Tran Van Can

Background

Tran Van Can was born on August 13, 1910, in Kien An Town, Haiphong City.

Education

At 14, Tran went to Hanoi and studied at the Polytechnic University, the wooden and lace design faculty. In 1931 he took an examination at the Indochina Fine Arts College and was ranked first when graduating from this college in 1937.

Career

With more than 50-year experience in painting and art activities, Tran Van Can produced works that contained the rich and diverse reality of the fight to gain independence for the country and for national construction of the Vietnamese people. It can be said that the painter has created a unique style with his personal imprints in the Vietnamese fine arts. His typical works that reached a high artistic value and are full of humanness include "Little Thuy", "Militiawoman in the coastal region", and "The girl in blue shirt." His paintings were made with different materials, for example, with oil, like "Autumn", "Bailing out water on the rice field", "Morning rain over the Kien River", "Little boy of the mining area"; with lacquer, like "I read for you", "Two girls in front of the screen"; with silk, like "Washing hair." The painter had also a strong point in producing on-the-spot paintings, which were all vivid and liberal.

Tran Van Can was famous for having many valuable paintings displayed at the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum and in domestic and foreign private collections. In addition, he held an important position as a lecturer at the Resistance Fine Arts School and for 15 years as Rector of the Vietnam Fine Arts College. He had trained many talented painters for the country. With nearly 30 years in leading the Vietnam Fine Arts Association, he contributed to boosting the national fine arts forward that has impacted many other fields in society. He died on July 31, 1994 in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Achievements

• For his great contributions to art, Tran Van Can was conferred many high distinctions by the Vietnamese State, including the Independence Order, First Class and the Ho Chi Minh Award on Literature and Arts, Phase I. He was also presented with the title Academician of the Arts Academy of German Democratic Republic.

Works

More photos

• painting

  • Irrigation

  • SONG DA HYDROELECTRIC

  • Bailing Water on the Field

  • Hair Washing

  • PHYLLOCACTUS

  • Little Sister Thuy

  • THE FIELD

  • Slapping the Water

  • THE NORTH, MIDDLE AND SOUTH

  • Rural Girls

  • BAO NINH BEACH

  • Female Militia in the Sea 1960

  • Bailing Water

  • Yellow Girl

  • KIM QUAN COUNTRYSIDE

  • SPRING ON BAO NINH BEACH

Membership

Tran Van Can was a member of the Art Association of Vietnam.

• Vietnamese Association of Graphic Arts

  1983 - 1989

Personality

Quotes from others about the person

• Tran Van Can was a pure artist who devoted his life to creativity. His paintings reveal his profound love for people and the homeland. Many of them depict the Vietnamese people’s will during the wars of resistance against the French and the Americans. He would put himself in life-threatening situations to get inspiration for his paintings.

Interests

• Artists

  Joseph Inguimberty

Connections

pupil:

Vu Giang Huong