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Though it is an ancient art, Asian Lacquer paintings have only
regained their prominence on the world art scene in the last
decade, as the two main producers of the unique art - Vietnam
and Burma - have just recently opened up to tourism and begun
exhibiting their highly skilled artists.
While distinct from one another, Vietnamese and Burmese Lacquer
techniques are very old. In Vietnam, Lacquer arts have been
found in tombs dating back more than 2,300 years while ancient
inscriptions around the Burmese city Bagan have shown Lacquer
dates back in that part of Asia to at least the 11th century.
Laquer painting is a much more involved process than the
traditional oil or watercolor form. Lacquer painters must use
sap from Lacquer trees to hold a cloth covering onto their
wooden canvass. They paint the outlines of the picture in hot
lacquer and apply the colors one layer at a time, letting each
dry out before the next is applied. Modern lacquer painters in
Vietnam have learned to infuse substances like crushed egg
shells, gold foil, and plants into their artwork, allowing for a
unique expression of creativity.
However in Burma, infusions of gold foil were already found in
lacquerware centuries ago, though they were usually reserved for
royal paintings and religious art. Other materials such as
animal bone, colored glass, and bamboo are used depending on
where the lacquer designs are applied to. Colored glass is
infused into lacquer paintings on thrones, Buddhist images, and
caskets, among others. Bamboo, on the other hand, is infused to
lacquer paintings which decorate vases, tables, chairs, and
chests.
Lacquer painting is as much a part of the ancient city of Bagan
as are the more famous thousands of pagodas which cover travel
brochures for Burma. For centuries, a majority of people in
Bagan have been involved in lacquer ware, passing the tradition
down through the years. Currently there is a
government-sponsored institute in Bagan dedicated to the
recruitment and training of lacquerware artists and the demand
for Burmese and Vietnamese laquerware among art circles in the
West continues to rise.
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