Phạm Lực Biography

Third Generation Artist: Vietnam’s Post-War

Socialist Realism

P
hạm Lực was born as Phạm Văn Lực

in 1943 in Huế, where his father

worked for the imperial court. His

mother was from Hà Tĩnh Province and great-

granddaughter of the world-famous poet Nguyễn

Du. Two years after Lực was born, the August

Revolution broke out. His mother took her three

children to Hà Tĩnh, while his father remained in

Huế. Lực grew up in poverty, his family shunned

due to his father’s position.1

“[Phạm Lực] is inclined to the

themes of land and the people of

Vietnam… his paintings reflect

the spirit and quintessence of

the Vietnamese people.”

Donald Berger, a Canadian art collector with an

extensive collection of Phạm Lực’s paintings

Early Life and Career

Lực fostered early artistic talent and drive.

Encouraged by his mother, she would pose as a

model for his paintings when he was seven years

old. His experience of living along the Làm River

nurtured his talent. He drew women and working

people, often honouring women by levitating

them beyond their natural position in Vietnamese

society. It is widely regarded that his respect for

women stemmed from the love he had for his

mother.

Lực spent thirty-five years in the army reaching

the rank of Major. He fought in North and South

Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. This included hot-

spots like Thanh Hóa Bridge, Vĩnh Linh District in

Quảng Trị Province, the Central Highlands and

southern Laos. Lực always carried an artist’s kit

in his rucksack to sketch and record his

experiences.

Soldier Artist

From 1959 to early 1966, Lực was based in the

Trường Sơn mountains. He then travelled from

Military Zone 4 to Quảng Trị on a teaching and

fact-finding tour. As a young soldier in the army,

Lực painted on jute bags due to the lack of art

materials in the country at the time; the same

jute bags that carried rice, sugar, dried fish and

salt to soldiers and civilians all over Vietnam. He

often used pastel colours to paint as well as wall

whitening powder and toothpaste for white

highlights. When he could find it, Lực also made

use of Chinese ink. His greatest motive was to

capture the realism of what was around him

instead of the heroic idealisation of soldiers. Lực

continued to paint on jute bags using improvised

materials until as late as 1975 and the liberation

of Vietnam.

Phạm Lực with painting. Courtesy of Phạm Lực.

On occasion, the Department of Propaganda

summoned artists who worked on the battlefields

for propaganda assignments. After being

summoned, Lực drew Uncle Hồ with the Central

Highlands.2 In 1973, Lực went to Saigon to

improve the cultural knowledge of soldiers there,

opening a painting class.

Phạm Lực After Graduation

Lực graduated from the Vietnam Fine Arts College

in 1977, where he solidified his painting

techniques under masters like Bùi Xuân Phái. It

was here that Lực began using a variety of

materials including oil, lacquer and gold leaf in

his paintings. Some as a matter of convenience

and others as a matter of style. Either way, a

concentrated education and open economy finally

allowed him to expand the range of his artistic

expression.

After retiring from the army in 1993, he worked

as a prolific, full-time artist in his studio in

Hanoi. After separating from his first wife, he

married a French woman whom he had met in the

early-90s. Lực quickly attracted a loyal following

who admired his intensely accurate portrayal of

Vietnamese culture, folklore and identity. At an

exhibition in October 1999, the poet Vũ Mão

remarked, “His painting leaves something very

light in the viewer’s mind and this makes them

continue to mediate.”

Anh Ben Wilkinson, a member of the Harvard

Kennedy School Vietnam Program, said: “I think

Phạm Lực is a real talent, with a very unique and

deep understanding of Vietnamese culture.”

Artist Bảng Làm said: “Phạm Lực can draw

anywhere and at any time, whenever he feels like

painting. He does not follow any concrete

painting technique. He only devotes himself to

creating the best in his art.”

Philanthropy

Possibly because of his own impoverished

childhood, Lực began dedicating his time, e!ort

and money as an artist to the poor, particularly

children, even giving away some of his assets to

charitable institutions. Lực also started free art

training courses for war invalids, the disabled,

the poor and foreigners in Hanoi.

From 1994, he coordinated with a non-profit

organisation in eastern France to aid the poor in

Vietnam through art. They sold his paintings in

Parisian art galleries to raise money, which was

then sent back to Vietnam. In 2005, he donated

two paintings worth $14,000 to support poor

Vietnamese children. He also donates to Doctors

Without Borders, Operation Smile, World Vision

and disabled children.

On 31 August 2010, Phạm Lực was invited by

UNICEF to hold an exhibition Women and

Children in Vietnam for their Report on the

Situation of Children in Vietnam. Half of the

funds raised went to the UNICEF cause.

On 20 October 2004, Lực o#cially established the

Phạm Lực Painting Club. On a poignant note, it

was the same day as Vietnamese Women Day –

reflecting his dedication to women and mothers

in his paintings.3

Exhibitions and
Collaborations

Lực is a celebrated artist in Vietnam. From 24

May to 30 June 2010, he and Đinh Công Khải

collaborated for the exhibition A Time to

Remember in Hanoi. It was featured as a

highlight event on the VTV4 Arts and

Entertainment channel.

In 2013, a solo exhibition of his work was held at

the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum to mark his 70th

birthday.

Phạm Lực lives in Hanoi.

PHẠM LỰC GALLERY

Phạm Lực, 1979, Đồng Đăng town in Cao Lộc

Publications

Hội Mỹ Thuật Việt Nam, Nghệ sĩ tạo hình Việt

Nam hiện đại (Ký Hệu Hội Viên), 2009, Nhà Xuất

Bản Mỹ Thuật, Hà Nội

2017 – Interviewed in Ken Burns’s epic series for

PBS, The Vietnam War

Collections

National Gallery, Singapore

Vietnam Fine Art Museum, Hanoi

Private international collections

Exhibitions4

2010 – collaborated with Định Kong Khai for the

exhibition A Time to Remember

2013 – Solo exhibition of his work at the Vietnam

Fine Arts Museum

2016 – Four Paintings form the War Years,

ARTINFO, Martin Browne Contemporary, Sydney

2011 – One Time and Forever Exhibition at the

Museum of Fine Arts, HCMC

2015-16 – Vietnam 1954-1975, National

University of Singapore Museum, Singapore

2016-17 – Who Wants to Remember a War and

Lines, National University of Singapore Museum,

Singapore

Awards

1990 – Prize for Literature and Arts of Vietnam

People’s Army by The Ministry of Defense

REFERENCES AND FOOTNOTES:

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