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Tran Xuan Anh was born in 1933 in Phu Yen, Vietnam. His father, a man of letters and a practitioner of Eastern medicine, taught him to paint portraits using traditional Chinese brush and ink. The training was interrupted when the French occupiers arrested his father and sent him to the prison island of Con Dao on charges of sedition. His father died in jail in 1946.
This tragic turn of events did not stop Tran from pursuing his love of painting. He continued to train under the tutelage of his high school art teacher until he joined the South Vietnamese Army in 1959. During his 15 years in the army, he painted numerous landscapes, all depicting the locations where he was stationed.
Shortly after the fall of South Vietnam in April 1975, Tran was sent to a "reeducation camp" in a mountainous region of North Vietnam. There, he endured 8 years of forced labor. He was finally released in 1986 and eventually emigrated to the US in 1994. All his artwork was lost during his incarceration. |
 | 1825 Days: On the surface, '1825 Days' is one of the most peaceful and serene works in this exhibit. The graceful trees and jewellike lake recall the Hudson School of idealized landscapes popular in late 1800's America. But this is not a representation of an earthly Eden. Slowly, unsettling details register. The trees are far too tall to be taken literally, and close study reveals shapes of birds woven into their texture. Amidst the trees are the fences and huts of Hoang Lien Son prison camp -- understated, but undeniably part of the scene.
In an environment which his inmates described as hell, Tran could not help but be awed by the splendor of Mother Nature. To him, the human conflicts that led to his predicament seemed insignificant in comparison. The power of those who confined him was equally meaningless. During those days of death and suffering, his only solace was looking at the beautiful landscape outside the gates -- a vision that stayed with him after his eventual release, and that led him to resume painting. This beauty had a liberating effect for the artist during his years in confinement. Now, in his seventies, he is a student in the Department of Fine Art at San Jose State University. His paintings reflect beauty rather than horror, hope rather than despair, emphasize beauty rather than brutality. They are a testament to the durability of the human spirit. |
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