Chua” play from which audience will have a chance to learn about the love between national hero Quang Trung and princess Ngoc Han.

Plays and dances re-enacting the victory will also be performed at the festival.

A series of art performances and traditional games such as dragon and gong dances, martial arts and human chess will also take place at the festival.

The victory of Ngoc Hoi-Dong Da went down in the nation’s history as an immortal epic of the struggle for national construction and defence.

The Dong Da Festival takes place annually on the 5th day of the Lunar New Year (Tet).

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Ca Tru folk music sees revival

The family of Ca tru -- (from L) drummer Nguyen Van Mui, singer Nguyen Thuy Hoa, and three-stringed lute artist Nguyen Van Khue. Young singer Kieu Oanh (at back)

Photo: Tuoi Tre

The millennium-old northern folk music genre of Ca tru is making a comeback after decades of neglect, with more and more young girls training to become dao nuong, or professional singers.

The music is said to have originated in Hanoi during the Ly Dynasty era around 1,000 years ago, mainly to entertain the royal court just like many other Vietnamese arts.

With the unwritten rule that only young, beautiful girls could become dao nuong, things took a nasty turn in the 20th century when mandarins and high-profile officials began to prey on them.

A stigma soon set in and “good” young girls were no longer taking up Ca tru.

The feudal system may have ended in Vietnam in 1945 but the shame persisted until recently.

It took UNESCO’s conferring of the status of an intangible cultural heritage in need of urgent safeguarding in 2009 for the stigma to be shed and a revival to begin.

It takes years for a young girl to master control over rhythms and tones and become a Ca tru vocalist. It is usually performed as an ensemble with at least two more performers on a ceremonial drum and a dan day, the three-stringed lute.

The most illustrious dao nuong of the 20th century and renowned to this day despite her death 10 years ago was Quach Thi Ho.

Ho is cherished not only for talent but also her great love for and her sacrifice for Ca tru.

During the difficult period in the 20th century, Ho remained steadfast and continued to sing despite being scorned by neighbors.

One of her closest friends is Prof Dr Tran Van Khe, who recorded some of her music in 1976 to take Vietnamese folk music to the outside world.

Two years later, UNESCO and the International Institute for Comparative Music Studies and Documentation awarded Ho an honorary credential for her contribution to preserving traditional music.

In 1988 the recordings won the top prize at an international traditional music festival in North Korea attended by 29 nations. The same year the Vietnamese government conferred on her the title of People’s Artist, the only Ca tru artist to be thus honored.

Despite fearing the possible extinction of the art form, Ho was hesitant to teach it due to the social prejudices.

Once when writer Luu Trong Van asked her why she refused to teach it, she replied: “Who is willing to learn it? And learn for what?

“A high-profile cultural official told me bluntly that my Ca tru mainly served feudalists and colonialists.

“Let a tree dying out die out,” she quoted him as telling her.

“You just wait to see its flowers blossom,” she replied.

One family

The ancient folk music has been well preserved by at least a family of Nguyen of Hanoi’s Thai Ha, a place with a rich Ca tru tradition.

The family, known commonly as Nguyen Thai Ha, produced many famous singers and three-stringed lute players who performed in royal courts - such as Nguyen Duc Y, Nguyen Van Xuan, and Nguyen Thi Tuyet.

 

Nguyen Thi Tuyet - one of the Ca tru masters of the Nguyen - Thai Ha family

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Flower road closes, receives 800,000 visits

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Nearly 800,000 people visited the flower-bedecked Nguyen Hue Street in downtown Ho Chi Minh City during the seven days the flower show was open to the public.

It was closed at 10pm yesterday – the fourth day of the lunar new year with a street performance.

Over 100,000 people visited the Road yesterday

Tran Hung Viet, deputy director of Saigontourist and chief organizer of the flower show, told Tuoi Tre that on New Year's Eve, more than 100,000 people visited the road and enjoyed a fireworks display there.

Currently, hundreds of workers are cleaning up to return the Nguyen Hue road to normalcy. The job is expected to be finished by 6pm today.

A performance on Le Loi Road to conclude the flower show

This time, the flower festival was themed “New Heights” during the Year of the Cat.

It was divided into various segments this year like “Vietnamese Spirit,” “southern Tet holiday,” “New Heights,” “Peaceful Spring,” “Time of the Season,” and “Humane Garden.”

Under the segment themed “southern Tet holiday” from Le Loi to Nguyen Thiep Streets, organizers created a festive atmosphere using traditional Tet images like the cylindrical glutinous rice cake, watermelon, and flowers with a pair of happy wooden cats.

“New Heights” from Nguyen Thiep to Huynh Thuc Khang Streets was decorated with garlands, multi-colored lanterns, kites, and bamboo flowers, all symbols of the country’s unity and development.

Orchids, stylized lotus petals, baskets of flowers, small boats of flowers, a house of roses and others featured in “Peaceful spring” between Huynh Thuc Khang and Ngo Duc Ke Streets.

“Time of the season” from Ngo Duc Ke to Hai Trieu featured rice paddies, ceramic flowerpots, Tet-themed paintings, and cards.

A foreign tourist posing with two performers walking on stilts during a performance yesterday

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Hanoi through eyes of French photographer

If he had more time, Nicolas Cornet, a French photo-journalist would have talked more about Hanoi both in French and Vietnamese. However, he prefers to use his photos to tell his stories.

Cornet said he has closely followed the changes in people and Hanoi through his own photo journalism. That is why when visiting an exhibition showcasing Cornet’s photos of Hanoi at the French Culture Centre L’Espace in late 2010, many people who were born and grew up in the city suddenly recognised scenes they had taken for granted for a long time.

Hanoi in his photos is not merely a reminiscence, but is always moving. Viewers can see the city through photos portraying people’s daily lives, high-rise buildings or ancient, moss covered pagodas.

“His photos are unexpectedly lively,” a common comment made by many visitors. For them, Cornet’s photos are beautiful, not only in terms of lay-out and colour, but also of containing the city’s flavours such as steamed glutinous rice and green tea that are served on the city’s pavement kiosks.

After three years of collecting images and ideas, Cornet has published a pictorial book about Hanoi to celebrate the city’s 1,000 th anniversary.

Since 1987, Nicolas Cornet has spent a couple of months each year returning to Vietnam and feels it is his “home country”.

Besides working for many of Europe ’s well-known daily newspapers and magazines such as L’Espresso, Mare, Le Republica, Figaro Magazine, Le Monde, Ulysse, Geo, Grands Reportages and Nouvel Observateur, Cornet has given lectures on photography and press photography. He has already hosted a series of personal exhibitions in France, Germany, Switzerland and Vietnam.
 

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