Dong Ho Painting
Encyclopedia
Dong Ho painting full name Dong Ho folk woodcut painting (Tranh khắc gỗ dân gian Đông Hồ) is a genre of Vietnamese
woodcut
paintings originated from Dong Ho village (làng Đông Hồ) in Bac Ninh Province, Vietnam
. Using the traditional điệp paper and colours derived from nature, craftsmen print Dong Ho pictures of different themes from good luck wishes, historical figures to everyday activities and folk allegories. In the past, Dong Ho painting was an essential element of the Tết
holiday in Vietnam; this tradition has gradually declined under the influence of modern types of painting and fake Dong Ho products. However, the art of making Dong Ho pictures is always considered a symbol of traditional culture and aesthetic value of Vietnam.
Because Dong Ho paintings are mainly bought and displayed on the occasion of Tết
, contents of pictures are often humorous, optimist with many bright and powerful colours like red, yellow or white. The most popular and well sold pictures of Dong Ho painting are Lợn đàn, Gà đàn and Chăn trâu thổi sáo which represent the wish for prosperity, happiness and luck in the new year. Together with the illustration, a Dong Ho painting also has some Hán tự to literally describe the meaning of the picture. Sometimes Dong Ho pictures are shown in couplet or quartet to fully express the signification of the set, for example the Vinh hoa (Eminence) and the Phú quý (Prosperity and honour) should be taken in couple. Besides, Dong Ho painting was once used as a medium to express the social concern of craftsmen through subtle social, political and cultural criticism. For example, before the World War I
, Dong Ho villagers produced a set of four prints entitled Văn minh tiến bộ (The Progress of Civilization) in which the Westernization of the Vietnamese society was delicately criticized through the satiric portrayal of contemporary Vietnamese people dressing and behaving like French peole. Some Dong Ho paintings became famous for their interesting themes like the picture Đám cưới chuột (Rat's wedding) which features a wedding march of rats with the rat bride and groom and other rat guests shaking before a big watchful cat. Inspiring from the special situation of the picture, Gạt Tàn Đầy, a Vietnamese rock band, wrote their popular song Đám cưới chuột, the picture was even used as the scenario for a dog circus act of the National Circus Theatre.
Dong Ho painting is the exclusive product of the Dong Ho village, a craft village located on the left bank of the Đuống River
in Bac Ninh Province, about 35 km from Hanoi
. Craftsmen in the village often produces their own raw materials for the making such as điệp paper and natural colours.
In printing pictures, Dong Ho craftmen use a special type of paper
named điệp paper (giấy điệp). Điệp paper is obtained in almost the same way as dó paper
, the bark of dó tree, which normally is grown in Tuyen Quang Province
, is soaked in water for months, then mixed with powders of seashell
s (sò điệp), which is the origin of the paper's name, and glutinous rice
to make sheets of paper. Thank to the element of seashell and glutinous rice, điệp paper possesses an exotic sparkling hard background and is able to conserve the durability of colours. The colours of paint using in printing are refined from various kind of natural materials which are easily found in Vietnam. For instance, the red colour is taken from red gravel in Thiên Thai Mountain while the black comes from coal of burned bamboo leaves. In that way, Dong Ho painting can keep its colours for a long time.
The last stage of making Dong Ho painting is printing, the woodblock is applied with paint and pressed on a sheet of paper like a stamp, the process is repeated with different colours until the craftsman is satisfied with the painting. There are one woodcut for outline and several others for each colours printed, they are carefully engraved by hand so that the woodcuts can be preserved through generations. The finished picture is covered with a layer of rice paste (hồ nếp) to strengthen the durability of its illustration and colours and afterwards dried under the sun. In the past, to prepare for the Tết, craftsmen had to begin the process of making six or seven months ahead.
while researchers propose that craftsmen began to print pictures in Dong Ho village during the rule of Lê Kính Tông (1600–1619) of the Lê Dynasty
. In the dynastic time, Dong Ho village is one of the few place which had the tradition of making folk painting, along with Hang Trong
, Kim Hoang
and Sinh village. Originally, Dong Ho painting was made only with black-and-white
prints of woodcut but from the 15th century, different colours were introduced by craftsmen in the village. As a village specialized in making woodcuts and paintings, almost all Dong Ho villagers were involved in the manufacture of paintings from carving the wood block, producing điệp papers, obtaining natural colours to creating new themes and printing.
Traditionally, Dong Ho painting was an essential element in each Vietnamese family during the Tết
holiday. The colourful tone and optimist content of the image livened up the house and the picture was considered a good luck sign for the family in the new year, thus Dong Ho painting had other names like Tết painting (tranh Tết) or Spring painting (tranh Xuân). Before 1945, there were over 150 families in Dong Ho village making pictures. However, the tradition fades rapidly under the dominance of modern life in Vietnam and Dong Ho pictures gradually disappear in Vietnamese families during the Tết holiday. The principal buyer of Dong Ho painting today is tourists who are interested in traditional art, therefore the villagers cannot live on this production any more. Dong Ho painting also has to face with the menace from fake pictures
which are mass produced by printing machines. As a result, there are only several households in Dong Ho village which still make pictures while the others switch to producing joss paper
and votive paper objects (vàng mã).
There are several efforts in order to preserve this traditional art. A Dong Ho painting center was established in 2008 by Nguyễn Đăng Chế, one of the few remaining experienced craftsmen of the village. Some artists also try to adapt the element of Dong Ho painting in modern fine art such as using the technique of woodcut printing like Dong Ho craftsmen or drawing with the inspiration from Dong Ho pictures. To honour this traditional art and propagate the beauty of Dong Ho painting, the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications of Vietnam issued in 2007 a set of commemorative stamp
s with the artwork in the style of traditional Dong Ho paintings such as Lợn đàn or Lợn Âm Dương.
Vietnamese art
Vietnamese art is art created in Vietnam or by Vietnamese artists, from ancient times to the present.-Introduction:Vietnamese art has a long and rich history, the earliest examples of which date back as far as the Stone Age around 8,000 BCE....
woodcut
Woodcut
Woodcut—occasionally known as xylography—is a relief printing artistic technique in printmaking in which an image is carved into the surface of a block of wood, with the printing parts remaining level with the surface while the non-printing parts are removed, typically with gouges...
paintings originated from Dong Ho village (làng Đông Hồ) in Bac Ninh Province, Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
. Using the traditional điệp paper and colours derived from nature, craftsmen print Dong Ho pictures of different themes from good luck wishes, historical figures to everyday activities and folk allegories. In the past, Dong Ho painting was an essential element of the Tết
Tet
Tet can mean:*Tết or Tết Nguyên Đán, the Vietnamese new year**Tet Offensive, a military campaign that began in 1968*Têt in Roussillon, France*Equal temperament, abbreviated as 12-TET, 19-TET and so on...
holiday in Vietnam; this tradition has gradually declined under the influence of modern types of painting and fake Dong Ho products. However, the art of making Dong Ho pictures is always considered a symbol of traditional culture and aesthetic value of Vietnam.
Themes
Dong Ho painting is considered a fine reflection of the traditional aesthetic value, social philosophies and humanitarian desires as spring approaches. The traditional themes of Dong Ho painting are good luck signs, historical figures, folk allegories, popular stories and social commentary. Elements of everyday life are well integrated in Dong Ho painting so that it can be used to express the thoughts and wishes of people. Following is the table of main themes in Dong Ho paitings and exemplary pictures of each theme:| Theme | Pictures |
|---|---|
| Spirit | Ngũ sự, twelve signs of Chinese zodiac Chinese zodiac The Shēngxiào , better known in English as the Chinese Zodiac, is a scheme that relates each year to an animal and its reputed attributes, according to a 12-year mathematical cycle... |
| Good luck wishes | Lợn đàn (corpulent pig with suckling piglets), Gà đàn (hen surrounded by chickens), Cá chép (carp) |
| Mythical and historical figures | Bà Triệu, Hai Bà Trưng, Quang Trung, Thánh Gióng |
| Folk allegories and popular stories | Truyện Kiều, Thạch Sanh, Thầy đồ Cóc (Confucian scholar in form of a toad), Đám cưới chuột (Rat's wedding with a watching cat) |
| Social activities and commentaries | Đánh ghen (Scene of jealousy), Hứng dừa (Scene of catching coconuts), Đấu vật (Scene of wrestling), Chăn trâu thổi sáo (Boy sitting on a buffalo and playing flute) |
| the couplet Vinh hoa and Phú quý |
Because Dong Ho paintings are mainly bought and displayed on the occasion of Tết
Tet
Tet can mean:*Tết or Tết Nguyên Đán, the Vietnamese new year**Tet Offensive, a military campaign that began in 1968*Têt in Roussillon, France*Equal temperament, abbreviated as 12-TET, 19-TET and so on...
, contents of pictures are often humorous, optimist with many bright and powerful colours like red, yellow or white. The most popular and well sold pictures of Dong Ho painting are Lợn đàn, Gà đàn and Chăn trâu thổi sáo which represent the wish for prosperity, happiness and luck in the new year. Together with the illustration, a Dong Ho painting also has some Hán tự to literally describe the meaning of the picture. Sometimes Dong Ho pictures are shown in couplet or quartet to fully express the signification of the set, for example the Vinh hoa (Eminence) and the Phú quý (Prosperity and honour) should be taken in couple. Besides, Dong Ho painting was once used as a medium to express the social concern of craftsmen through subtle social, political and cultural criticism. For example, before the World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Dong Ho villagers produced a set of four prints entitled Văn minh tiến bộ (The Progress of Civilization) in which the Westernization of the Vietnamese society was delicately criticized through the satiric portrayal of contemporary Vietnamese people dressing and behaving like French peole. Some Dong Ho paintings became famous for their interesting themes like the picture Đám cưới chuột (Rat's wedding) which features a wedding march of rats with the rat bride and groom and other rat guests shaking before a big watchful cat. Inspiring from the special situation of the picture, Gạt Tàn Đầy, a Vietnamese rock band, wrote their popular song Đám cưới chuột, the picture was even used as the scenario for a dog circus act of the National Circus Theatre.
Making
| Colour | Origin |
|---|---|
| Black | Burnt bamboo Bamboo Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family.... leaves |
| Green | Cajuput Melaleuca leucadendra Melaleuca leucadendra is a tree belonging to the Melaleuca genus. The common name, Cajuput Tree, is derived from the Malay word kayu putih - meaning "white wood".-Description:... leaves |
| Blue | Verdigris Verdigris Verdigris is the common name for a green pigment obtained through the application of acetic acid to copper plates or the natural patina formed when copper, brass or bronze is weathered and exposed to air or seawater over a period of time. It is usually a basic copper carbonate, but near the sea... |
| Amber | Turpentine Turpentine Turpentine is a fluid obtained by the distillation of resin obtained from trees, mainly pine trees. It is composed of terpenes, mainly the monoterpenes alpha-pinene and beta-pinene... |
| Red | Powder of red gravel Gravel Gravel is composed of unconsolidated rock fragments that have a general particle size range and include size classes from granule- to boulder-sized fragments. Gravel can be sub-categorized into granule and cobble... s |
| Yellow | Aniseeds |
| White | Powder of egg Egg (food) Eggs are laid by females of many different species, including birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish, and have probably been eaten by mankind for millennia. Bird and reptile eggs consist of a protective eggshell, albumen , and vitellus , contained within various thin membranes... shells |
Dong Ho painting is the exclusive product of the Dong Ho village, a craft village located on the left bank of the Đuống River
Đuống River
The Đuống River is a river of Vietnam. It flows for 68 kilometres through Bac Ninh Province and Hanoi....
in Bac Ninh Province, about 35 km from Hanoi
Hanoi
Hanoi , is the capital of Vietnam and the country's second largest city. Its population in 2009 was estimated at 2.6 million for urban districts, 6.5 million for the metropolitan jurisdiction. From 1010 until 1802, it was the most important political centre of Vietnam...
. Craftsmen in the village often produces their own raw materials for the making such as điệp paper and natural colours.
In printing pictures, Dong Ho craftmen use a special type of paper
Paper
Paper is a thin material mainly used for writing upon, printing upon, drawing or for packaging. It is produced by pressing together moist fibers, typically cellulose pulp derived from wood, rags or grasses, and drying them into flexible sheets....
named điệp paper (giấy điệp). Điệp paper is obtained in almost the same way as dó paper
Dó paper
Dó paper is a paper made from the bark of the Rhamnoneuron balansae traditionally produced in many villages in Vietnam. It plays an important role in folk art, Dong Ho Painting in particular, because of its duability.- Production process :...
, the bark of dó tree, which normally is grown in Tuyen Quang Province
Tuyên Quang Province
Tuyên Quang is a province of Vietnam, located in the northeastern part of the country to the northwest of Hanoi, at the centre of Lo River valley, a tributary of the Red River. The delta formation in the province is called the Tonkin Delta. Its capital is Tuyên Quang Township...
, is soaked in water for months, then mixed with powders of seashell
Seashell
A seashell or sea shell, also known simply as a shell, is a hard, protective outer layer created by an animal that lives in the sea. The shell is part of the body of the animal. Empty seashells are often found washed up on beaches by beachcombers...
s (sò điệp), which is the origin of the paper's name, and glutinous rice
Glutinous rice
Glutinous rice is a type of short-grained Asian rice that is especially sticky when cooked. It is called glutinous Glutinous rice (Oryza sativa var. glutinosa or Oryza glutinosa; also called sticky rice, sweet rice, waxy rice, botan rice, biroin chal, mochi rice, and pearl rice, and pulut) is a...
to make sheets of paper. Thank to the element of seashell and glutinous rice, điệp paper possesses an exotic sparkling hard background and is able to conserve the durability of colours. The colours of paint using in printing are refined from various kind of natural materials which are easily found in Vietnam. For instance, the red colour is taken from red gravel in Thiên Thai Mountain while the black comes from coal of burned bamboo leaves. In that way, Dong Ho painting can keep its colours for a long time.
The last stage of making Dong Ho painting is printing, the woodblock is applied with paint and pressed on a sheet of paper like a stamp, the process is repeated with different colours until the craftsman is satisfied with the painting. There are one woodcut for outline and several others for each colours printed, they are carefully engraved by hand so that the woodcuts can be preserved through generations. The finished picture is covered with a layer of rice paste (hồ nếp) to strengthen the durability of its illustration and colours and afterwards dried under the sun. In the past, to prepare for the Tết, craftsmen had to begin the process of making six or seven months ahead.
History
According to the villagers, the making of Dong Ho painting was dated back to the 11th century during the reign of the Lý DynastyLý Dynasty
The Lý Dynasty , sometimes known as the Later Lý Dynasty , was a Vietnamese dynasty that began in 1009 when Lý Thái Tổ overthrew the Prior Lê Dynasty and ended in 1225 when the queen Lý Chiêu Hoàng was forced to abdicate the throne in favor of her husband, Trần Cảnh. They ruled Vietnam for a...
while researchers propose that craftsmen began to print pictures in Dong Ho village during the rule of Lê Kính Tông (1600–1619) of the Lê Dynasty
Lê Dynasty
The Later Lê Dynasty , sometimes referred to as the Lê Dynasty was the longest-ruling dynasty of Vietnam, ruling the country from 1428 to 1788, with a brief interruption....
. In the dynastic time, Dong Ho village is one of the few place which had the tradition of making folk painting, along with Hang Trong
Hang Trong painting
Hang Trong painting is a genre of Vietnamese woodcut painting that originated from the area of Hàng Trống and Hàng Nón streets in the center district of Hanoi, Vietnam...
, Kim Hoang
Kim Hoang painting
Kim Hoang painting is a genre of Vietnamese woodcut paintings originated from Kim Hoàng village of Hanoi, Vietnam...
and Sinh village. Originally, Dong Ho painting was made only with black-and-white
Black-and-white
Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...
prints of woodcut but from the 15th century, different colours were introduced by craftsmen in the village. As a village specialized in making woodcuts and paintings, almost all Dong Ho villagers were involved in the manufacture of paintings from carving the wood block, producing điệp papers, obtaining natural colours to creating new themes and printing.
Traditionally, Dong Ho painting was an essential element in each Vietnamese family during the Tết
Tet
Tet can mean:*Tết or Tết Nguyên Đán, the Vietnamese new year**Tet Offensive, a military campaign that began in 1968*Têt in Roussillon, France*Equal temperament, abbreviated as 12-TET, 19-TET and so on...
holiday. The colourful tone and optimist content of the image livened up the house and the picture was considered a good luck sign for the family in the new year, thus Dong Ho painting had other names like Tết painting (tranh Tết) or Spring painting (tranh Xuân). Before 1945, there were over 150 families in Dong Ho village making pictures. However, the tradition fades rapidly under the dominance of modern life in Vietnam and Dong Ho pictures gradually disappear in Vietnamese families during the Tết holiday. The principal buyer of Dong Ho painting today is tourists who are interested in traditional art, therefore the villagers cannot live on this production any more. Dong Ho painting also has to face with the menace from fake pictures
Counterfeit consumer goods
Counterfeit consumer goods, commonly called knock-offs, are counterfeit or imitation products offered for sale. The spread of counterfeit goods has become global in recent years and the range of goods subject to infringement has increased significantly...
which are mass produced by printing machines. As a result, there are only several households in Dong Ho village which still make pictures while the others switch to producing joss paper
Joss paper
Joss paper , also known as ghost money, are sheets of paper and/or paper-crafts made into burnt offerings which are common in traditional Chinese religious practices including the veneration of the deceased on holidays and special occasions...
and votive paper objects (vàng mã).
There are several efforts in order to preserve this traditional art. A Dong Ho painting center was established in 2008 by Nguyễn Đăng Chế, one of the few remaining experienced craftsmen of the village. Some artists also try to adapt the element of Dong Ho painting in modern fine art such as using the technique of woodcut printing like Dong Ho craftsmen or drawing with the inspiration from Dong Ho pictures. To honour this traditional art and propagate the beauty of Dong Ho painting, the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications of Vietnam issued in 2007 a set of commemorative stamp
Commemorative stamp
A commemorative stamp is a postage stamp, often issued on a significant date such as an anniversary, to honor or commemorate a place, event or person. The subject of the commemorative stamp is usually spelled out in print, unlike definitive stamps which normally depict the subject along with the...
s with the artwork in the style of traditional Dong Ho paintings such as Lợn đàn or Lợn Âm Dương.