Real Life to Abstract: Taking Idea From An Old Master Pieces Capturing Lao Imagination

If ten people looking at one painting and ask to write a short description of what you see in the composition, you will get ten different answers….

for century artist’s had painted pictures in different form of mediums from tile, Paper, wooded board and canvas to name a few. It’s really depended on where and what the resource is available.  In Laos some of the artist choose a local product such Saa paper to express their fine skills on a medium,what many of us called “fine art”. 

Ethic Girl At Work

While artist P Noy, currently living in Luang Prabang using the daily life of a hmong tribe and expressed on a canvas into a contemporary style given a vibrant colors, a traditional wardrobe with an “alien face like” make this painting surreal. She plays with textures and colors gave it a playful look to each of the composition. 

Another of her art work this time she focus on mostly the woman crafted jewelry decoration  the status and wealth in her tribe. Very similar to the photograph I took in Meung Sing.

Hmong girl in Decorate head-piece

While the masterpiece work of Marc Leguay, a french- lao impression artist lived in Laos from war world II until communist regime took over the lao government in 1976.  He is a well-known for his contribution to Laos Stamp in the early 60’s to 70’s. He immigrated to Thailand lived a quiet life in Ban Kok Nong Seng and  he died in 2001.  Many of his art works are in private collections,  a few pieces are in the Vientiane School of Fine Art, and Lao Embassy in France. The most recent published book by Francis Benteux “Marc Leguay Le peintre du Laos”.  A complete collections of  Marc Leguay works capture a true image of Laos in a tropical colors, from the landscapes to the portraits to a  lao- style daily living, his work is truly a master pieces for lao people to be proud of.

Similarity P Noy uses the old master piece idea. She took it and  interpreted to a modern lao version called “Grooming” painted in Saa paper this is a much more sharps, very geometric the hands and body are disproportional but yet very human with rigid expression in modern painting.  If you compared these two art works the style are very similar in composition, while Marc Legauy painting add a very fine details in his work from dark to light shadows while the flower arrangement added another depth to the composition. This represents a Laotian women the face is very rounded, the expression is very calm and very peaceful, her hair is beautifully pull back into a bun and decorated just a touch of fine pieces of jewelery. Her arms are very well proportional to her body, she rested her hand on a bed a hinted of the shadow of her arm in front of the young girl standing behind fixing her hair.

In a Process of preparing Saa Paper, Luang Prabang

 The  a local Luang Prabang fabrication of a bamboo tree made into a thin paper, from there it can be made into many different things such as: Paper for painting,  lanterns, bags, writing material etc…….You can purchase these hand- crafted items from the local store or in the evening market.  Every evening the main road are closed off  and the locals bringing their hand- crafted items from hand bags, purses, silk scarfs, pillow cover, blankets to Saa paper made into book or journal, and other variety of products use for home decorating decor.