history of lacquer paintings

Though it is an ancient art, Asian Lacquer paintings have only regained their prominence on the world art scene in the last decade, as the two main producers of the unique art - Vietnam and Burma - have just recently opened up to tourism and begun exhibiting their highly skilled artists. While distinct from one another, Vietnamese and Burmese Lacquer techniques are very old. In Vietnam, Lacquer arts have been found in tombs dating back more than 2,300 years while ancient inscriptions around the Burmese city Bagan have shown Lacquer dates back in that part of Asia to at least the 11th century. Laquer painting is a much more involved process than the traditional oil or watercolor form. Lacquer painters must use sap from Lacquer trees to hold a cloth covering onto their wooden canvass. They paint the outlines of the picture in hot lacquer and apply the colors one layer at a time, letting each dry out before the next is applied. Modern lacquer painters in Vietnam have learned to infuse substances like crushed egg shells, gold foil, and plants into their artwork, allowing for a unique expression of creativity. However in Burma, infusions of gold foil were already found in lacquerware centuries ago, though they were usually reserved for royal paintings and religious art. Other materials such as animal bone, colored glass, and bamboo are used depending on where the lacquer designs are applied to. Colored glass is infused into lacquer paintings on thrones, Buddhist images, and caskets, among others. Bamboo, on the other hand, is infused to lacquer paintings which decorate vases, tables, chairs, and chests. Lacquer painting is as much a part of the ancient city of Bagan as are the more famous thousands of pagodas which cover travel brochures for Burma. For centuries, a majority of people in Bagan have been involved in lacquer ware, passing the tradition down through the years. Currently there is a government-sponsored institute in Bagan dedicated to the recruitment and training of lacquerware artists and the demand for Burmese and Vietnamese laquerware among art circles in the West continues to rise.