AMRITSAR: For the first time a wide spectrum of art by artists from Vietnam—a country emerging from a life ravaged by wars, strife and hardship --was witnessed in the city.

As many as 150 paintings & Artworks were displayed amidst a rich ambience of subtle instrumental music, soft aroma of incense and shimmering tea-lights.

Showcasing this immense talent ‘Gaurika Miglani’ from Singapore says “there are seven Vietnamese artists represented mostly from peasant families whose work is on display in oils on canvas, acrylic painting on silk and world renowned Rice paper art having origins in Vietnam and Laos. The aim is to promote this relatively unknown art in the world”.
     
Portraits drawn in charcoal, cubic figures, abstractions, textures and rural- scenery make for vivid pictures that forms the essence of the vibrant style in a wide palette of colors.
Against radiant background the bluntly yet sharpened color strokes bring about a mesmerizing effect to each piece.

The artwork depicts village belles in traditional conical straw hats balancing collections in baskets hanging from a rod swung on their shoulders.

Paintings with “Floating villages” atop stilts on muddied backwaters bring forth the 'penury' and 'hard work' done mostly by women in rice fields besides fishing --the mainstay of their existence.

Many of the paintings clearly show a surreal dominance of "French influence" that ruled the country for years with some of the paintings showing a colonized modern architecture so unreal to the rural backdrop of village folks or village belles attired in subtle flower print long dresses .

While a brilliantly colored painting of a "scare-crow" and some of the abstracts have all ingredients of the influence of Chinese symbols of masks, amoeba, and other "Feng-Shui" powers of positive energy. The scenes from the traditional “lantern festival” of Vietnam exhibited in abstract are perhaps the few moments of joy and relaxation set against backgrounds of vivid greens, orange, mustards and reds giving a sense of upliftment.

Interestingly, whilst all paintings are done by men the majority of them depict women hard at work or walking the dusty streets laden with wares or goods to sell. Hardly are any men depicted in any of the paintings. The concept of 'leisure' is only visible as two women walk with a bicycle through a street shaded by a bright canopy of trees or are portrayed covertly looking at the water in a moment of "stolen" relaxation.

Gaurika having extensively scored the countryside of Hanoi, Ho Chimin and Dan Ang for these Vietnamese artists details their lifestyle as-- "men having a laid back attitude usually lounging around smoking pipes and whiling away their time in leisure pastimes. However these men in their early 40's seem to have found their "true calling" in creating Art.

The seven artists include Hoang Cong Hung, Nguyen Van Duong, Truong Quoc Bao, Tran Minh Loc, Le Phan Quoc, Truong Bach Tuong,Bui Quang Huy. The exhibits would also be displayed in Ludhiana and Chandigarh.