Little Sister Thuy

Little Sister Thuy (Em Thúy), often referred as Little Thuy, is an oil painting created by painter Trần Văn Cẩn (Tran Van Can) in 1943. Depicting the artist's 8-year-old niece, the painting is considered one of Tran Van Can's finest works as well as one of the typical portraits of 20th-century Vietnam. The painting has been recognized as a 'National Treasure' by the Socialist Republic of Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyễn Tấn Dũng in 2013.[1]

Little Sister Thuy
Vietnamese: Em Thúy
ArtistTrần Văn Cẩn
Year1943
Dimensions60 cm × 45 cm (24 in × 18 in)
LocationVietnam National Museum of Fine Arts
Websitehttps://vnfam.vn/en/artifact/5a61a3f99f1f592e7371ab12

Description

Little Sister Thuy is a frontal portrait of an 8-year-old girl in white clothes sitting on a rattan chair, slightly leaning, with her hands closed. Her position suggests that she is a little shy.[1] She has short hair, bright eyes and an innocent face. The girl in the painting is Nguyen Minh Thuy, born in 1935, and she is Trần Văn Cẩn's niece.[2]

History

Tran Van Can is one of the leading representatives of Vietnamese painting in the early 20th century. He graduated as valedictorian from École des Beaux Arts de l’Indochine in 1937. In World War II, he often lived with a relative's family on Hang Cot street, Hanoi. Minh Thuy is his favorite niece in his family, so he painted his niece a portrait in 1943,[1] with a simple title, Little Sister Thuy (Em Thúy), when Minh Thuy was 8 years old.[2]

When the French army returned to occupy Hanoi during the First Indochina War, Thuy's family evacuated without taking the painting. By the time they returned, the painting had been stolen. The family then bought the painting from an art dealer who had found Little Sister Thuy in a barber's house. Finally, Little Sister Thuy was given by Tran Van Can to the Vietnam National Museum of Fine Arts. In addition to the portrait of the 8-year-old Minh Thuy, Tran Van Can also had another painting of Thuy when she was 24 years old.[2]

After more than 60 years, the painting began to fall into degradation. In 2003, Little Sister Thuy was proposed to be in restoration and preservation abroad;[3] however, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vietnam did not approve this proposition. A year later, the Australian painting conservator Caroline Fry took responsibility for the restoration of Little Sister Thuy at the Vietnam National Museum of Fine Arts.[2] According to her assessment, after the restoration, the painting can maintain good condition for about 20 years.[4] The painting was officially handed over to Vietnam National Museum of Fine Arts on June 28, 2004.[5]

Reviews

Little Sister Thuy is considered one of the most successful portrait paintings of 20th century Vietnamese art.[1][2] According to art critic Thái Bá Vân, Little Sister Thuy reflects the inner world of Tran Van Can in the 1940s when the artist witnessed the Westernization's process in Vietnam.[6][7] The painting depicts the youthful girl's face.[8]

Inspired by Little Sister Thuy, a British man, Paul Zetter, composed the song Little Thuy's Minuet (Khúc minuet dành cho Em Thúy).[9][10]

See also

References
  1. "Little Sister Thuy". Vietnam National Fine Arts Museum. Retrieved 2022-05-16.
  2. On The Net (2010-12-08). "Có một người mẫu Hà thành". Đàn Chim Việt (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 2022-05-16.
  3. "Em Thuý sẽ được phục chế ở nước ngoài?". VietNamNet (in Vietnamese). 2003-03-17. Archived from the original on 2008-05-26. Retrieved 2022-05-16.
  4. "Em Thuý "khoẻ" lại". Vietnam Fine Art Museum (in Vietnamese). 2005-11-23. Archived from the original on 2006-10-05. Retrieved 2022-05-16.
  5. "Bức tranh 'Em Thúy' đã khỏe lại". VnExpress (in Vietnamese). 2004-06-30. Archived from the original on 2008-10-20. Retrieved 2022-05-16.
  6. Thái, Bá Vân (2011-11-28) [1986-01-23]. "Tiếp xúc với tác phẩm". Tạp chí Sông Hương (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 2022-05-16.
  7. Zetter, Paul (2013-11-14). "Saving Little Thuy". Hanoi Grapevine. Retrieved 2022-05-16.
  8. Đỗ, Diễm Huyền (2004-04-12). "Trò chuyện với người phục chế bức tranh "Em Thúy"" (in Vietnamese). Archived from the original on 2007-03-08. Retrieved 2022-05-16.
  9. Ngọc Ánh (2007-03-05). "Paul Zetter và tình yêu "Em Thuý"". Báo điện tử Tiền Phong (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 2022-05-16.
  10. Minh Hải (2004-07-01). "Phục chế thành công bức tranh quý "Em Thúy" - Khởi đầu một tương lai gìn giữ những tác phẩm hội họa". Báo Sài Gòn Giải Phóng (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 2022-05-16.

Bibliography
  • Thái, Bá Vân (1998). Tiếp xúc với nghệ thuật. Hà Nội: Viện Mỹ thuật.
  • Taylor, Nora Annesley (2009). Painters in Hanoi. University of Hawaii Press. doi:10.1515/9780824845100-012. ISBN 9780824845100.
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