GALLERY
On view in the islands
"Water Buffalo" (1993), by Nguyen Van Hai, uses a technique of etching through layers of lacquer on a wood panel.
Layers of lacquer
LACQUER is a versatile substance. Traditionally it has been used to embellish everything from altars and buildings to dishware. It can be applied in thin coats or thickly like oil paint. It can be polished to smoothness or molded like clay.
Lacquer painting, a painstaking form of lacquer art developed by the Vietnamese, requires months of work per piece. Artists apply eight to 10 thin layers of lacquer for one work; each layer takes days or weeks to dry.
The East-West Center is showcasing lacquer painting from local collections and photography of the lacquer painting process in "Vietnam Today," an exhibition at the East-West Center Gallery that runs through next Sunday.
"Woman Buffalo" is among the paintings on exhibit. The piece displays the exacting technique of using pencil-thick etchings to reveal the various colors of the layers of lacquer beneath a glossy black surface.
Ronald M. Bernier's photographs of Vietnamese life hang alongside the lacquer paintings in the "Vietnam Today" exhibit. This image captures a woman sitting amid fans of incense sticks.
"Fisherman Throwing Net into the Sea" is a stunning work in which the artist employed an eggshell effect with the lacquer to create the illusion of light reflected on water.
"Unfortunately, the days of lacquer painting may be numbered," says William Feltz, director of the East-West Center arts program. "It's so time-consuming that many lacquer artists are turning to oil painting. The process goes faster and allows the artists to make more money."
Photographs hanging alongside the paintings were taken by Asian art scholar Ronald M. Bernier, an East-West Center alumnus. Bernier's shots of daily life in Vietnam also hang in the center's lunch room.
The lacquer work "Nude Number One" is by Tranh Chuong.
The East-West Center Art Gallery is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and from noon to 4 p.m. Sundays. Call 944-7584.
Joleen Oshiro, Star-Bulletin
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