Sketch by artist Truong Cham “Ship hunting team on Giong Trom river”, 1970.
Fate with the profession of painting
Artist Truong Cham's real name is Truong Van Thang, born on February 3, 1950, in An Dinh commune, Mo Cay Nam district. He joined the revolution when he was a student and officially entered the profession as a professional artist on October 27, 1967, at the Painting Group - Literature and Arts Subcommittee, under the Provincial Propaganda Department. After the liberation day, artist Truong Cham officially studied at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Fine Arts (1975 - 1981 course). He went through many tasks, including acting Principal of the Ben Tre Provincial School of Culture and Arts. He is currently a member of the Vietnam Fine Arts Association and a retired cadre.
The path to painting of artist Truong Cham was like a fate that "caught" the artist since childhood and his great natural teacher at that time was social reality, so that the sketches of the resistance period will forever be the pride in this artist's painting career until today and forever.
Artist Truong Cham shared: “When I was a student, I had a talent for drawing. In 1967, I was withdrawn by the provincial Literature and Arts Subcommittee. At that time, I was famous for drawing money. I drew money exactly like that. When the Literature and Arts Subcommittee withdrew, they assigned me to the Painting Group and from then on I began my mission of going to movements and points. I went down to participate in local activities and movements, in battlefields such as the Mothers' Association, Sisters' Association, Farmers' Association, Guerrilla... the people's production foundations. I followed the army to fight, to attack ships, thanks to that I felt the war, the explosion of bombs, the smell of gunpowder. I must say that at that time, I was young, and also had a "reckless" nature, that was the "stimulation". Thanks to that, I have the motto of taking nature as my practical teacher".
The day artist Truong Cham officially entered the “painting profession” was so simple and full of surprises. At that time, the 17-year-old young man started participating in the revolution, participating in movement activities, carrying with him his heart and enthusiasm, sketching vivid and realistic paintings of the resistance war about the pain, loss, and heroic sacrifices of the army and people of Ben Tre during the time of war.
“I am a painter who records, so all movements, from mothers, sisters, farmers, guerrillas to soldiers… I consider them as my flesh and blood. Thanks to these people, I have created realistic sketches. I have a lot of affection and pride for them. I paint them with my heart, love and respect. They always live forever in every stroke of my painting,” artist Truong Cham shared, reviewing each drawing page.
"Vivid, captivating" drawings
For artist Truong Cham, the iron pens, Bic pens, hastily drawn sketches of battle scenes, descriptions of the lives of people in the homeland, images of people in the rear, soldiers fighting on the front lines... were also the way the artist "fought the enemy" on the ideological front at that time.
Many paintings by artist Truong Cham create strong emotions for viewers because the content reflects the reality of life with vivid, captivating strokes. For young people, it is an honor to see sketches that contain the whole heart, the silent but great sacrifice of soldiers. Many art paintings by artist Truong Cham have created strong emotions for viewers such as "War Wounds", iron pen 1968; "Thanh Phu Dong Guerrilla", iron pen 1969; "Coconut Forest Female Artillery Team", iron pen 1971; "Where is Mother - because the American enemy murdered", watercolor painting 1972; "Field supplementary class", watercolor painting 1971; "War Wounds", oil painting 1975; “Liberated Ben Tre River”, iron pen 1975… and many portrait sketches of soldiers, soldiers, people participating in the resistance war and also mothers and sisters - families that raised soldiers…
Along with his age, painting has become the breath of artist Truong Cham and he has left behind a meaningful artistic "asset" for life as artist Nguyen Hoang - former Principal of Ho Chi Minh City University of Fine Arts once commented: "With artist Truong Cham, I feel that his sketches are full of vitality, recording profound moments of the resistance war against the US to save the country in the South that at first glance seem so ordinary: a corner of a coconut garden, a row of rustling coconut trees, the scene of the homeland's rivers and canals; blending with the activities of the guerrillas and the people; a corner of wartime study, guerrillas practicing shooting... I feel a homeland of sorrow but heroism - recording a past but a time of pride, memorable and precious".
Although retired, because of his passion and love for his homeland, painter Truong Cham is still diligent and passionate about the art world, regularly participating in exhibitions in the Mekong Delta and nationwide through his works.
Contributing to the common achievements of 50 years of formation and development of Ben Tre province's fine arts, painter Truong Cham has trained many generations of successors, making positive contributions to the culture and arts of Ben Tre province and the Mekong Delta in general in recent times.
With his tireless contributions in the field of ideology and culture, painter Truong Cham received the Third Class Anti-American Resistance Medal, the First Class Victory Medal, the Medal for the Cause of Vietnamese Fine Arts, the Commemorative Medal for the Cause of Culture; the First Nguyen Dinh Chieu Literature and Arts Award in 2010...
Artist Truong Cham has over 200 resistance sketches, which have been preserved by collectors and museums at home and abroad, such as: Ben Tre Museum 20; Tien Giang Museum 10 (these are sketches about the land and people of Tien Giang on the way to the liberation painting class in Tay Ninh forest in 1973); Ho Chi Minh City Fine Arts Museum 9, including 4 colored woodcuts and 5 sketches about the American ship hunting team on the Giong Trom River. Notably, the Vietnam History Museum has collected 50 sketches about the land and people of Ben Tre during the resistance war against the US to save the country. The number of paintings collected by foreigners is 46, including: America, France, Germany and Singapore. |
Article and photos: Thuy Duong
Source: https://baodongkhoi.vn/hoa-si-truong-cham-cung-ky-uc-que-dua-thoi-khang-chien-06062025-a147744.html
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