Artist shows dedication with nimble fingers
Viet Nam News, Vietnam
by Hoa Trang
Like millions of Vietnamese people, Nguyen Van Trung loves Uncle Ho. His way of showing it, however, is entirely his own.
Trung, 54, has woven President Ho Chi Minh image by hand nearly 200 times using rattan, bamboo and other natural materials.
A native of a craft village in Chuong My District in the northern province of Ha Tay, Trung treats the products of his labour as much more than mementos of the beloved Uncle Ho.
“Each part should convey the soul,” he said. “If the weaver is not skillful, if only a small technical mistake occurs, the whole work will be disrupted.”
Trung’s attention to detail – he says the eyes and nose demand the most precise work – have earned his work a reputation both at home in Phu Vinh Village and to the far stretches of the globe, from Russia to the US, Japan and Cuba.
His portraits of Uncle Ho and other leaders and thinkers such as Vladimir Ilich Lenin, Karl Marx, Friedrich Engles and Fidel Castro are so popular with local and foreign clients that Trung has to maintain a staff of 20 employees to keep up with the orders.
His workshop rakes in between VND350 and 400 million ($25,000) each year, but accumulating wealth is not Trung’s primary concern. Many clients have offered over VND10 million (US$625) for his finest pictures, but Trung refuses to sell his masterpieces, like the 1.6x2m picture he made in honour of Ho Chi Minh’s 115th birthday in 2005. Trung created the picture, his largest work yet, with the help of his son, Nguyen Van Son. While it currently hangs on the wall of his home, Trung intends to present it and his other masterpieces to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, a Government office or to display them at local and international exhibitions.
Charting his own path
Though Trung followed the profession of his village and his forefathers, he is largely a self-made man. The child of a low-income family, Trung dropped out of school after completing fourth grade to help his parents with planting rice and tending buffalos.
In addition to his household chores, young Trung learned about weaving handicraft products, and by the time he 10 had already gained a reputation in his village for his nimble fingers and sharp intellect.
When the country was at war, Trung longed to fight as a soldier, but a bone disease kept him confined to hospital, often in a great deal of pain.
Trung channelled his energy into his profession, training both independently and with experienced artisans to find ways to create higher-quality products with diversified designs.
“I needed to find a new way to follow the same road,” he said.
Trung did just that, creating nearly 400 unique designs including woven decorations for beds, cupboards and lampshades. At 20, Trung was appointed as head of the local production group, handling thousands of employees.
Despite these successes, Trung refused to be satisfied with his work until he could create a portrait of Uncle Ho.
“I tried to weave different types of pictures,” he said. “But it was so difficult. I failed so many times.”
Undaunted, Trung kept trying and even rode 30km to the Industrial Arts University in Ha Noi to ask for help from Le Quoc Lap, then the university’s rector. Even with help from Lap and other lecturers, Trung still couldn’t weave what he considered a perfect picture.
Against his friends’ advice, Trung carried on with his efforts, spending sleepless nights under the dim light of a kerosene lamp to carefully work on every detail of the portrait.
His efforts paid off in 1973, when he could present his first picture, now his smallest at 40x60cm, to his proud mother, as well as relatives and neighbours.
“To achieve success, one should be patient,” Trung advised, in light of his own experience.
Fame far and wide
Trung’s expertise caught the attention of the Vietnamese Government, which sent him to Cuba twice to study how to use plants rather than rattan and bamboo to make handicraft products.
His success in using the dried water hyacinth to make products such as tables, chairs, hats, bags and glasses resulted in four new workshops opening in Cuba, generating jobs for thousands of people. But the highlight of his time in Cuba was having the opportunity to present his handwoven portrait of Fidel Castro to the leader himself.
At this point, Trung can’t remember how many pictures he has made portraying Castro, Uncle Ho and other great leaders, but the craftsman has never forgotten the hardships he suffered in his youth nor the needs of his neighbours. Trung’s main goal now is to make handicrafts a profitable industry for his village.
“If they’re employed, people will have money. Otherwise they have to work as hired labourers and that is miserable for them,” he said.
As for his personal ambitions, Trung plans to begin weaving pictures of famous paintings and restoring royal court pieces like thrones, palanquins and canopies. — VNS