“FOR ANY PIECE OF WOOD OR ROOTS IN MY HANDS, I CAN IMAGINE WHAT I WILL DO AND TO WHAT EXTENT I SHOULD CARVE THEM TO MAINTAIN THE LANGUAGE OFTHE SCULPTURE AND WHAT IS SUGGESTED BY THE ROOTS” SAYS MAJOR GENERAL CUONG
By day, Major General Tran Gia Cuong serves as the Chief of the Bureau of International Cooperation in the Ministry of Police. But after work, for the past four decades, Major General Cuong has pursued his unique passion for sculpting artworks out of tree roots.
On a drizzly Hanoi day, I went to Major General Tran Gia Cuong’s office to learn more about his artworks. He created his first sculpture in 1972 when he was enrolled in the Police Intermediary School in Vinh Phuc. In those days, he would study in the forest, and the trees stirred his imagination. His first sculptures were little animals such as deer or buffaloes.
Having produced hundreds of sculptures of all sizes, Major General Cuong has fond memories of those early days. Born in the highlands, he spent many years in Lang Son, and this region nurtured his imagination. “In cities we can only see rising roofs at any time of the day, unlike in the forest. Wewatch the trees in the morning ligh1 and observe the constant changes unti dusk, beyond our imagination.”
At the peak of wartime, Major Gen eral Cuong spent seven years in Lanl Son. There, he joined local people tc travel to remote areas in search of in teresting pieces of wood and tree roots Nothing could deter him from carryinl these cumbersome pieces back tc camp, where carving helped to ease hi homesickness. Upon return trips tc Hanoi, he met some fine art professor including Vuong Ngoc Bao and Nguyen Quan who helped him to understand more about art.
After years of practice and study of fine arts and graphics, Major General Cuong gained confidence in his creations. “Por any piece of wood or roots in my hands, I can imagine what I will do and to what extent I should carve them to maintain the language of the sculpture and what is suggested by the roots;’ explains Major General Cuong.
Manager of the International Cooperation Department, Ministry of Public Security.
Born in 1955, Major General Cuong graduated from the Vietnam Notional Academy of Music and the University
of Public Security. He is a member of the Vietnam Musicians Association. His first solo sculpture exhibition, Di
Mac, celebrates his 40 years of experience in the police and the art of carving tree roots.
Major General Cuong’s favorite song is “A human life, a tree forest” by composer Tran Long An: “When I think of a human life, I always think of a tree forest/When I think of a tree forest I always think of many people.. .”. He explains that the tree’s roots have survived time and hardship, and represent the tree’s soul. Each tree’s soul inspires his unique creations.
Major General Cuong’s greatest happiness came from a solo exhibition to mark his 40 years as a sculptor. The exhibition bore a simple name: “Quaint Wood”. It drew many high-ranking policemen, as well as Major General Cuong’s friends, colleagues, renowned artists and sculptors, and passerby who stopped to marvel at his creations. People of all ages came to admire his work, from students to pensioners.
One memory brings tears to Major General Cuong’s eyes. He saw a mother and child standing speechless before his work “Love": They came on two separate occasions to admire this sculpture. Speaking to the woman, Major General Cuong learned that the sculpture evoked memories of her life. His greatest joy comes from knowing that people admire and understand his works.
A knock on the door suddenly interrupted our conversation. While I would have loved to keep talking with Major General Cuong, he had to return to the rigors of police work. I hope we will meet again, so that I may learn more about his works and his passion for sculpture.
Story Nguyen Anh & Nhat Minh
First time on VietnamCP
The Roots of Beauty
First post at: Vietnam Culture
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