Dada excursion
An art research project conducted by Le Nguyen Hai My class 11E, EMASI Nam Long.
Conclusions
Vietnam throughout history had been heavily colonized by different countries with different cultures. Thus, Vietnam's cultures, are somehow influenced by those colony cultures. More specifically, architectures are the model examples.
The Chinese colonized Vietnam for about one century, there is also a race in Vietnam in which the people immigrated from China, as known as the "Hoa" people. Moreover, since Vietnam is an Asian civilian, we are deeply influenced by the Oriental aspects. Consequently, Vietnamese architecture is very Oriental-like, which has some slightly Chinese-influenced features. For instance, the ancient roof arch and tiles can be found in pagodas have some Chinese vibes in them.
Chinatown (Cholon) - District 5 © 西貢唐人街 - Chinatown In Sai Gon
Secondly, France. After WW2 and the collapsed of Vietnamese monarchy, they colonized us along with the Japanese and Americans. The bad thing is the people were gradually influenced by the French colony mindset. But the good thing is the French people reconstructed and built buildings with French architectures in district 1. As a result, Saigon has a very Parisian vibe to it, which makes it unique from the Viets traditional architectures style. Model examples are the French houses on famous roads in district 1, they are the best representatives for French-influenced architecture.
Saigon, French Indochina, ca.1931
Finally, the Soviet Union. As you known, Vietnam is a Communist country, so the Soviet Union was our ally. To be specific, Ho Chi Minh, our president, was one of the first members of the French Communist Party. In his life, he also wrote numerous articles about Lenin and Communist International. Additionally, in Vietnam war, the Soviet Union and China supported Northern Vietnam with military supplies and aids. As a result, Vietnam has a good political relationship with the Soviet Union. Ho Chi Minh mausoleum and Lenin statue in Hanoi are some examples.
Hanoi, Viet Xo Friendship Labour Cultural Palace, Darren Bradley, 2018.
Through this half semester, my drawings covered mostly landscapes and small architecture features. Personally, I really enjoyed drawing stained glass in French architecture, while Russian architecture didn't give me that much emotion. In my opinion, I think that French architecture is too complicated and expensive, as well as Chinese ones. But the Russian architectures are too dry and bland, which somehow, perfectly balanced those two.
In conclusion, I hate drawing perspectives and landscapes period.
