Three decades of working with silk, artist Bui Tien Tuan, 54, a native of Quang Nam Province, has quietly and persistently renewed a genre of painting that seemed to have faded into the past. From the imprint of 12 solo exhibitions to participating in dozens of thematic exhibitions, it shows that the journey does not limit to the desire to create artworks, but is a persistent effort to spread the love of fine arts to the community.

Painter Bui Tien Tuan is well-known in the art world for his innovative thinking in silk paintings. Photo: Bui Tien Tuan

From chalk dust to silk light

Before becoming rising to fame in silk paintings, Bui Tien Tuan was a lecturer at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Fine Arts. The years of teaching helped him persistently learn and have a deeper look into the history of Vietnamese fine arts, especially traditional silk paintings, a material that was once honoured but also had a period of fading before the wave of modern painting.

What is easily recognizable in Bui Tien Tuan's paintings is the image of a fashionable, modern and somewhat daring woman. Talking about the work ‘Women, Masks and Shadows’ which won the Silver Medal (no Gold Medal) at the National Fine Arts Exhibition in 2010, he said that it was a milestone affirming his personal mark in the art world and also a reminder to himself that silk paintings are still loved.

“I do not try to modernize silk paintings, I just want to bring them closer to today's life, where women are not confined in shyness, but can actively express their identity, inner self and even complex aspects of themselves”, the author shared.

Many silk paintings on women were included by the artist in his solo exhibition ‘Bui Tien Tuan - A Journey’ which took place recently in the southern metropolis of Ho Chi Minh City. Curator Ly Doi commented that women in Bui Tien Tuan's paintings often do not have traces of the countryside and agriculture, but are often urban people, fashion-loving, sometimes a bit frivolous and enjoying life. They love and exalt themselves, independent in their thoughts and actions. Because they are independent, their feelings, joy, and even loneliness are very different from those who work hard to make end meet. Therefore, the author's silk painting palette is also more unconventional.

According to Ly Doi, Bui Tien Tuan's silk paintings are quite similar to painter Nguyen Phan Chanh (1892-1984) in terms of creating identities for everyday characters. The women of both seem to occupy the entire space of the painting, sometimes overwhelming and replacing everything else. Compared to the common structure of heaven-earth-human in a traditional silk painting, Bui Tien Tuan only takes ‘human’ factor as the centre, sometimes not needing ‘heaven’ or ‘earth’.

After three decades of pursuing silk paintings, the artist has expressed the ego of an individual with sharp angles in his perspective on life. Because he does not pursue traditional beauty in a stereotypical way, nor does he “expose” the female body, but instead uses contrasting light and dark colours to reflect desires, struggles and freedom of choice. Art researcher Ngo Kim Khoi commented that most of Bui Tien Tuan’s nude works are both sensual and glorify the female body in the space of the universe.

These are drawings that are not confined to old standards, but are imbued with a contemporary quality, both in the way they express the composition, materials and spirit of the work. On a traditional silk background, he experiments with new ways of colouring and lighting.

Thin, transparent layers of colour are overlapped to create visual depth, as if each painting has its own rhythm, with the subtle movement of emotions and time.

Escaping the safe “cocoon”

The special feature of his silk paintings also lies in the combination of manual techniques and contemporary spirit. Admitting that he does not shy away from thorny topics or symbols of urban life, Bui Tien Tuan constantly experiments with new ways of expression on traditional silk.

The free-flowing lines, trendy colour blocks, unconventional compositions... on fragile, soft materials all show the artist's efforts to "break out of the cocoon" and constantly innovate himself.

Especially in recent series of paintings, he shows more interest in the breath of modern urban life, where neon lights, faces behind thick layers of makeup or street figures appear and disappear in a variety of materials such as silk, oil paint, ‘do’ paper or acrylic...

Painter Luong Luu Bien commented that Bui Tien Tuan's paintings have a luxurious, flirtatious, and frivolous style of creation. The stylized, refined shapes are simple but impressive, combined with new and unique compositions, bringing balance to the artwork.

In addition, what makes his silk paintings different is the combination of traditional techniques with modern creative thinking. He does not follow the old style, but always seeks a new path for silk. From the selection of frames, colour combinations to light treatment, all show careful calculation and sharp senses.

He always puts into his works modern nuances of the city, across every aspect. According to cinema language it means that viewers will see themselves in his works. It seems that this has resonated with the public and they see him as someone who helps revive Vietnamese silk paintings.

After so many years of being attached to the painting profession, Bui Tien Tuan has a solid position to continue new experiments with silk paintings. For him, each painting is a journey, each layer of colour is an exploration of emotions. Recently, he often organizes talks and guides students and young people who love painting to approach silk paintings because he believes that only when the young generation understands and loves can silk paintings exist naturally and sustainably.

Reporting by HUYNH LE - Translating by A.THU