SƠN TA – THE ART VALUE – OLD BUT NOT OBSOLETE
On the history of a thousand-year-old ‘sơn ta’ and a hundred-year-old lacquer, ‘sơn ta’ is a story of slow living that is filled with philosophy of art and Vietnamese soul. Throughout history, ‘sơn ta’ and lacquer have enduringly conveyed a unique national cultural value.
Above all, ‘sơn ta’ can make lacquer but more. ‘Sơn ta’ or ‘sơn sống’ (the latex) has a long-lasting origin. ‘Sơn ta’ comes from the sap of the lacquer tree; then it will be mixed with natural color powder to paint. By cutting the lacquer tree to bleed using a tool, people can tap the sap coming out of the tree. And the lacquer tree will not produce sap if the sun just emerges; therefore, people have to get up before the sun rises if they want to collect the sap. It’s estimated that to collect 1kg of sap, about 300 lacquer trees will be cut. The superiority of ‘sơn ta’ is high adhesion, durable, waterproof, termite-proof, acid and seawater resistance, high heat resistance. ‘Sơn ta’ is hard but flexible. When being impacted, it’s still at a high level of adhesion, no abrasion, or breaking. Its surface is easy to sharpen to flat; it is clear and has a high gloss; it makes the color deep and durable. The distinctive characteristic of ‘sơn ta’ is that it can be mixed with water and oil too. Moreover, the longer we use it, the better the color is.
Before 1925, ‘sơn ta’, similar to Chinese lacquer or Japanese lacquer, only exalted the splendid beauty that promised a rich and royal life for everyday items such as boxes, caskets, betel nut boxes, tables, and chairs; and gilded on statues in the temple, on the horizontal lacquered board, couplets, with traditional colors such as red, black, brown, puce, gold, silver. Whether the statues can retain the aesthetic effect or not if they won’t be covered by the classy coat of “sơn ta’? Before ‘sơn ta’ was used to paint, it had gained a solid position in artistic scale by combining materials with architecture and sculpture.
About after 1925, thanks to the exploration and technical development of pioneering painters at the Indochina College of Fine Arts, ‘sơn ta’ were integrated into lacquer paintings, specifically, the grinding technique was required to shape the picture after making the submerged layers in color. This technique has become Vietnamese unique art.
From being used for prosaic purposes as a means of preserving wooden objects: the caskets, the wooden clogs, ‘sơn ta’ changed into more advanced purposes as a material for the precious painting. It was initially used for decorating items, now it becomes a unique means of expressing the artists’ soul.
“Thiếu nữ và trăng” (A girl and the moon) by artist Vu Tuan Dung
‘Sơn ta’ – traditional lacquer combined with pearl shell, eggshell, real gold, variety colors, and other materials to create shimmering and fanciful beauty for artworks, whose material is far beyond compare. Nowadays, many painters replace ‘sơn ta’ with Japanese lacquer. Though the basic step also includes lacquer and sharpened and creates the revealing color effect, the final layer is flat and matte, without depth. Japanese lacquer only satisfies immediate needs; it is easy to fade and abrade. Therefore, Lacquer painting by ‘sơn ta’ is still preferred because of the elaborate process and the depth in pictures. Much more importantly, Japanese lacquer doesn’t speak the soul of Vietnamese lacquer painting.
The Hanoi ‘sơn ta’ painters group
‘Sơn ta’ itself is the quintessence of the national art; however, now it tends to fall into oblivion because it is replaced by industrial lacquer for more profit and also ‘sơn ta’ is really picky about painters and enjoyers. Facing that situation, the painters, who were passionate about using ‘sơn ta’ in the traditional way, gathered together into a group of ‘sơn ta’ painters. With the spirit of solidarity and exchange of experience within the members, this group organizes exhibitions of ‘sơn ta’ artworks to inherit and promote the achievements of senior painters and to emphasize the unique values of Vietnamese lacquer painting. Established in 2013, the group has only operated within Hanoi city. They have had 4 general exhibitions with hundreds of exhibits in Hanoi. It can be said that this is a reputable professional organization that creates arts and widely spreads traditional artistic values to domestic and international scales.
The art of Vietnamese lacquer painting has only been for nearly 100 years, meaning that it is developing and promising to become a Vietnamese value. Some days in the near future, ‘sơn ta’ is going to be invested in the technology of manufacturing, processing, preserving, and used on an industrial scale so that it has a high popularity, creates unique lacquer artworks. All in all, true art always holds the quintessential tradition and simplicity as its name – Son ta.
– Duy Kien –