Nguyen Phan Chanh: Catching Crabs

“Painting on silk is considered to be a traditionally Chinese art form, although Chanh argued it ‘expressed the national (Vietnamese) character to the highest degree’ and goes on to talk about the enthusiastic reception given to his and other artists in their exhibition in Hanoi, 1954-1955, where opinion stated that the paintings were ‘neither Chinese,…

Nguyen Phan Chanh: Young Girl With a Parrot

“…The painting reveals a great sweetness, a mix of humility and dignity so characteristic to the painter’s work. The young girl is depicted seated in the centre of the work on a large wooden bed, defined by horizontal and vertical lines complemented by a great blue rectangle in the background’s upper right corner. Nguyen Phan…