Restoring two nearly 100-year-old reliefs on Hang Long Street

According to documents left by painter Victor Tardieu, two reliefs with agricultural and fishing scenes were prepared by the Indochina School of Fine Arts to participate in the 1931 Paris Colonial Exhibition in 1929.

Indochina University of Fine Arts (now Vietnam University of Fine Arts) in 1933 with two reliefs of agriculture and fishery on the wall. Photo: Document

During this time, under the direction of Professor Charles-Jean Christian, three students Vu Cao Dam, George Khanh and Le Tien Phuc directly created these reliefs. The reliefs, 39m long and 2m high, were made to decorate the great hall of the Indochina Palace (Palais Indochine) at the International Colonial Exhibition in Paris in 1931.

With their enormous size, the two reliefs of agriculture and fisheries are currently mounted on the wall of the Vietnam University of Fine Arts. This is a product of modern sculpture but with a strong Vietnamese character, the language of the works has marked the transition from tradition to modernity.

The authors next to the relief work Agriculture - Fisheries. Photo: Document

The relief depicts the traditional working life of the Vietnamese people – on one side are scenes of plowing, harvesting rice, and carrying straw; on the other side are scenes of fishing, rowing boats, and pulling nets. The relief is depicted with a continuous composition, solid shapes, and characters stylized in the French realist style but still carrying the national spirit.

The rare photo of King Bao Dai visiting the Indochina Fine Arts College in 1933 further confirms the cultural and educational significance of the project. The two reliefs Agriculture and Fisheries are not only works of art, but also historical witnesses, marking a period of East-West exchange in Vietnamese fine arts.

Scene of the project announcement ceremony. Photo: Nguyen Anh

Speaking at the ceremony, Party Secretary and Chairman of the People's Council of Cua Nam Ward Pham Tuan Long said that in recent times, the Vietnam Public Joint Stock Commercial Bank (PVcombank) has sponsored many public art projects and major cultural events in the capital city of Hanoi .

Sincerely thanking the attention and support of Pvcombank and Vietnam University of Fine Arts, comrade Pham Tuan Long said that Cua Nam ward believes that with the support of the units, the two reliefs will soon be restored, completed and welcomed by the community when completed.

Delegates at the project announcement ceremony. Photo: Nguyen Anh

Speaking at the ceremony, Party Secretary and Chairman of the Board of Directors of PVcom Bank Nguyen Dinh Lam expressed his joy at being able to sponsor such a priceless work of art. These sculptures have contributed to bringing Vietnamese Fine Arts to the world level. Mr. Nguyen Dinh Lam also sincerely thanked the group of artists who actively participated in the restoration, thereby contributing to preserving the unique cultural and artistic values of the capital Hanoi.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/tu-bo-hai-buc-phu-dieu-gan-100-nam-tuoi-tai-pho-hang-long-714506.html