Home
Brushes & Strokes
Category: General Published on Friday, 06 February 2009 10:38 Written by Nick Ross Hits: 1001
I stop outside the address supposedly houses one of the best calligraphers in Vietnam, expecting to learn something about Vietnamese calligraphy but at the same time, not quite knowing what.
A gracious and smiling man opens the gate, introduces himself as Le Lan and ushers us in. Paintings with elaborate calligraphy confront me and abound throughout as he leads us on a guided tour.
Beyond Ink and Paper
As I look at the countless works of calligraphy, I notice that Le Lan has laced his works with a deeper meaning, linking art with the natural world. One particular drawing shows the word nui (mountain) written so that the letters themselves form mountains. Alongside the mountain is a person in a small boat illustrating the insignificance of humankind against nature. This theme is reiterated in another drawing done on the day of the tsunami, where a tiny figure of a man is set against a dark and gloomy backdrop of clouds and water.
He tells me, “This is something to remind us that at the end of it all, man is powerless against the forces of nature.”
Another work features the word me (mother) painted so as to look like the sea. I ask him whether this has any significance.
“When I think of a word, I think of all the connotations that go along with it and draw something accordingly,” he replies. “A mother is the giver and nurturer of life, just like the sea.”
We reach his airy studio that has a balcony overlooking the peaceful alley below. He pulls out a small photo album and countless publications featuring him. It transpires that he is quite the celebrity and earlier that very morning, he had appeared on TV to talk about calligraphy and Tet. Government officials regularly seek him out to paint scrolls for VIPs and, he says, “one time the police had to come and check the piece for poison,” in case he had added toxic chemicals into the ink.
When asked whether he believes this is a dying art or if it will see a resurgence, he is positive.
“Calligraphy is becoming more and more popular,” he says. “Many Vietnamese and foreigners come to learn it. Vietnamese has the advantage of being based on a Latin alphabet, so everyone can pick it up.”
He goes on to explain how he fell in love with it.
“I’m actually a trained architect and have always had an interest in art,” he says. “When I went to China, I really learnt about it in depth and have been doing calligraphy ever since.”
As we are talking, some of his students come in and start setting up and painting. Le Lan gets up every so often to check on how they’re doing, to give advice and to help if they can’t get the desired effect. The results are astounding and the final pieces don’t look much like a student’s work. I ask how long it takes to get that good and am told the basics can be taught in 16 lessons.
Three Strokes is All it Takes
Inspired by the creativity in the room, I give it a try. Out comes some paper, brushes and ink that have all been imported from China and a demonstration is done. He makes it look deceptively easy and with a flick of the wrist here and a sweeping arm motion there, intricate letters appear before my eyes.
“You need only learn how to do three strokes to be able to form the whole Latin alphabet in calligraphy,” he says while demonstrating.
He effortlessly puts brush to paper and shows me how, by combining each stroke in various ways, you can write any letter you want.
“Calligraphy is a form of meditation which is why so many monks do it,” he explains. “You have to breathe in and out with each brush stroke.”
He demonstrates by drawing a bamboo leaf, showing how you “make a small stroke upwards while you breathe in and then exhale as you bring the brush down.”
It’s my turn. I take a brush in hand and grip it how he showed me. I dip it in some ink and pause, composing myself before putting brush to paper. I take the plunge and the result doesn’t quite look like the example. Something that looked so easy a few minutes ago is now downright difficult. I try drawing a bamboo leaf but it looks more like an ink spot than anything else.
“When I first started, I spent six months drawing 800 bamboo leaves a day to get it right,” he reassures me and suddenly I don’t feel so bad about my blatant failure. I carry on, but don’t really see any improvement. I guess the age old saying of “practice makes perfect” seriously comes into play here.
Time passes quickly as I concentrate on my breathing and brush strokes. Soon it’s time to go and I walk away feeling calmer than when I arrived. I’m ready to face another day.
16 lessons of calligraphy with Le Lan cost VND500,000. Located at 38/17 Hoang Van Thu, Phu Nhuan.
History of calligraphy
Vietnamese calligraphy is said to be imbued with the spirit of Vietnam in both its tradition and beauty. Heavily influenced by Chinese writing, for centuries it used Chinese characters that were based on the model developed in the 10th century. Most modern works now use Quoc Ngu, which is based on the Latin alphabet. Calligraphy used to be considered a mark of sophistication among the liberated elite of the country. It still plays an important part in life as on special occasions, such as the Lunar New Year, people commission scholars to make them a calligraphy hanging.