Hàng Trống painting

Hàng Trống painting (Tranh Hàng Trống) is a genre of Vietnamese woodcut painting that originated from the area of Hàng Trống (vi) and Hàng Nón streets in the Old Quarter of Hanoi, Vietnam. In the past, Hàng Trống painting was an essential element of the Tết Nguyên Đán holiday in Hanoi, but today this tradition almost has disappeared and authentic Hàng Trống paintings are found only in museums or fine art galleries. However, the art of making Hàng Trống paintings is always considered a symbol of traditional culture and aesthetic value of Vietnam.

Themes and making
The common themes in Hàng Trống paintings are spiritual and cultural symbols such as the white tiger (hổ trắng) or carp (cá chép), which indicate a stronger influence of Buddhism and Taoism than in Đông Hồ painting. However, besides the pictures of worshipping themes, Hàng Trống craftsmen also made paintings with folk themes like Đông Hồ such as Bịt mắt bắt dê (blind-man's buff), Rồng rắn (following the leader) or Thầy đồ Cóc (the toad scholar) for the decoration of families during the Tết holiday. The aesthetic value in pictures of Hàng Trống painting is more urban than in Đông Hồ pictures which are made in the countryside and often reflect a farmer's perspective. Some popular pictures of Hàng Trống painting are Ngũ hổ (Five Tigers), Lý ngư vọng nguyệt (Carp Looking at the Moon), Tứ bình (Four female musicians) and Tố nữ (Virgin Girl).

In making a Hàng Trống painting, the craftsman starts with woodblocks to print black outlines, then draws the details and finally colours the picture in by hand. Because the main part of the process is made by the craftsman's hands, Hàng Trống pictures are slightly different from one to another, thus they become more valuable for the fastidious customers in Hanoi. The paper used in making Hàng Trống painting is called Xuyến chỉ paper (giấy Xuyến chỉ), which differs from the natural colour paper of Đông Hồ painting. Hàng Trống craftsmen colourize pictures with pigments, and therefore the tone of Hàng Trống paintings is usually bright and attractive with principal colours being pink, blue, green, red and yellow.

History
The origin of Hàng Trống painting dates back to the 16th century during the reign of the Lê dynasty. Different from the countryside Đông Hồ, the manufacturing area of Hang Trong painting is located in the Tiêu Túc (later changed to Thuận Mỹ) district in the very heart of Hanoi which is now the quarter between Hàng Trống, Hàng Nón, Hàng Hòm and Hàng Quạt streets. This was one of the few places where folk paintings were made in Vietnam during the dynastic time. In the past, Hàng Trống craftsmen often began to make pictures in the eleventh and twelfth months of the Vietnamese calendar so that they could meet with the high demand during the Tết holiday when a Hàng Trống painting was indispensable for each Hanoi family. For this reason Hàng Trống painting, besides Đông Hồ, was also called Tết painting (tranh Tết). Hàng Trống craftsmen also produced worshipping pictures for Taoist temples and Buddhist temples in Hanoi.

Today, the tradition of Hàng Trống painting is almost lost. New pictures are rarely produced in Hàng Trống anymore because of lack of interest among the younger generations; there remains only one experienced craftsman, Lê Đình Nghiên, who can make Hàng Trống paintings. As a result, authentic Hàng Trống pictures are found only in museums or fine art gallery. Nevertheless, there are several efforts underway to resurrect this genre of traditional art like propagating Hàng Trống paintings in festivals, galleries and transmitting knowledge of making pictures from old craftsmen to young artists.

Printing and Painting Methods
Hang Trong paintings use a half-print, half-painting technique. The images are printed from woodblocks, and the colors are painted over by hand. The paintings only have one black layer first. After printing, the paintings are backed with do paper or wide-format newsprint. It can take up to 3 or 4 days to complete one painting. The woodblocks are made of inkwood or mulberry wood. Traditional inks are made from simple, rustic materials but are elaborate and sophisticated in their production.

Colors and Coloring Methods
Hang Trong paintings use a limited palette of colors, primarily blue, pink, and green. Other colors, such as red, orange, and yellow, are sometimes used as well. The proportions of these colors are not strictly adhered to, but are instead chosen to create a visually appealing effect. Hang Trong paintings are painted by hand with brushes and pigments, resulting in a bolder, more vibrant color scheme than other Vietnamese folk paintings, such as Dong Ho paintings.