Woodblock Print

Làng Sình paintings are a style of Vietnamese folk painting from Lại Ân hamlet, Phú Mậu commune, Thừa Thiên Huế province. The craft has existed for more than 400 years. The paintings were once used for worship, but later, to help develop the local cultural heritage, they came to be used as decorations and souvenirs.

Making a painting starts with making paper from the bark of the dó tree. Scallop shells are then ground finely and brushed onto the paper to give it a shimmering finish. Once the paper has dried in the sun, the artisan uses a pre-carved woodblock to print the design with ash ink, and then adds colour to bring the painting to life.

The paintings often show Tết festival activities such as bài chòi card games, tug-of-war between men and women, and blindfolded duck-catching. They also show the everyday work of Vietnamese farmers, such as ploughing the fields and raising livestock, as well as landscapes the artist painted from imagination.

The years 1975–1996 were probably the hardest for the painters of Làng Sình. Times were hard, and the focus was on production and on fighting waste and superstition, so the craft was banned. All the printing blocks were destroyed. Artisans such as Mr. Kỳ Hữu Phước did not want their family's traditional painting style to be lost, so he buried his wooden blocks underground to keep them safe for the future. When a policy to restore traditional values came, he dug them up and began rebuilding the craft with the villagers.

Làng Sình paintings are one of the first pieces HiPs wants to bring to you. Join HiPs in discovering more new pieces to complete the picture of Huế's traditional arts and culture.