Vietnam/The Sixties 2: Vietnam Visual Material

Hand-Printed North Vietnamese Silk Screen Posters

(North Vietnamese Propaganda Posters). Original silk screen posters printed in North Vietnam circa 1972. Done in the style of "social realism" by a number of different Vietnamese artists on a variety of themes relating to the war effort. These are original works of art, not prints of the originals but the actual posters created using the silk screening process, a method that effectively limits the number of reproductions that can be done of a given design. Measuring approximately 17" x 25" and printed on surprisingly good paper for a poor country at the height of the war, these are unique works of art from North Vietnam, apparently intended for propaganda use in South Vietnam as insignia and flags, where indicated, are of the NLF not the North Vietnamese army. Rarities that were brought back to this country by one of the "peace delegations" to go to North Vietnam in 1972, these are unlike anything else pertaining to the war shown in this country to date. They provide a glimpse into the Vietnamese perception of the war, and the efforts made to sustain morale on a number of fronts in a fight that must have seemed, at times, to be waged against enormous odds. Given the context in which these were done, and the purposes to which they were put, they are for the most part not nearly as bellicose as one would expect, many tending to emphasize elements of "quiet heroism" away from the battle front:

968. "Ung Ho Cach Mang, Ung Ho Bo Doi, Tham Gia Chong My Cuu Nuoc." (No translation given.) Printed in purple, green and black, with light green, brown and maroon highlights, against a white background, the scene is of a Vietnamese woman in black pajamas steering a boat downriver in the foreground, past stylized broad-leafed jungle plants in the background. The cargo in her boat is visible, with vegetables on top covering over guns and ammunition underneath. Her contribution to the war effort is clear. An unusual image in its choice of colors, and also in its depiction of the subterfuge involved in the war effort in the South. Framed, very good. $575

969. "Tien Len Giangh Thang Loi Lon." ("Forward to Further Victories"). Strikingly printed in orange and brown against a mostly black background, the scene is of a number of Vietnamese soldiers in camouflage dress attacking on foot and in tanks, presumably at night. Streamers from artillery fire pierce the darkness. Framed, fine. $750

970. "Phat Huy Moi Hoa Luc Ban Roi Nhieu May Bay My." ("Bring Together All Your Strengths and Faculties to Shoot Down the Planes.") Printed in black and magenta against a mostly orange background (as in all these posters, the paper is white and at least part of the image is therefore also white), the scene is of a Vietnamese soldier loading a shell into an anti-aircraft battery in the foreground; in the background another irregular troop fires an automatic weapon up at a target in the sky, there are two more anti-aircraft batteries, and a plane is seen trailing smoke on its way to crashing after being hit. Fine. $375

971. "Doan Ket Ung Ho Cach Mang. Ung Ho Bo Doi." (No translation given.) Printed in red, green and black on white. A family scene of a soldier speaking to a woman and two sons, one of the sons is attempting to embrace the soldier, the other is offering him an apple. Framed, fine. $350

972. "Anh Hung Bat Khuat Trung Hau Dam Dang." (No translation given.) Printed in pink, tan and orange on white. Two panels, one with an armed woman standing atop a USA vehicle; one with a woman as industrial worker. Small corner chip; else fine. Framed. $350

973. "Hoan Ho Tien Tuyen Anh Ung Danh Manh Thang To Len Duong Lap Tiep Chien Cong!" (No translation given.) Printed in green, black and olive on white. A background fighting scene with a foreground of one soldier looking victorious or at least celebratory. Framed, fine. $350

Laotian Hmong River-Crossing Pa Ndau

The Hmong people of Laos are a tribal people living in the highlands of Southeast Asia. They were recruited by the C.I.A. to fight against the communist Vietnamese and Pathet Lao in the 1960s, and they suffered the highest casualty rate of any group in the war. After the victories of the North Vietnamese and the Pathet Lao in 1975, the communist governments retaliated against the "traitors." Many Hmong were killed and others fled across the Mekong River into Thailand, seeking freedom, or at least refuge. The largest population of Hmong in the world, outside of Laos, exists in a Thailand refugee camp. In recent years, a number have resettled in the West, and there are now 40,000 Hmong in the U.S. Pa ndau is a traditional Hmong textile folk art--"pa" is Hmong for flower, "ndau" for cloth. Decorated cloths can be as small as postage stamps or as large as quilts and can incorporate various kinds of stitcheries, as well a various images or patterns. The central image of a pa ndau generally tells a story. One new thematic development in traditional Hmong pa ndau since the end of the Vietnam war has been the "river-crossing" pa ndau, representing the flight from Laos across the Mekong River and into Thailand.

974. (Artist Unnamed). River-Crossing Pa Ndau. Approximately 34" x 34", this embroidered pa ndau shows a traditional scene of village life in the highlands of Laos, with planting, cooking, and other traditional activities taking place, followed by--as one approaches the foreground--the arrival of armed Pathet Lao soldiers herding villagers at gunpoint. Closer to the foreground, a number of villagers have escaped into the river, some on rafts, some in boats, some floating singly. On the other side of the river, they are greeted by Thai troops, and escorted to safety in Thai vehicles. The artist who created this pa ndau escaped from a Pathet Lao prison camp with her children, hiding out in the forest for several weeks until she was eventually recaptured; her captors knocked her teeth out with rifle butts after her recapture. She eventually escaped again and made it across the river, finally emigrating to the U.S. River-crossing pa ndau--a modern expression of a traditional Hmong art--are extremely scarce, and this is a particularly dramatic example. Fine. $2000