Lacquer: How a Substance

of

Everlasting Quality Turned for Success

into a

Resource

PATRICK HENRY LAZATIN TAGUIBAO

INTRODUCTION In the 1930s, Vietnamese artisans and painters started using lacquer as a new medium for Vietnamese modern painting. Pioneers included Dinh Van Thanh, Pham Hau, Tran Quang Tran, Nguyen Gia Tri, To Ngoc Van, Tran Van Can, Nguyen Khang, and many others struck the foundations of this magnificent art form. They were the very first people to lay the utmost foundation for Vietnamese lacquer painting to record splendid achievements later further in the history books. These people were not necessarily the first ones to inhabit the art form for many thousands of years ago, lacquered items have been found in ancient tombs lying around either buried inside sarcophaguses or found feet below the ground. The paintings found were rustic in appearance upon the discovery covered with lumps of red-brown substances that surrounded the pieces, but what was unique about the painting was when technology have successfully recovered its ninety percent original appearance, the substance used for the medium is actually evident shining all throughout the pieces. According to some researchers, paintings that were found together with other materials was evident of the said substance that was practically traced from third and fourth centuries and over those time periods, Vietnamese masters, craftsmen, and artists have absorbed these techniques as their own using lacquer for purpose of decoration and preservation. Lacquer paintings now can compete successfully with silk and oil paintings and have the unique touch of character in the presence of this style of painting. Lacquer according to the The Scribner-Bantam English Dictionary, refers to it as transparent varnish made by dissolution of resin or cellulose ester in a volatile solvent found from the saps of a Japanese lacquer tree. It may sound a bit odd the first time hearing it, but this odd substance is considered one of the most valuable resource in Vietnam; in accordance to their usage in art history perhaps for these resin can create a replica of transparent thin layers of silk like texture with effects not only used in painting but as well as giving everyday tools such as cooking tools used for making national course meals a glowing coat that shines towards any kind of light, but it doesnt stop from there because Asians have known about the techniques of using lacquer resin from early times. The Chinese under the Shang dynasty (1384-1111 BC) used lacquer for decorating objects basically that were made of bamboo and wood because once lacquer is added to the said materials, it can turn the most fragile wood into a solid, elastic piece of wood making it easier to work with it because in most cases, other mediums like some other oil base substance can melt and ruin the bamboos precious color coat as well as the woods appearance making it hard for the artists to blend colors on top of it and at the same time, ruining the surface and base of the working stage within it. Lacquer also served as an agglutinant inlay and carving keeping parts of the object intact when it is on a verge of looseness. During several feudal dynasties in the histories of Vietnam, lacquer met ornamental needs by highlighting motifs that decorated the palaces of kings, lords and noblemen, as well as other architectural elements, weapons, carriages, musical instruments, containers and bottles. Hence over time, the artistic functions of lacquer became largely recognized around the world making it an icon for its unique style which cannot be compared from silk and oil master pieces. In Japan, although lacquer was used then in the early 4th century BC, it was confined to mere items of daily use such as crockery or utensils for making tea, but not until the 4th century AD did the

Japanese, along with the Koreans, have contact with the lacquer trade of the Asian continent. They were open to the elements of various techniques of engraving, inlay, pumicing and ornamental styles with the basic techniques of making pictures such as drawing on a plane, pumicing, polishing and embossing. Japanese lacquer on the hand has already reached the apex of its development because as far as Asian lacquer is concerned, its influence grew far beyond the country's borders that were very much under the European state of responsibility in which further development of the modern lacquer ware spreads into various types. VIETNAMS BACKGROUND: the Chinese influence Plenty of things are given consideration upon studying the influences of the lacquer usage in the country of Vietnam and given the circumstances of their history with the presence of abused power as well as leaving legacies from great heroes and great leaders, it is actually more than these images which gives the identity of the Vietnamese people to absorb such art form merely because it is in the midst of their ability to explore their minds into things that were not familiar to them; with this new things at hand, they learned to adapt what they have experience over their history and has given it a sort of importance that they already considered it as their law and their way of commemorating the hardships they have experienced over the years of influence from different parts of the world and by this influences they use the art form to point a mark in others peoples thoughts that they survived these great impacts and are still coping-up with the rebuilding of the their nation as one culture and one people of Vietnam. Status of the Vietnamese people is known to be as a Sino-Vietnam nation where it is called as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam with the surface area of 329,560 square miles. Its population is estimated over seventy-nine million, nine hundred thirty-nine thousand, fourteen in accordance with a one point forty-five birth rate per day having sex ratios of 0.97:0.03 were the majority are males. Languages around the areas of Vietnam differs from various regions for different influences that have taken over their jurisdiction have already flourished which are the French, and the Chinese, but as of the present time they speak Vietnamese as their national language incorporated with English, French, Chinese, Khmer, Mon-Khmer, and Malayo Polynesian. Sixty groups were actually known to have spoken different kinds of languages in the midst of Vietnam during the past and up until its present time, traces of these languages have already evolved into modern language adaptations where combination of such languages are incorporated to their cultural lifestyle. These evolutions are called as the sub Khmer languages originated from the varieties of Khmer language with some touch of the national language, but in general, Han system of writing was introduced to them by the Chinese, but the way of the Han is not particularly the same as the Chinese writing. They were just using the Chinese typographic style to incorporate or adapt into a new system of writing which can be derived from the Chineses roots in the field of education, but latter in between the Chinese domination over Vietnamese scripts have already been flourishing which gave a mark to the Chinese people that they are indeed developing the Chinese mark that they were planning to do in the first place. Keep in mind that majority of the people in Vietnam are all peasants. Food to them is considered treasures and working hard for it is a sign of confirmation by that statement. Here in the Philippines some would say a cup of rice is already enough to suffice through one meal, but for the Vietnamese, one cup is already too much for them. In fact, they will divide it to numbers of divisions and plan for each part of when they will eat it. Some will save it for dinner, and some may even save it for the rest of the week; this maybe the reason why Vietnam is still considered a developing country because despite the fact they are only harnessing an average of three hundred three Dollar income per month, they still dont know the concept of urbanization wherein a cup of rice actually for most people is not enough were in some cases, it already is.

Ethical values scattered in general are very most the same as any other country would generalized themselves as family people were it is also evident here in the Philippines, but lets not go there. Family ties of Vietnamese are very much the same after the domination of the Chinese because Confucianism was one of the adapted influences from their domination. Confucianism is a philosophy rather than a religion founded by Kung Fu Tzu or whom they call as Confucius. People residing inside the country doesnt identify themselves as religious people because it is not in their nature to become religious in the sense that their belief in accordance of existing because it is given to them as gifts and they should honor it according to the ties of bonds within their families and friends. Those bonds are called as the social harmony. There five bonds stated inside the harmony is considered as to the most valued virtue from the teachings of Confucius: Rule to subject, Father to son, husband to wife, elder brother to younger brother, and a friend to a friend; this relationships are what they call as a Filial Piety. Filial means as of child and referred to as the same respect shown by children to their parents, but this virtue doesnt accommodate only the living, but also the dead and Vietnamese people are very serious when it comes to respect for the elders especially people who still have their parents by their side. As serious as they are pertaining towards their ethical values, Vietnam is also known for giving serious offenses given to offenders as it violates the very essence of their religion. A certain code called Hon Duc code or The Great Virtue was implemented by Le Thanh Tong, whom was one of the great emperors ever rose in power. The virtues stated in the account of the code are as follows, If a district chief lets the population under his authority fall victim to famine and flood, and if he leaves his mission or indulges in debauchery (wickedness), etc., he shall be punished very severely and be dismissed. To civilians: any person who sends a letter reporting untrue facts shall be demoted (biem) or subject or be subjected to imprisonment; a person accuses another wrongly shall be condemned to 80 strokes of flogging; sending an anonymous letter/report is also considered a serious crime; the person who convey it to the mandarins or to the king or spread news about of its content shall be condemned to 50 strokes of flogging and fired an amount of money (tu) High landers who commit a crime shall be punished according to the customs of the region; a person of the highlands who commit a crime against a person of the low lands shall be punished as a stipulated by the law; if a student beats and curses his teacher, he shall receive punishment three degrees severer than beating or cursing other people. (Under the Le Dynasty) These scriptures or most of it are still socially used at this time period because it doesnt goes out of the picture of their beliefs as believers of Confucianism. Confucianism might be an odd kind of religion if it was compared to Christianity because in their case, they have no god and all they ever believed in is to just do kind deeds to people, but if putting these things into perspective, Confucianism isnt really far away from what Christianity is trying to preach and that it is a kind of philosophy to actually be respected of. Hanoi visitor George Jorje, an employee of the Toyota Corporations confirmed this information. He settled in the country for almost a week and all he noticed was how disciplined these people were. Mga disiplinado mga tao doon, at mababait yoong mga boss ko doon na mga Vietnamese, hindi nila pinalagpas ang pagkakataon na makipag kaibigan samin doon at isa pa, hindi sila basta basta gumagawa ng gulo doon ng walang rason talaga para magalit at minsan ang paraan nila para iparating ang galit sakanila ay sa pamamagitan ng sulat para hindi halata ang pagiging galit nila sa isat isa at

nanaka impress sa lahat,pigil at controlado nila ang kanilang sarili pag dating sa mga sensitibong bagay gaya ng pagsisinungaling dahil hindi nila ito pinahihintulot. George said. George was abruptly confident in saying these words and not believing it would only mean that you are not a type of person who trust anyone that easily, but whatever type of emotion it was actually said, one opinion is not considered a void one even though it look convincingly correct which is why research again came into the picture. According to the history of Vietnam, during the Chinese domination, a person named Nguyen Trai which was a member of the Binh Ngo Dai Cao specifically said, That the great cause of our country is to vanquish ferocity, to use humanity to replace cruelty. Le Loi Nguyen Trai and the people of Vietnam acted this way for a very long time and up until this period of time, the virtue is still being used towards other people or foreigners coming from other countries and if the people are practicing this kind of virtues from outside their jurisdiction, it goes to the account that it would be twice as it is practiced towards their own people, in their families as well as with friends and with elders. They had deep confidence in man and human community; Philippines on the other hand are rich with family values. They have high respect for their rules and regulation; and we on the other hand, look for loop holes to get out of the rules. They have high spirits with each other; and we have high spirits with our peers even with enemies. They keep their anger through themselves; we let them go freely when we want to. They were full of tremendous vitality to vanquish ferocity and cruelty with their noble cause and humanity; we on other hand are full of lies that we cannot vanquish our own ferocity and cruelty which drove its people to experience famine in some way canceling the nobility of such people. In contrast of what was written through these virtues and comparisons, Nguyen Trai wanted the people to know that each and every one of their own kind was beloved with the gift of being one of the most studious people among the globe that they can adapt to every challenges faced by difficulties. Vietnamese are also adept at acquiring knowledge for it is one of their strong points which everyone should develop and share whether they are from foreign lands or not. To confirm the information encountered, it was again time to look for information pertaining to the crimes spotted in Vietnam and as suspected crime rate is very low compared to most industrialized countries known to man. Analysis was done using INTERPOL data for Vietnam for purposes of comparison; data were drawn for the seven offenses used to compute the United States FBI's index of crime and these offenses include murder, forcible rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, and motor vehicle theft. The combined total of these offenses constitutes the Index used for trend calculation purposes. Vietnam will be compared with Japan because it is known although out the world as the lowest crime rated country and USA as the worlds known country for high crime rates. According to the INTERPOL data, for murder, the rate in 2000 was 1.08 per 100,000 population for Vietnam, 1.10 for Japan, and 5.51 for USA. For rape, the rate in 2000 was 1.64 for Vietnam, compared with 1.78 for Japan and 32.05 for United States. For robbery, the rate in 2000 was 1.48 for Vietnam, 4.08 for Japan, and 144.92 in the United States The information said above is no doubt a confirmation from the statements Nguyen Trai have said as well as the statement George has spoken of, but since this survey was done 11 years ago, there is actually a benefit of a doubt that by these hours, Vietnam is still or at least easy to say as one of the disciplined, safe zones in the world next to Japan.

VIETNAMS BACKGROUND: the French influence It was after the Le Dynasty when the French started to dominate Vietnams eastern culture and acculturated it with a touch from the western civilization. Vietnams system of writing or what they call it as Quoc Ngu was established by a French missionary named Alexander de Rhodes. The Han system of writing at that period was still being used for commemoration purposes, but within the grasps of the French people, they actually gave the Han system of writing to go on with its next level. Vowels from the Vietnamese alphabets were actually then given symbols and accents to best suit their cultural tongue origins without taking out the influence of the Han system. It was at this point were Vietnam started their progress through the forms of renovations from their former eastern cultured, but there was actually no intention by French men to actually own the country for themselves. The domination was only to highlight and market their country with customary lifestyle that can be known throughout the world; but regardless of their objectives, the people of Vietnam felt irritated from all the domination with numbers of declarations of independence. They wanted to have a culture of their own and that by this moment, they are now capable of managing the country themselves. This is the time Ho Chin Minh came to the picture to save that countrys grievance. Minh was the one who implemented the August Revolution towards the French men. The revolution is actually the result of the fine traditions and aspirations the people and the explosive revolutionary developments of that period which was in the form of three divisions. The first division was about national liberation, another was for the peoples democracy, and lastly for socialisms sake. These three divisions were widely known as the trio revolution that indicates the nation, the science, and popularity. These virtues are closely related to each other following a fixed direction and making steps in an unchanged order; This process is said to be a straight forward technique where in ignorance of some steps is not an option because if it does, there will be a possibility that it will violate some of the historical laws being implemented as of the moment. The revolution was actually a success and it led to the independence of the country once again regaining national pride during September 1945 and after three decades of their independence, every invaders pretty much didnt stand a chance for their communist forces were just too slick, further invasions to their domain were all defeated, but during this time period of their renovations, Vietnam is still trying to cope up with the damages done to their nation and isolating their country is one of the best ideas they ever had because after Japan helped the country to rebuild and gave them 19 Million US dollars, they are pretty much in the process of development. It is said that in the year 2020, Vietnam is going to be back at the line it was suppose to be reaching to. LACQUER: a medium of cultural alliance Chinese and French influences played a great role to the development of lacquer and according to the previous explanations illustrated earlier, Chinese influence made the Viets to be known as the people who were educated by Han system which in part distributed an easy role of incorporating some motifs given by the Chinese, irony flourished the idea of creating the lacquer art forms in Vietnam for materials used or the substance used in generating such works actually came from Japans lacquer trees. For the Vietnamese, with association to the Japanese, Honor is actually a virtue in creating not only pieces of art, but also in the process of creating food, music and many other forms of recreational activities that also involves work that connects to the priority to please other people such as farming, song writing, sport, and common family jobs like being a house wife and an elder brother or sister. Honor for

them needs maintenance in association of blooming tropical flowers that technically needs nourishment from the suns rays, water from the soil it stands as well as a climate that will suit its biological needs. If these ingredients were not met by these flowers, it will basically die through dehydration which is pretty much the same concept of what will happen if honor to these art works are maintained the tradition will vanish if massive caring is not maintained. As honor strikes the very existence of the art form, beauty on the other hand sits on the right hand of the wares with dedication and skill sitting on its left hand. Lacquer art forms actually is divided into different types and as the influences states it existence- European, Japanese, and Chinese Lacquer paintings have already established together with the Viet Lacquer ones, but the only difference of the Viets work is that they are serious when it come to its traditional form. Lacquer in Vietnam had a long tradition pertaining to more than 2,000 years of age; during the period of the Dong Son culture, the Viets already knew how to process raw lacquer for making useful things. Many household and cult objects were decorated with pictures and then coated with lacquer. They were found in ancient tombs discovered from northern parts of Vietnam as far back as the Ly dynasty (11th century) or even earlier, lacquer was widely used in the ornamentation of palaces, communal halls, temples, pagodas and shrines. The know-how related to this craft was always kept secret and handed down within the clan of artisans, from fathers to children. Outstanding master hands were awarded and received titles by the King attached with growing needs for specialization inevitably which led to the founding of guilds. One such guild would excel in processing lacquer while others distinguished themselves in gilding or in making vermilion powder. They gathered, lived together, and produced lacquer ware in a special ward along a well-known street named after this craft. Today, in Hanoi and in some neighboring areas, many street quarters and villages remains to preserve this traditional lacquer production. Objects made of bamboo, wood, fabric, earth or leather, once coated with lacquer for protection and embellishment that in the end turning out to be glossy, lasting and watertight. As proof, there are the lacquered objects discovered recently in the sunken boats belonging to the Nguyen Lords in southern Vietnam; they were found intact despite the fact that they had been immersed in salt water for more than 100 years. That is the reason why lacquer is very widely used for decoration in arts and crafts and industry for it is already evident that lacquer can last for many years to come. Lacquer resin is noted for its difficult treatment and "caprices": it will wrinkle, dry out and darken instantly when directly exposed to water, wind and sunlight. Lacquer growers can only obtain it between midnight and dawn. The sap thus collected is contained in large bamboo barrels covered tightly by sticking wax paper on their surfaces to make them air-proof. The containers of lacquer are afterwards taken away and left untouched for several months in a cool, dark, well-aired place until the different elements of lacquer settle into three major layers by which in those cases, is now ready in using different techniques pertaining to its development to form in for final usage. The uppermost layer is actually considered as a lacquer of the first stratum with a reddish brown color; it is identified as least sticky substance from the two and sometimes, it is also with a yellowish brown pigment and it is somehow limpid. The resin is then filtered at this point to completely remove all impurities present and after the impurities have been taken to its place, it now goes into earthenware or ceramic jars evenly stirred with bamboo or wooden sticks for several hours to get rid of vapor. The next layer of lacquer is identified as of the second stratum; it is stickier and of darker from the previous layer with a yellowish brown color. Iron containers are now okay to be used as one must stir the resin with an iron rod for several hours to obtain a black, glossy lacquer known as then to be the real lacquer.

The undermost stratum compared from the previous two layers is pretty much the stickiest, but the softest. It is in the color of muddy yellow hues and at this peak, it already has evidence of stiffness because it already passed through a process of drying; this certain type of lacquer is now called hom lacquer. Over the centuries, Vietnamese lacquer ware was distinguished by its originality and high quality when coming into contact with similar products in neighboring countries Japan and China. It was always present or considered as omnipresent in Vietnam from the very links in the planks of fishermen's boats, peasant household basket ware, and wickerwork to sophisticated arts and crafts such as lavish gilded objects and mother-of-pearl inlay work in furniture. Yet the lacquer craft, reflecting peoples aesthetic needs in everyday life, was still restricted to the decoration of household items and alternative objects, such as religious statues and statuettes. After the founding of the Ecole Superieure des Beaux-Arts dIndochine, it already gave a strong impulsion to the birth of a new form of painting encouraged by two French artists: Victor Tardieu (1870 1937) and his associate Joseph Inguimberty (18961917). Their roles in the large steps of the art form was the most prominent ones ever to be remembered as they have given the very most identity of the motifs used in the patterns of Viet Lacquer art and with the help of different prominent people, the dream of having a well managed art form can be one step away from becoming reality. The contact with European classical painting caused the Vietnamese fine arts to undergo radical changes and these changes including the expression of three dimensions on a single plane and the visual depiction of reality were accepted and incorporated into the traditional subject matter and techniques of the lacquer craft. Since the Europeans were impressed by the extraordinary tonalities and the latent resources of black lacquer in communal houses and pagodas, the two French artists urged their Vietnamese art students to explore this craft; their encouragement awakened the latters national pride and this led to the birth of lacquer paintings, truly a major contribution to Vietnamese fine arts. Artists Tran Van Can, Pham Hau and Nguyen Gia Tri pioneered the development of the lacquer technique, from the simple decoration of architectural motifs in communal houses and temples or handicraft articles to the artistic drawings of modern lacquer pictures. They painted and did research passionately, mobilizing the traditional knowhow of the lacquer craft while experimenting with new techniques. Their goal was to apply the laws of space and perspective concerning composition, shapes and figures and at the same time to preserve the phantasmagoric character and other inherent features of lacquer art. Basically, lacquer paintings integrate the traditional colors of brown, black, red, yellow, white with the technique of inlaying eggs, crab and snail shells. Innovations include techniques in mixing dyes with the addition of various tones of green to enrich the color scheme, the drawing of shapes and figures, the use of shade and light with a wide range of different tones, and methods of applying pumice and polishing. Realistic themes depicted in the art form with so many works through each historical period convincingly confirm the expressive, inexhaustible resources that eventually gave it respect as a brand that have been experimenting and in the end have successfully flourished by the help of dedication and honor.

New generation of artists has now prosper from the traditional roots, such as Nguyen Sang, Nguyen Tu Nghiem, Le Quoc Loc, and Sy Ngoc, has put its stamp on the value of Vietnamese lacquer art. Since 1934 and international exhibitions have already highlighted the achievements of lacquer art as a major landmark in the fine arts of Vietnam. REFLECTION Lacquer paintings at this point can be seen almost everywhere in the different parts of Europe, and some parts of China and Japan, but even though this paintings are much likely not be seen by people because of the geographical differences they all share, it could be impossible to promulgate the beauty that these pieces give and another factor of it is the cost of travel which not all people can afford in such a short period of time because considering the facts that these art exhibitions doesnt stay in one place that and that is why it not practical to prepare for such things, but at this moment, after explaining how the origins have been developing since the their Chinese domination, curiosity break through the cravings to know about it even further and it totally created an image saying that if this kind of art management was incorporated to every third world countries, they could have been successful not only in the forms of the art industry because once this mind sets are flourished within that nations culture, different changes may occur that may even start an impact into changing their ways in governing their country. Take Vietnam for example, this country was supposed to be a country full of disputes and wars and in fact considered as a developing country, but as the fact surrounds that it is still an untouched country, their culture is evident of having strong traits that can make a difference once the society started success and falls back into the world lined with developed ones already; they might even be identified to be greater than those countries that already has a title of greatness within them and that possibility can come true if they hold onto to that same culture.