Image size: 21.0 x 15.7 cm
Artists from Vietnam played an integral role in both the First Indochina War (1946-1954), where they fought for independence from French colonial rule, and the Second Indochina War (commonly known as the Vietnam War or the American War), which continued until 1975. Artists documented conditions for soldiers in the battlefields, as well as for civilians in the cities and the countryside. They also created propagandistic and sometimes romantic images to articulate and advocate ideological positions. In the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV or North Vietnam), artists were employed by the military or the state; sometimes their works were created as personal mementoes, and sometimes they were exhibited or published during the wartime. Trưóng Hiếu (1939-) joined the North Vietnamese Army in 1965, after which he was sent to the Ho Chi Minh Trail, working in logistics. In 1968, during the Tet Offensive, Trưóng Hiếu was based in Cu Chi, where the communist forces had a network of tunnels. He created many works in this period in dangerous circumstances. Prior to the end of the war, Hiếu returned to Saigon, and some of his works depict the final days of war there. Hiếu studied at the Vietnam Fine Art College from 1955-58, then attended the full, official course of the Hanoi Fine Art University in 1977, graduating in 1982. Trưóng Hiếu’s use of lines and even single brushstrokes is extraordinarily economical and affective. With just a few quickly executed marks, he captures both the appearance and the atmosphere of a scene. His works have added poignancy for having been created in-situ at battle. They convey both the drama and the danger of the war, while also being imbued with a rare sense of intimacy.This artwork is part of a significant collection of drawings, sketches, paintings, posters and photographs in Singapore’s National Collection. These works reflect the diversity of artistic production during the First and Second Indochina Wars among artists affiliated with the communist side of the conflict. Many key figures active as war artists during this period have also had a lasting impact on the development of modern art in Vietnam and beyond.
