Fine Arts
Research Paper
E-ISSN No : 2454-9916 | Volume : 8 | Issue : 5 | May 2022
THE VALUE OF THE FOUR SEASONS' MOTIF IN THE ART OF NGUYEN DYNASTY, APPLICATION IN RECENT TRAINING AND HERITAGE CONSERVATION IN VIETNAM 1
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Nguyen Vu Lan (MA.) , Tran Thi Hoai Diem (PhD.) , Do Xuan Phu (PhD.) , Nguyen Vu Khanh My (MA.)
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MA Nguyen Vu Lan, University Of Fine Arts, Hue University PhD Tran Thi Hoai Diem, University of Fine Arts, Hue University 3 PhD Do Xuan Phu, University of Fine Arts, Hue University 4 MA Nguyen Vy Khanh My, University of Economics, Hue University 2
ABSTRACT Art under the time of Nguyen Dynasty (1802 - 1945) had gone through a long history and formed typical artistic values of royal architecture in the land of Thua Thien Hue province – Vietnam, demonstrating distinctive and unique aesthetic values in terms of history, culture and art. The study of art under the time of Nguyen Dynasty in general and the decorative art using four seasons' motif in particular are those of the issues that need to be paid attention to in the conservation of cultural heritage. This is also the basis and the foundation for effective learning, teaching and creative activities at current Vietnamese Universities of Art. KEYWORDS: Art under the time of Nguyen Dynasty, four seasons' motif, training, preservation, heritage. 1. The artistic value of four seasons' motif in the art of Nguyen Dynasty. Talking about the visual arts under the time of Nguyen Dynasty, it is impossible not to mention the decorative art using the four seasons' motif, one of the outstanding achievements of the royal artistic heritage of Nguyen Dynasty. Within an impressive complex of monuments that reflects quite clearly the artistic appearance of an era, the decorative art in general and the set of decorative themes of four seasons have become one of the most important aesthetic elements and attributes imbued with the royal artistic style of Nguyen Dynasty. The set of four seasons' motif is a visually-demonstrated aspect of content that attracts high interest and is one of the exceptional decorative visual values that contain profound humanistic implications imbued with Oriental philosophy and illustrate the creative talents of Vietnamese artisans in the past. With traditional folk decoration techniques that have been enhanced through the discovery and creativity of talented artisans from all over the country, the motif has contributed to creating powerful and long lasting aesthetic-cultural values and qualities of the royal art of the Nguyen Dynasty.
The reason is that this layout requires repetition, which can be feasible only in decorative strips and lines. Therefore, the most favorable position for this layout is in the space between the two layers of roofs, the continuing boxes on roof ledges, and the small connecting boxes on the curtain walls. On that account, it is quite obvious that the visual formats and meanings of the four seasons' motif have been highly generalized and created sustainable spiritual-aesthetic values that have existed for thousands of years in the Orient. In the article entitled: “Hue, the uniqueness of Nguyen Dynasty's fine art”, Tran Lam Bien evaluated and analyzed the layouts of the boxes: "... it was not until the 19th century that the phenomenon of box and cell division reached its peak, both in terms of art and in popularity. It is typical of Hue's decoration... the boxes on Hue's brick doors can be considered to have achieved a very high aesthetic effect".1 The decorative principles using four seasons' motif on the royal court works are not always strictly followed, the liberal, flighty and attractive features are also presenting in many architectural positions that create their own unique aesthetic effects in the art of Nguyen Dynasty.
In the existence, formation and self-expression of the four seasons' decoration motif, most of the layouts are governed by architectural space to a certain extent. Within such regulation, the artisans of Nguyen Dynasty created remarkable formats of four seasons decoration, one of which is “nhat thi nhat hoa” (one poem accompanied by one painting) that are shown mainly on the elongated roof ledges, on “co diem” (the large space between the two layers of roofs) – a very familiar architectural structure under the time of Nguyen Dynasty, on the "borders" of embossed masonry, porcelain mosaics or fresco paintings on threearched-entrances gates. Observing the collected materials with the format of "nhat thi nhat hoa" together with the remaining relics and artifacts, it can be seen that the layout and format of "nhat thi nhat hoa" hold an important position in the royal architectural decoration of Nguyen Dynasty. The four seasons' decorations on the large space between the two layers of roofs are quite close to the visionary style using various materials such as wood carvings, enameled bronze, masonry and fresco paintings. It is clearly shown on the boxes of different sizes and shapes of Mieu Mon (The Mieu - Hien Lam Cac Pavilion of the Glorious Coming), on the dividing roof ledges of Hung Mieu, on the porcelain mosaics decorated with “bat buu” (the eight weapons), on the mural paintings of clouds inlaid with fivecolor porcelain in Thai Hoa Palace, on the embossed mosaics of colored porcelain and sepia stucco background on the curtain wall in Truong Sanh Palace, decorative bands using four seasons' motif at Duyet Thi Duong, Sung An palace (Minh Mang Tomb), wood carvings at Thieu Tri Tomb stele house... The content of the four seasons' decorative layouts is also interwoven with the boxes of natural sceneries. Such unique variations not only appear on the surface of the structure but also accommodate inner expressiveness of art. For that reason, the layout of “nhat thi nhat hoa” is considered as one of the most successful and outstanding visual layouts in the decorative art of Nguyen Dynasty. Regarding the porcelain mosaics, thanks to the luster, hardness, and certain thickness of the material, when specifically shaping the objects of “bat buu” (the eight weapons), interspersed with the enameled-bronze poems or with the Chinese characters on a flat background, a rather fancy layout was created. The format of “nhat thi nhat hoa” is the most traditional in the ancient art of Vietnam, and it has become a strong point in Vietnamese decoration that has achieved undeniably high aesthetic effects. The format of “nhat thi nhat hoa” illustrating four seasons' motif is determined to be suitable for only a certain sections in the architectural works of art.
The four seasons' motif possesses profound and substantial values because in addition to their symbolic meaning of Spring, the images of flowers in the four seasons' motif such as yellow apricot blossom, peach blossom, chrysanthemum, lotus... gently have entered the visual arts as symbols of elegant amusements. Yellow apricot blossom is representing in architectural decoration projects, which not only serves the decorative and beautifying purposes but also is deeply engraved in each and every grain of wood with the feelings, the sentimentality and natural beauties from the artists' minds, bringing with them the whole system of ideology and philosophical ideas within the decorative patterns. The yellow apricot blossom is the symbol of gentlemen, the elegant beauty of the soul. The way the yellow apricot tree transformed aligns with the symbolic conventions of morality and traditional conceptions of life: the yellow apricot or the peach branch is transformed into a phoenix (the yellow apricot tree turning into qilin)... Such seem-to-be unintentional, but in fact very intentional, carvings are, first of all, liberality in creativity. Furthermore, the variation is created with the combination of plants and mythical powerful animals from the ancient concept, the Chinese have considered yellow apricot tree as a precious medicine that can prevent and fight evil demons. In Vietnam, yellow apricot tree also stands for the virtue of youthful women, the embodiment of feminine beauty that is both fragile and delicate. Yellow apricot tree is also associated with many other symbols to promote the idea of beauties and virtues: apricot trees and birds (mai dieu); apricot trees and flamingos (mai hac) or with a white stork. The delicate and diligent body of the stork in harmony with the gentle and pure yellow apricot tree has constructed such an elegant beauty that it is frequently illustrated in architectural decorations. The yellow apricot format in architectural decoration is varied, but in general, it is praising the beauty of human virtues, associated with the image of a graceful and noble woman. The image of yellow apricot blossoms is designed into lively shapes found in various architectural positions. The blossoms are charming; the five lovely round petals bloom in five different directions but are still centered with the pistil of featherlike tassels and some light spots, which create such a gentle impression. The yellow apricot blossoms are similar to peach blossoms with a beautiful five-petal form, but the difference shown in yellow apricot blossoms is that they can adapt even to the most intense sunlight. It is the harsh rays of the sun that make the yellow apricot blooming, and as gold is tested by fire, the flowers become brighter, more glory and more splendid. Capturing the divine will from
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