HA NOI — Phan Ke An, one of the leading artists of Viet Nam renowned for lacquer paintings and sketches of President Ho Chi Minh, passed away in Ha Noi on Sunday. He was 95.
Born on March 20, 1923, in Mong Phu Village, Duong Lam District on the outskirts of Ha Noi, An attended Ecole des Beaux-Arts de l’Indochine, presently known as the University of Fine Arts. He was one of the first members of the Vietnam Fine Arts Association since 1957.
An created paintings in various styles and mastered many materials, particularly lacquer and oil. His works portrayed reality, focusing on Viet Nam’s army leaders, resistance wars and daily activities of ethnic minorities living in the mountainous areas and lowlands in northern Viet Nam.
An’s paintings have been highly appreciated by art experts. During his career, he received many State awards, including first-rate Resistance War Medal, Arts Devotion medal and State Awards for Literature and Arts in 2001.
His most famous work is Nho Mot Chieu Tay Bac, a lacquer painting made in the winter of 1950, when the artist joined the resistance war as a special envoy of the Su That (Truth) newspaper. The painting inspired poet Doan Viet Bac to write a famous poem with the same title, which was also set to music by song composer Vu Thanh. The painting is on display at the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum.
An was the first artist assigned to sketch President Ho Chi Minh’s portrait in 1948. Later, he created more than 200 sketches of the president while he was alive, many of which were published in Su That.
Other renowned Vietnamese, such as writers Nguyen Hong and Nguyen Cong Hoan and poet The Lu also had their portraits made by An.
An was a caricaturist too. He used to collaborate with newspapers such as Su That and Nhan Dan (People) under the penname Phan Kich. — VNS