Lam Triet ventures into the magic world of colors docx

Lam Triet ventures into the magic world of colors By Nguyen Hung Painter Lam Triet was born in 1938 in Bong Son, Binh Dinh, and studied painting at Hue and Gia Dinh art schools.. In 1

Lam Triet ventures into the

magic world of colors

By Nguyen Hung

Painter Lam Triet was born in 1938 in Bong Son, Binh Dinh, and

studied painting at Hue and Gia Dinh art schools In 1961, he began to teach painting at Vo Truong Toan and Phan Boi Chau high schools in Phan Thiet, then worked as a painting lecturer at Hue Art School in

1968 and in Saigon in 1969 He won the national Art bronze medal in Saigon in 1960 and then the gold medal in 1962 During the time he was in the U.S after 1975, he had to take different jobs andhis painting career was thus interrupted However, in 1990, when he first returned

to Vietnam , he long-dormant artistic heart started beating again He spent the whole year painting and thus achieved great success

According to Triet, his achievements during ony one year in Vietnam equaled all those he tried his best to garner during 15 years in the U.S However, in 1991, after his initial exhibition in America, he became the first Vietnamese painter to be recognized by the Los Angeles Art

Museum and his name was listed in its library, a distant dream for a few good Vietnamese painters on the territory of the U.S

Since then, he has spent most of his time living in Ho Chi Minh City and continued putting paintbrush to paper He has exhibited his works

in Ho Chi Minh City several times and created good impression in the heart of artfanciers

Paintings by Lam Triet resemble an interminable gala of hues Even when viewed from afar or for a short while, they are all charming

Every color patch, trail and spot in his paintings, either in bright or dark shades, sparkles and is as variable as a diamond in the sunlight,

resembling the colorful world of a kaleidoscope

Between 1990 and 1993, many people thought that Lam triet’s painting was an attempt to feel the pulse of the world, accompanying the deep rhythms of the universe However, it was perhaps a mistaken

conception Lam Triet’s works during this time did not conceal any rhythm or intrinsic vitality Though his paintings were then chockfull

of detail, their colors were sparkling, dreamy and tranquil The outlines

of his paintings at that time either concentrated on heavy-looking

diamond inlay forms in a motionless space or contained vague colors of the rainbow The reality in front of him and in his heart seemed to stand motionless, while only soft, affectionate, fascinated or passinate

feelings were brilliantly displayed So to speak, his paintings at that time revealed feelings

In recent years, his painting is more composed and profound Dark shades which look like the remaining indispensable part of existence

are dominant; time and space have become indentical His abstract painting has moved closer to the end of reality-the truth in his heart, where his feelings are mixed with and affect each other, including deep sadness, worries, hopes and desires and quietly cherished happiness His painting language has therefore become more distilled The bright colors depicting overwhelming happiness in his past works have been replaced with a revolving reality filled with a great deal of

contradiction His paintings, either expanding or concentrated, either immense, grandiose or small and beautiful, often contain a certain kind

of energy, strenght or a flow of vitality

As said earlier, Lam Triet’s painting is an endless gala of colors

However, if in the past it comprised ony separated joy ful experiences,

it now accompanies the rhythms of life, and “the universe of his heart” And art-lovers will soon understand his initial inspiration and will then

be ready to sympathize with his work