For the time being, very few artists follow the profession of woodcarving because it is pretty intricate to complete a woodcarving picture and few people can make a living from the profession. However, for artist Do Thanh, woodcarving is a passion that helps him find happiness in life.

Artist Do Thanh considers wood carving as his strong passion. Photo: MY VAN

Artist Do Thanh, a member of Da Nang Fine Arts Association, after graduating with a major in visual graphics from Hue University of Arts in 2004, and woodcarving was attached to him as a predestined relationship.

Woodblock paintings have a long tradition with famous folk paintings such as Dong Ho, Hang Trong for hundreds of years. In the early twentieth century, when a number of art schools were established, wood carving immediately became the strength of Vietnamese artists because of their diligence and hard work.

Mr Thanh said that the process of completing a woodcut picture includes numerous stages from carving on woodblocks to printing and requires workers to be meticulous and careful to create slender and graceful lines and intricate details showing the essence of the work.

Besides, it is not easy to change each stroke on woodcuts like oil paintings. Sometimes a portrait is almost finished, but at the last stage, if the eyes are distorted by the artist, the whole work must be abandoned. Though the engraving and printing work was hard and difficult, it has given Mr Thanh a lot of interest as the wood grain and colourants created unexpected effects at the end.

Artist Do Thanh always seems to want to portray life's moments such as the changing of seasons, a very fragile and elusive moment, the image of a fisherman waiting for the good news of a bountiful fish harvest, or a very ordinary image of a small child next to her Cotu mother carrying a heavy basket on her back.

Due to his simplicity and purity, his woodcuts are also easy to understand and easily touch people's hearts. The rustic, lyrical beauty of the homeland and the workers as well as the national soul has been clearly shown in his works of art.

As shared by artist Do Thanh, he has to work on a woodcut painting for about 2 to 3 months to complete it. The price of work has fluctuated from VND 5 to 10 million or maybe more, depending on the buyer's preference. Not only is wood carving hard work, but it’s also difficult to sell in the market. Mr Do Thanh had never thought of painting to earn money to cover his living expenses. For him, the side jobs have helped him support his family and nurture his passion for the arts.

Despite being busy, he has still regularly had works to participate in art exhibitions in Da Nang and the Central Highlands region. Many of his works have won prizes at Da Nang Fine Arts Association over the years such as "Belief of the sea" (third prize in 2018), “Tay Giang in the summer” (first prize in 2019), "Children's memory" (second prize in 2021).

Artists have different methods of expressing themselves in each work of art. For Mr Do Thanh, he has usually chiselled not much to get the black part to highlight the engravings, making his ideas more visible. He hopes that increasing young people are passionate about this art to contribute to the development of national cultural beauty.

Reporting by MY VAN- Translating by T.VY