Museums and lion dances in Hanoi.

Today, we set off for the art museum and ended up experiencing a lot more than we expected.

We start started off at the Vietnam National Museum of Fine Arts which I adore, but is largely unappreciated judging from the lack of visitors and the rather tired looking signs and bored looking staff, plus the fact that the taxi driver had no idea where it was.  We had to tell him!  First of all, I like the style of the old colonial building which houses the museum.

 Then, I love the insight it gives you into the art, history and society of Vietnam, and then, how it makes you realise how inter-linked we humans all are are.  When I look at the art in this museum I can find parallels and echoes with Egypt and the Mayans, as in these illustrations on Ngoc Lu bronze drums dating around 600BC,

 

 and the Greeks. 

There is the Garuda of Indonesia,  bodies which remind me of those in Indian art, techniques that remind me of China..  There are certain styles of art that I wouldn't find in many other museums, like these detail of lacquer ware by Huynh Van Thuan (1921) "Harvest Time at Vinh Kim

and silk painting, which photpgraphs badly because it has to be protected with glass.

Much of the work there is distinctly Vietnamese, but it does have universal appeal. in my view, like this bronze head by Vo Cao Dam, "Young Girl with a Comb in her Hair" (1931),

this 17th century  Buddha entering Nirvana in lacquered wood

 this detail from Nguyen Van Ty's 1940 laquer work "Girls and Sea"

or this oil by  Le Thanh Duc, "A Wharf at the Foot of Mount Bai Tho (1958)

  Yet, the Vietnamese take of propaganda art is very individual.  Nguyen Do Cun "Meeting of a Squad" (1947) detail is done in oils.

 Tran Van Hoe's 1960 bronze, "Carrying an Anti-Tank Mine in a Death Braving Spirit" is distinctly Vietnamese, yet universal.

Nguyen Duc Nuc "They Conducted a New A Bomb Test Again"  (1958) sends the message in lacquer.

 

I was very relieved that Bob liked the museum too.   We have very different tastes in art  since he is much keener on abstract work, so it is good we can still appreciate each others loves.  By the way, the gift shop has copies of a lot of the art and craft and some original  work too, so it is worth checking out.

We wandered down the road after that to visit the Craft Link stores and combine buying souvenirs with donating to a good cause.  Some beautiful work from some of the minority groups here.

Feeling terribly fit, we decided to explore the area we had not previously visited on the way to Fanny, the famous ice cream store which has moved from its previous spot by the lake to a bigger building with indoor and outdoor seating.

 Then, we wandered back towards the lake and found the newly renovated Vietnamese Women's Museum, which is another little treasure with its depictions of women in history,  in the family and in their fashion.  Again, I was fascinated by the art, culture, craft, social and historical insights it gives to the viewer. The role that Vietnamese women played in the recent wars is incredible!  So much for the soft little woman sitting at home looking after the kids image! Here, among other things, we viewed basketware

and a wonderful installation

We were pretty exhausted but this stage but decided to walk back to the hotel by the river.  We noticed that the flower planting had nearly all been completed

and were commenting on how pretty and peaceful it all was,

 with the mandatory number of newlyweds posing for photos

and several glamorous looking girls in traditional dress too.

 

when we heard the drums. They signalled that we had fortuitously encountered a lion dance competition  at the Ly Thai King statue, part of the celebrations for the 60th anniversary of the capital's liberation.  The dancers seemed to mostly be very fit looking, men,

but there were quite a number of equally fit women competing too.

 

We were admiring but far too tired to feel envious of their abilities.  Back to the hotel to collapse!