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history of lacquer paintings
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By Damien Pfirsch
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Though it is an ancient art, Asian Lacquer paintings have onlyregained their prominence on the world art scene in the lastdecade, as the two main producers of the unique art - Vietnamand Burma - have just recently opened up to tourism and begunexhibiting their highly skilled artists.
While distinct from one another, Vietnamese and Burmese Lacquertechniques are very old. In Vietnam, Lacquer arts have beenfound in tombs dating back more than 2,300 years while ancientinscriptions around the Burmese city Bagan have shown Lacquerdates back in that part of Asia to at least the 11th century.
Laquer painting is a much more involved process than thetraditional oil or watercolor form. Lacquer painters must usesap from Lacquer trees to hold a cloth covering onto theirwooden canvass. They paint the outlines of the picture in hotlacquer and apply the colors one layer at a time, letting eachdry out before the next is applied. Modern lacquer painters inVietnam have learned to infuse substances like crushed eggshells, gold foil, and plants into their artwork, allowing for aunique expression of creativity.
However in Burma, infusions of gold foil were already found inlacquerware centuries ago, though they were usually reserved forroyal paintings and religious art. Other materials such asanimal bone, colored glass, and bamboo are used depending onwhere the lacquer designs are applied to. Colored glass isinfused into lacquer paintings on thrones, Buddhist images, andcaskets, among others. Bamboo, on the other hand, is infused tolacquer paintings which decorate vases, tables, chairs, andchests.
Lacquer painting is as much a part of the ancient city of Baganas are the more famous thousands of pagodas which cover travelbrochures for Burma. For centuries, a majority of people inBagan have been involved in lacquer ware, passing the traditiondown through the years. Currently there is agovernment-sponsored institute in Bagan dedicated to therecruitment and training of lacquerware artists and the demandfor Burmese and Vietnamese laquerware among art circles in theWest continues to rise.
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