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MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING MINISTRY OF CULTURE, SPORTS AND TOURISM

VIETNAM NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CULTURE AND ARTS STUDIES

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Pham Van Tuyen

ARTISTIC INSPIRATION IN PAINTING

Major: Theory and History of Fine Arts

Code: 62 21 01 01

SUMMARY OF PHD DISSERTATION IN THEORY

AND HISTORY OF FINE ARTS

Hanoi - 2015

The study has been completed at

VIETNAM NATONAL INSTITUTE OF CULTURE AND ARTS STUDIES

MINISTRY OF CULTURE, SPORTS AND TOURISM

Scientific supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Le Van Suu Dr. Nguyen Nghia Phuong

External Examiner 1: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Le Ba Dung

Hanoi University of Culture

External Examiner 2: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Xuan Tien

Ho Chi Minh City University of Fine Arts

External Examiner 3: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Quoc Hung

Vietnam National Institute of Culture and Arts Studies

The dissertation will be defended before the Institute-level Examining Committee

VIETNAM NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CULTURE AND ARTS STUDIES

32 Hao Nam, O Cho Dua, Dong Da, Hanoi

At ...... (hhddmmyyyy)

The dissertation could be looked up at:

- Vietnam National Library

- Library of Vietnam National Institute of Culture and Arts Studies 1 INTRODUCTION 1. Rationale Painting creation is a creative process that manifests the personality of the creator. An artwork delivers the artist’s message to viewers through the expression of painting language. Depending on each viewer’s , the message would imply different meaning and it is difficult to explain why. Therefore questions have been raised that why a painting with fairly eye-catching figurative depiction could be worthless in terms of transferring messages and artistic value, and conversely, why many artworks with several irrational points could have strong attraction to viewers? Why famous artists still have unsuccessful works? And why to the same artwork, each viewer may have different ? These typical issues lead to the crypticity in painting, making them difficult to interpret in terms of theory. Therefore, it becomes necessary to view painting from science’s perspective to have more thorough understanding. I understand that knowledge is the fundamental of science, whereas feeling is the basis of art, which varies in each individual. In doing a painting, along with thinking, finding ideas and establishing style, inspiration plays an important role. To achieve success in art creation, besides knowledge from study and society, whether there is strong motivation of psychological forms of artistic creation? This question has me think of the fact that a painting can be created in a higher level of efficiency when there is inspiration that triggers of the painter. This state of inspiration is a known form of artistic inspiration, which however has rarely been discussed so far. In the field of theory and criticism of fine arts in Vietnam, at a certain point, it is necessary to use the multi-disciplinary as a new approach. In practice, a number of practitioners are falling short of fully realizing their own styles and ideas in creating art, as they may suffer from the lack of theoretical bases. 2 Therefore, the practice of theory and criticism of fine arts is of particular importance in orienting social artistic tastes, contributing to artists’ creation progress and also revealing the falsity of some minor groups that run under the name of “art” but actually mislead the society about the creativity value of painting creation. I have recognized that the theory of painting in Vietnam usually focuses on fine arts history, or fine arts studies based on figurative languages and figuration. None of the documents has mentioned about inspiration in painting creation and its impacts on the performance of artistic language in a painting. It again raises another question that whether it is highly necessary for the theory of painting in Vietnam to have basic theory researches? From the issues above, a research about the inspiration of artists has become crucial for theory of painting in particular and for theory of fine arts in general. There must be a new approach to have better understanding about artists and their works. This has motivated me to do the dissertation titled: Artistic Inspiration in Painting Creation. 2. Aims and Objectives of the study With the help of scientific theories of inspiration, artistic inspiration and artistic inspiration in painting creation with theory of painting, through artists and artworks, I aim to find out the existence, expression and efficiency of artistic inspiration in painting creation. Hence, a multi-disciplinary approach for theory of painting research is formed. 3. Objects and scope of the study 3.1 Object of the study Objectives of the dissertation are artistic inspiration, spiritual factors of the artists, their inner feelings when doing a painting, the forming process and final performance of languages and artistic styles in the painting.

3 3.2 Scope and content of the study The study area is Vietnam modern painting, especially after the time of the government’s implementation of “Doi Moi” policy. Main investigated objectives are artists who are living and working in Hanoi. These participants are considered the representatives for artists’ generations and styles. Specifically, those artists who were awarded arts prizes or young artists who have distinguishing art styles will be focused. 4. Hypothesis of the study During painting creation process, the artists often experience a special psychological state, which is called artistic inspiration. This form of inspiration is caused by either external factors (outer context) or internal factors (artists’ inner feeling), and it usually manifests on the artworks. Hence inspiration is a vital factor that has significant influence on the success of an artwork. 5. Methods of the study This paper aggregates, collects scientific arguments in fine arts research (Mỹ thuật học) and other fields related to the topic; uses multidisciplinary method to analyze and compare to link other scientific evidences to theory of fine arts; picks up fieldwork method, studies artists and their works; uses methods of sociological investigation and method of argument and proving. 6. The scientific and practical significance of the study The dissertation - Is the first research project in Vietnam specifically focusing on artistic inspiration in painting creation, addressing the issue of theory of painting in the light of multi-disciplinary approach. - Contributes to establish a basic theory of painting for evaluating the value of artworks and artists’ efforts, lists all forms of artistic inspiration and its impacts on artists during the painting process, and proves the efficiency of artistic inspiration in artworks. 4 - Provides evidences to factors that influence artistic inspiration in painting to have a strong base to evaluate artworks. 7. Literature review 7.1. Literature from different disciplines There are studies in , aesthetics, art research (Nghệ thuật học) that also mention AI, such as studies of Kant, Hegel, Belinski, Pospelov, Vygotsky, Chu Quang Tiem, etc. The physiological studies have researched about inspiration, of in artistic activities, such as those of Freud, Gardner. In the field of literacy theory, there are studies of inspiration and its role in composing process, such as those of Xaytlin, Arnaudov, Kravchenko, etc. 7.2. Literature from fine arts discipline In the light of theory of painting, this dissertation shares some ideas with Kandinsky’s 1912 text Concerning the spiritual in art. Other studies on inspiration are only based on fine arts research (Mỹ thuật học), not seen from several perspectives as in this paper. 7.3. Some conclusions In view of theory and perception, philosophical art theories have unveiled the mystery of the essence of art creation with the help of examining and analyzing methods. Former studies have referred to inspiration or as it has effects on the ideas of artworks. However, these studies have not examined inspiration’s role in the inner feelings of artists, especially the unconsciousness. From the perspective of methodology, studies on of creativity and art have enhanced my understanding about mental factors that impact artists’ creation of art, relationships between inspiration and several factors: inner life, the subconscious, level of education as well as spiritual strength, instinct and talent. There have not been any document studying theories of painting through artistic inspiration. From the viewpoint of identifying and classifying types of artistic inspiration in painting, in fact, inspiration in art has been categorized in some 5 ways. Hence, classification of inspiration based on the process of art creation is first seen in this dissertation. 8. Design of the study Apart from the introduction (19 pages), conclusion (4 pages), bibliography (11 pages) and appendix (53 pages), the main content is divided into 4 chapters: - Chapter 1: Rationale for artistic inspiration in painting creation (32 pages) - Chapter 2: Agents of inspiration in panting creation (27 pages) - Chapter 3: Artistic inspiration in painting creation (34 pages) - Chapter 4: Effects of artistic inspiration in painting creation (26 pages) CONTENT Chapter 1: RATIONALE FOR ARTISTIC INSPIRATION IN PAINTING CREATION 1.1 Notion of artistic inspiration 1.1.1 Definition of artistic inspiration I have defined inspiration by using dictionaries from different fields such as philosophy, Vietnamese language, culture and literary. Other sources come from researchers and artists such as: Kant, Hegel, Pushkin, Pospelov, Belinsky, Paustovsky, Opshianhikov, Tchaikovsky etc. In general, inspiration is defined as the climax state of creativity in human beings which offers people significant advantage in creative activities and provides the human senses with the most effective mechanism of perception. Artistic inspiration is a sudden burst of positive activities in artists’ inner life as well as in the expression of artworks. It has a logical relation with the power of intellect, a practice of artistic thinking. Inspiration is the mental state at the highest level of tense in both the mind and the physical body. 1.1.2 Opinions on inspiration in art creation Artistic inspiration in painting creation associates with intellect, ability and aptitude. With particular conditions, artistic inspiration often comes unexpectedly. 6 Artistic inspiration provides a great context for artistic creating. Inspiration and creative imagination share a reciprocal relationship, promoting each other during painting process. An artwork can demonstrate better when it is created in inspirational state than in rational state. 1.2. Artistic inspiration in painting 1.2.1. Definition of artistic inspiration in painting According to studied documents, artistic inspiration is often called Inspiration. It is an academic term which is used to describe the emotion and mood of an artist when producing art, affecting their thinking and creating processes. By collecting information and applying it to theory of painting, it is possible to define artistic inspiration as positive mental or spiritual state of practitioners during the creative thinking and creating processes. This state directly influences the forming and expression of painting languages, fostering the value of an artwork. 1.2.2. Opinions on artistic inspiration in painting creation Judgment and evaluation of artistic inspiration in painting creation and its influence are mostly the same as artistic inspiration in general. However, in painting, all researches have focused on spiritual factor of artists such as immersed , sublimation when holding the brush; concerned inner life, inner impulse or the subconscious of artists; mentioned inspiration with the ugliness, etc. Especially inspiration could happen without notice and artists might not be aware of its existence. Additionally, intellect always accompanies with inspiration. 1.3. Classification of artistic inspiration during painting creation 1.3.1 Rationale for classifying artistic inspiration in the dissertation Artistic inspiration can be classified based on two main principles: - The scientific thinking process and the in exploring the science of figuration, which associate with intellectual work and scholarly creativity and can be generated from subjective awareness of artists. 7 - The mind, feeling, inner impulse, or the narrative of artists performed on his/her own work, which can be considered to originate from Freud's based on unconscious activities. 1.3.2 Typical kinds of artistic inspiration I have identified five types of artistic inspiration (by tables) including active artistic inspiration and passive artistic inspiration regarding the principles above. 1.3.2.1. Inspiration with objective reality In the active form, this is a kind of inspiration occurring frequently in creative activities. The process is illustrated as below.

Table 1: Demonstration of active inspiration with reality. In the passive form, inspiration takes place due to the attractiveness of objects which induces artists immediately to gain inspiration:

Table 2: Demonstration of passive inspiration with reality 1.3.2.2. Inspiration with the discovery of materials and techniques This kind of inspiration comes when artists explore the effects of materials or techniques in painting. Sometimes it becomes a target in painting:

Table 3: Demonstration of inspiration with materials and techniques 1.3.2.3. Inspiration with the demand of language innovation in painting creation This is active inspiration which occurs when an artist constantly looks for a new objective, for example, a new style: 8

Table 4: Demonstration of inspiration with the demand of language innovation 1.3.2.4. Inspiration with interior life of artists In the active, inspiration occurs when a painter intentionally narrates his or her own stories and depicts feelings on the painting:

Table 5: Demonstration of active inspiration with the interior life of artists In the passive, practitioners cannot control their inspiration as it comes from the unconsciousness. Experience, intellect and academic knowledge are often activated automatically:

Table 6: Demonstration of passive inspiration with inner feelings of artists 1.3.2.5. Inspiration with in-process artworks In active form, the objective here is new performance of the expression of artistic language on painting surface when drawing:

Table 7: Demonstration of active inspiration with in-process artworks In passive form, practitioners are directly influenced by the works which they are doing. The paintings motivate artists without their notice. This state is called inspiration.

Table 8: Demonstration of passive inspiration with in-process artworks

9 1.4 General context of painting and the artists in the dissertation 1.4.1. Historical context relating to artistic inspiration in painting creation - In the case of Vietnamese history, especially in Hanoi, artists are free to compose art. The growing number of themes blending into culture and society bring about unprecedented results in Vietnam fine arts. Painting has become a real career as an artwork is also a "good". Artists can live and draw freely. - Concerning opportunities for artists to further study, besides academic knowledge in school, artists have also gained knowledge from the outside. Hence the artistic talents have chances of studying and developing, which provide them with a fine background to get inspiration for mastering artistic language and figuration techniques. - In terms of learning and international interaction, especially after integration policies, Hanoi is a great place for artists to keep up with new trends of postmodernism in the world, motivating artists’ thoughts and ideas. These advantages are rarely seen in other regions. - Although art market appears rather immature and lacks of professionalism, it has been growing gradually. A lot of artists have become millionaires, thus they have invested heavily in art. There are several galleries in Hanoi, some of which are established based on developed countries’ gallery models. Some collectors have also become more and more supportive to this market. 1.4.2 The participants (artists) in the dissertation Selected artists are representatives for different periods of time, different styles and movements. They have achieved official awards from the Vietnam Fine Arts Association or international organizations. They have also been well known by experts and had certain influence in the field of painting. These artists living in Hanoi, such as: Nguyen Tu Nghiem, Tran Luu Hau, Nguyen Thu, Huy Oanh, Le Huy Tiep, Le Anh Van. Le Quang Ha, Nguyen Duong Đinh, Đang Xuan Hoa, 10 Pham Ngoc Minh, Đinh Y Nhi, Đinh Tham Poong, Pham Binh Chuong, Đao Quoc Huy, Tran Van Đuc, Vu Đinh Tuan. Mai Duy Minh, Ngo Van Sac, Ha Manh Thang, Pham Tuan Tu etc. had face-to-face interviews with me. In addition, some famous artists of previous generations were also studied through the documents. Studying the participants helps support the feasibility of the study and does not aim to evaluate their artistic value. Conclusion Artistic inspiration is a mental state which occurs within artists during creating art. It has a positive impact on figurations and figurative language. Artistic inspiration plays a vital role in enhancing the effectiveness of the delivery of emotion and value of an artwork. There are different views on AI, but overall, they all come to the same point that artistic inspiration can determine the success of a painting and it performs on the painting. I have used information from different areas such as psychology, artistic philosophy as the reasons to prove the existence of artistic inspiration in painting creation. In terms of classifying artistic inspiration, there are different ways to sort and name types of inspiration depending on the approach used. Because this paper has revealed only five kinds of artistic inspiration under the active and the passive forms, several aspects have not been covered yet. In the case of the general social context of Vietnam from “Doi Moi” era on, the dissertation has mentioned those factors that impact thinking and emotion of artists, those that have direct influence on the forming of artistic inspiration in the reality of modern society. Chapter 2: AGENTS OF ARTISTIC INSPIRATION IN ART CREATION 2.1. Agents from knowledge background 2.1.1 Agents from basic knowledge It is argued that art reflects the individual and generation, and is considered as the pinnacle of culture; therefore, basic knowledge of artists is of significant 11 importance. At any time, knowledge always acts as an initiative for creativity. A single work of an individual usually does not verify this statement, yet from a broader view of his or her career, it is shown very clearly. In some cases, while cultural factors may have unnoticed impact on artworks, artists can actively gain inspiration from their well-developed knowledge. 2.1.2 Agents from painting knowledge Art is the ability of practicing rather than of understanding the theory. It represents the qualities, experiences, skills as well as empirical knowledge of a professional in painting. These agents are related to specialized talents, training process and artistic activities. 2.2 Agents from cultural and historical context 2.2.1 Agents from cultural context In practice, culture and religion become objectively and unconsciously perceived in human mind. But when being expressed in a work, they represent for nationalism and era. As in this dissertation, local culture has invisible influence in artists. In general, a nation with a strong base of philosophy and religion usually demonstrates highly developed art, reflecting distinguishing features of art. 2.2.2 Agents from historical context An individual cannot choose his or her own society, but can only decide who he or she wants to become in that society. Although this decision seems rather active, it is somehow affected by history of the society regardless of how strong or weak the impact is. History of art represents the fullest and truest characteristics of the era. It is suggested that historical context always affects artistic inspiration at any period of time. 2.3 Agents from interior life of artists AI is always associated with life, mental health, personality and subjective inner feelings of artists. The inner contributes significantly to establishing the reputation of an artist. Freud and psychoanalysis with the story of the libido and 12 the unconsciousness as well as psychological experiments have pointed out how schizophrenia state has influenced human being. They assert that artists are the ones who deal with schizophrenia and possess better creativity than people who do not experience this mental state. This issue concerns the objective unconscious. Conclusion In this chapter, I have conducted the analysis by separating the agents that impact artistic inspiration. However, it can be seen that there is a very close relationship between these agents. For instance, in cultural context, living experience which affects the general cultural understanding as well as personality may associate with knowledge and practice; or in other word, it relates to education background. According to the idea that talent or natural skills are unable to learn, they are the attributes of an individual that totally depend on that person. On the other hand, some scholars claim that talents are gained through the progress of practicing and hardworking. Therefore, I have addressed above issues based on two ways: Subjectively speaking, to some extent, human can predict a part of their future thanks to general and specialized knowledge, hardworking - the inputs (as I call them) that are controlled rationally. Those are called subjective factors which are requisite for the personality of an artist, determining the development of art creation in the artist’s career. These are elements which contribute to making scientific intelligence which is measured by IQ (Intelligence quotient). This measurable index implies the adaptability and responsiveness of human beings. Objectively speaking, the artist is a particular product which represents the image of culture and society, especially the individual ego. Due to the invisible factors which impact artists, the so-called inputs are basically uncontrolled. I assume that those objective and unconscious elements greatly affects artists’ 13 emotion, which is measured by EQ (Emotional quotient), the index implying ’ emotional reactions. When analyzing inspiration of artists, the agents are found to have a close relationship with each other, or they can even be prerequisites for one another. Therefore, when applying the theory to practical research, there would only be a general conclusion without particular sections as when studying basic theories. The mentioned agents above actually create two different types of intellect, forming artistic values which include all science, rationality, . Together they result in art creation – (particular) artworks.

Chapter 3: ARTISTIC INSPIRATION’S PERFORMANCE IN PAINTING CREATION 3.1. Inspiration with objective reality 3.1.1. Active inspiration with objective reality It is psychologically proven that human vision does not operate like cameras do. Indeed, most of what we see is perceived under our assumptions, which are made through learning in life. This is the active form of artistic inspiration when artists actively discover and study the objects to find a method of their art creation and to set specific goals for techniques to be used and final results. Active inspiration usually exists in painters who are calm and science-oriented. Artists also investigate objects from realistic and thematic perspectives, while their works are still based on “unrealistic” figuration. 3.1.2. Passive inspiration with objective reality Artists own the inspiration to discover and capture distinctive characteristics of objects. For example, passive inspiration comes when a painter suddenly sees a magnificent scene of dawn light and finds the inspiration to draw. This form of inspiration commonly comes to artists who are open-minded and psychologically affected by artistic objects. In fact, direct painting artists frequently gain this source of 14 inspiration when experiencing “sublimation”, producing expressive and typical portraits or capturing fortuitous moments to create artworks. 3.2. Inspiration with the discovery of materials and techniques In fine arts, skills and techniques are crucial and acquired through learning and practicing, not naturally possessed. It can be a source of inspiration such as the urge to explore the harmony of colors or some desired techniques that artists are looking to. This is the active form of inspiration that artists actively set targets. This form of inspiration can demonstrate the effectiveness of the use of attained skills and techniques on the painting. Some artists may have great expertise in basic knowledge and be tied to technical-inclined way of creation with theoretical learning, making the artworks lack of aesthetic . 3.3. Inspiration with the need of innovating language in art creation The to innovate fine art language is the clearest evidence of creativity. It can stir up sources of creative inspiration robustly and generate aspiration from language of art and keep passion an ongoing course. This process often signifies the stage of changing styles or figurative motifs, or better, the fundamental change of artistic idea in a positive way. 3.4. Inspiration with innermost feelings of artists 3.4.1. Active inspiration with inner feelings In art creation, one of the greatest achievements is to successfully deliver the performance of artists’ ego. Experience has formed internal personalities of artists, drawing the distinctiveness of their inner lives. Art creation is the process ended with the decision to depict an object with its own figurative nature. This decision is based on subjective inner feelings; thus, paintings may be undone due to the lack of artistic inspiration. 3.4.2. Passive inspiration with innermost feelings Inner impulse, an unconscious thought process, is the most important composition of art creating process, which can help enhance the expressiveness of 15 the artwork. Painting not only tells the story that artists want to convey but also reflects the artists’ true selves that they might not even realize. In this case, art objects are not intentionally engaged with the meaning of artworks but unknowingly reveal artists’ - the unconscious experience. Therefore, art objects carry emotions and sentiments of the painters. 3.5. Inspiration with artworks in process 3.5.1. Active inspiration with artworks As we have known, several paintings are made-to-order yet stupendous in terms of artistic value, such as The Sistine chapel ceiling of Michelangelo. In this case, I assume that the artists themselves have to find inspiration within the works they are creating since the fact that assigned theme or even “bothersome” demand can be a hindrance to freedom and inspiration in art creation. Artists interact with their paintings, which can engender a touch of inspiration through emerging details during the process of painting. Artists with stable art styles usually have series of similar paintings. Looking at how they work on numerous paintings just like in doing one, I suppose that each painting can only be a work of art when it contains a source of artistic inspiration to make art production a creative process. 3.5.2. Passive inspiration with artworks Artists sometimes can have a defined idea of the painting when they first start to work on it, or even visualize it already. Yet, the painting during creation may arouse artists’ unprecedented feelings. At this point, unexpected outcomes may be achieved. Artists reach inspirational state drawn by the art’s spiritual. The development of inspiration with in-process artworks sometimes leads to the decision to change the initial plan into doing a whole new painting, and even provokes fresh ideas for the next piece of art. Practitioners with open-minded and flexible art styles tend to experience this situation when they are not able to determine the context and partly rely on miracle factor, which refers to unexpected favorable events to come. Conclusion 16 To fulfill the objectives of this chapter, I have used practical data collected from face-to-face interviews of artists, questionnaire results, analyses and arguments to prove the existence of five forms of inspiration mentioned in this paper. I cannot provide all data I have gathered due to limited space. Nonetheless, I I have clarified some highlighted points including: - Affirming the existence of five types of inspiration with objective/subjective and active/passive forms. - Indicating some particular performance of inspiration using sociological data and representative artists, artworks in order to exemplify the ideas of this chapter. Artistic inspiration in creating art is the state of inspiration arising/gained during the process of art creation, is the psychological and emotional factors that directly the whole proceeding and painting language from the starting point of forming figurative ideas to the point of processing art language to represent its effectiveness in works of art. - That representatives of surveyed objects meet the criteria mentioned in the introduction of this paper qualifies as the objectiveness and representativeness for a theory research. Theories of fine arts, in fact, cannot be entirely separated. For that reason, one representative is able to analyze all forms of inspiration introduced in this paper. I have studied all investigated objects (artists) from different research perspectives, specifically focusing on prominent points of them. Chapter 4: EFFECTS OF ARTISTIC INSPIRATION IN PAINTING CREATION 4.1. Effects of inspiration with reality on figuration Artists can find inspiration from analyzing figurative factors of objects to come up with an idea for painting; or they can be greatly affected by those objects, which encourage impulsive artistic creativity; or sometimes, artists may lose control and paint unconsciously. All the inspirational states associated with painting objects bring about acknowledgement of figurative effects, which are 17 experiential, repetitive, systematically and methodically perceived. They also provide artists and painting with profound knowledge. Practitioners doing reality-based paintings may be too engaged in depicting subjects and performing techniques, which can result in decreasing artistic value. Therefore, I focus on these artists to find out the nature of art creativity and contribution of artist. With different artistic styles, effects in terms of figuration can be evaluated, though it may be considered emotionally biased because effectiveness is the matter of quality, not quantity. It is even more difficult to evaluate visual realistic arts, such as an emotional portrait that tends to be rather spiritually provoked than figuratively elaborated. 4.2. Effects of inspiration with materials and techniques on the practice of painting This part concerns two major types of inspiration. The first one is inspiration with materials and techniques that stimulates breakthrough creativity in using painting techniques. The second type is a source of inspiration that shifts techniques to a new level of art. In the light of the expressiveness of materials’ surfaces, artists become intentionally negligent over the making of materials and seek for the miraculous reactions of color media instead. According to investigation and personal experience, while lacquering, practitioners always observe and await favorable outcomes (even unexpectedly successful outcomes). Embossing technique in lacquer paint used in Nguyen Khang’s Trinh Quoc Chien’s and Vu Nhat Thang’s paintings or attaching details in paintings’ surfaces as Nguyen Van Chuyen, Nguyen Quang Duc, and other artists’ have done can produce direct outcomes on artworks. Those are considered inspiration with materials. Inspiration with techniques has brought remarkable success to artist Vu Dinh Tuan in silk painting. His paintings contain “solidified” and unblurred parts. 18 He leaves the background unpainted while objects are colored intensively and vividly. Vibrant colors or color fixing techniques are almost only used for small details. With his new method, Tuan has offered a different way of application in silk painting. As he said, using traditional techniques in small scales and elaborating on new approach have proved noticeably effective. 4.3. Effects of inspiration with innovating figurative language on art styles While some artists in Vietnam have become almost settled with one defined style that is conformable to the majority’s aesthetic preferences and tastes, others are always eager to refresh and develop themselves. Looking at two paintings titled Thanh Giong of artist Nguyen Tu Nghiem, the evolvement in the figuration of the horse can be seen clearly. There is a fundamental change from fluent curves as seen in carving masterpieces of Vietnamese pagodas to sharp strokes that carry the peasantry spirit of “đình làng” (communal houses) in the countryside. The harmony of colors is also marked with considerable change. Red, yellow and black were the main colors that artist used in the 1982 painting, resembling the solemnity and grandeur of Vietnamese pagodas. The 1990 painting was, instead, filled with the sense of rusticity using simple colors, affected by old wooden communal houses’ carving art made by country craftsmen – the peasants. Inspiration from the yearning for true nature of sculpture art on communal houses has contributed to artist Nguyen Tu Nghiem’s success in figuration in his paintings. Unique figuration techniques in the painting Chien luy have signified the innovation in art creation of artist Le Anh Van. A war painting with no signs of enemies or battlefield, still and all, shows the sense of indomitable spirit in the event of war preparation due to the use of horizontal arrangement with vertical alignment of objects and firm tube-shaped figures. The appearance of altar’s lamp base, which according to artist is the symbol of Hanoi fortress, has attracted viewers’ attention over the painting. In addition, artist stated that he was also 19 influenced by the image of his father – a soldier with the familiar Vietnamese military flak vest and garrison cap. Since the 1990s, many artists have gained great success through paintings that deliver the sense of innocent Vietnamese folklore spirit. Artist Dang Xuan Hoa’s paintings are done in a traditional way of distribution of forms, figuration and pattern decoration. He often uses the color red of lotus flowers – the Vietnamese traditional red, instead of any other red or black. Artist Dao Quoc Huy in his painting Nguoi giay has a different approach. He draws silent people walking with their faces turned away in order to depict emotionless human beings. The arrangement with lots of square shapes, vertical lines and butterfly images emphasize the sense of obscurity and vagueness. The objects (humans) are all the same, making them seem like clones of one another and carry no value of individuality. This distinctive art style is clear evidence for inspiration to find a new way of expressing art language in painting. 4.4. Effects of inspiration with artists’ inner feelings on expressiveness of paintings In the light of innermost feelings, paintings can be regarded portraits of inner personalities of artists. Artist Tran Trung Tin in 2014 exhibition in Hanoi had some paintings of ordinary life in resistance war period such as the painting of a Hanoi girl with the rifle. With the “funeral of the bird” story and the “Vietnamese boat people” occurrence being painted on photo-printing papers, artist has successfully expressed his ideas and feelings about the events though photo papers produce less effective results than newsprints do. As mentioned previously, artist Le Huy Tiep has many paintings of , as he states that to him is a good context for art creation. All objects in his painting seem quiet and vague, carrying unexplainable . Thus, artist’s inner feelings have been revealed in his artworks. 20 Artist Vu Dinh Tuan says females are the main idea of his paintings due to the sense of sexual attraction and feelings. The story of the kerosene lamp exists in the subconscious, making his art full of his own self and ego. It also represents the practice of unconscious creativity. Inspiration from the inner side helps artist express himself on paintings. To artist Pham Tuan Tu, strong memories and about “Tứ phủ” religion (the Four Palaces religion) and genders obsess him, making him differ from any other for his inner mental strength and ego. 4.5. Unexpected effects of inspiration on artworks while in process Referring to my previous point, artists do not always have ideas already for painting when they start working on it. They sometimes count on unforeseeable states that draw inspiration. It can happen when artists run out of ideas or when they intentionally draw without sketching and find inspiration from the ongoing painting itself. As artists produce paintings, paintings react to artists, drawing inspiration for them. Depending on artists’ professional qualifications and targets, they can recognize possible effects on paintings or accidentally capture interesting points that help them maintain inspiration for perfecting their artworks. Practitioners can sometimes be even unaware of artistic effects on the paintings they are working on because it is beyond their concern and ability. A typical case is that ideas are formed and visualized beforehand but cannot be expressed on paintings’ surface unless artists gain great inspiration. For example, when an artist is drawing an abstract painting with motifs and structures like Pollock, he or she must be waiting for messages sent from the painting through colors and strokes. The painting can be finished very soon thanks to unexpected amazing achievement, but it can also be a long struggle with colors and strokes. Artist Tran Luu Hau’s paintings show a complete escape from reality and yet reveal the nature of the real life. The tree trunks in his paintings are not like 21 what we see in reality, but usually are thick strokes of one color such as vivid red or dark blue painted with purely intuitive senses. Artist draws as he wanders in the nature, bringing the touch of innocence to abstract art. Artist Pham Ngoc Minh sketches a lot before doing a real painting. His paintings do not contain many details, for they can be simply images of girls. Hence, inspiration comes directly from the painting’ surface as artist is drawing on it. He sensitively and precisely notices signals sent back from the painting itself. Unlike Pham Ngoc Minh, artist Tran Van Duc does not draft or use any information on papers. He only uses images in his memory to be completely free with his paintings, which give him spontaneous inspiration. Sometimes, all immediate effects eventually result in a piece of art that is totally different from what he thought earlier. He owes his inspiration fully to his artworks. Conclusion Artistic results, figurative language and expressive value cannot be entirely separated when studying theories of painting as well as when identifying agents affecting artistic inspiration. With specific purposes of this dissertation, I have attempted to set apart these subjects and avoid repetition of which in close relationship. Besides, I have given only some representatives of each issue. Therefore, a lot of interesting information has not been published due to irrelevance to dissertation’s aims or lack of verification. This chapter shows how artistic inspiration influences artworks. In an effort to improve the value of reality-based artworks, I focus on studying effects of inspiration in terms of figuration. Referring to inspiration with the desire to discover new way of expressing language of art, I have given some examples of successful artists and paintings in Vietnam. This kind of inspiration yields results that artists have expected. Unlikely, when studying inspiration from inner feelings, I have managed to find prominent representatives with very clear 22 characteristics that help affirm the impacts of this form of inspiration. I have tried to relate artists’ actual ideas expressed in their interviews to what their ideas are considered to be as seen in their paintings. However, as dissertation results have indicated, to interpret artists’ inner feelings from their paintings requires emotion- biased judgment. This is a tough nut to crack when it comes to science aspect, but is easily evaluated with and personal view. Lastly, mentioning inspiration with artworks, I regard paintings that are unfinished and still in the process of creation. At this point, artists express their lifetime experience of emotional inspiration on their paintings. As artist Bui Xuan Phai have said, an artist draws as a drunk but judges as a teetotaler. Thus, the harder artists work, the more sensitive and perceptive they become. They develop through experience, not knowledge. I use dialectical method and analyze paintings to answer the questions set for this chapter, and hence, fulfill the main purpose that is to identify effects of artistic inspiration within the scope of this dissertation and some discoveries in mentioned paintings. There are several issues under consideration but unannounced due to inadequate scientific base. CONCLUSION This dissertation has resulted in new discoveries, including: 1. From the perspective of research method, studies on the theories of painting have been done using a multidisciplinary approach. This method was rarely used in theories of painting before; however, the relationships between different science areas are growing more vital. I suppose that this dissertation can contribute to the development of studies on theories of painting involving several areas of sciences. 2. In the light of taking artistic inspiration as a matter of painting theories, this paper has been produced on the basis of philosophical and art theories as well as science of arts and human. Earlier studies on inspiration in art 23 are mostly carried out based on the understanding of artists’ beginning ideas that generate artistic visual and expressiveness. This dissertation, on the other hand, relies on the relationship between artists and motives as well as the process of painting creation to verify undeniable presence of inspiration in the aspect of artists’ . Therefore, I assume that this dissertation has taken a new approach to study about artistic inspiration. 3. Starting with identifying some external and internal agents that affect artists’ emotion and influence the and effects of artistic inspiration in painting, this dissertation has determined five types of artistic inspiration in active and passive forms or, in other words, conscious and unconscious forms. I assume that to some degree this result has explained reasons behind artistic effectiveness and success of paintings, which experts have easily noticed but had difficulty in pursuing appropriate science-based clarification. This conclusion also acts as a theory basis to analyze and justify unexpected outcomes of painting process, which are considered to derive from the subconscious. With the multidisciplinary approach, previously allegedly invisible, inaccessible and avoided factors can now be clarified to some extent. 4. In view of applicability, I suppose this dissertation has made a modest contribution to assess artists and artworks, especially in the case that painting theory framework may not be helpful. For instance, in the practice of evaluation of artists’ creation based on instinctive nature, innocence or untaught art background, using such multidisciplinary method as in this paper can be more effective than doing critical knowledge from within fine arts area. The adoption of theories of artistic inspiration can assess the true nature and inside feelings of artists, reducing the chance of misperception due to subjective opinions. Additionally, that good luck or inner resources become effective when being motivated by factors mentioned in this paper (reality, materials and techniques, language of art, inner feelings and artworks) can also explain 24 unexpected success in painting. Artistic inspiration improves the effectiveness of art language in painting to change the process from drawing ideas, processing language of painting to applying all elements to paintings into the creative process of producing artworks. It demonstrates the realization of artists’ inner feelings on their paintings’ surfaces. 5. I suppose that artists can adopt ideas from this dissertation to solve problems in their painting activities. With five specific types of artistic inspiration resulted from thorough studies, depending on different agents, each factor or input data brings about artistic values that can be seen on the works of art. 6. Due to the mystery of creation process and the variety of artworks’ expressiveness, this dissertation acts as a starting point for further studies regarding theories of painting. It also offers a new approach, coming to some conclusions in the initial stage of the topic. I suggest future studies include: continuing to use multidisciplinary approach to complete theories of artistic inspiration particularly in painting and generally in fine arts; expanding scope of studies to increase the degree of reliability, making the studies a valuable resource for theories and history of painting as well as fine arts; applying dissertation conclusions to theories of fine arts and history of Vietnam’s fine arts.

LIST OF PUBLICATIONS RELATED TO THE DISSERATION WRITTEN BY THE DOTORAL CANDIDATE

1. Pham Van Tuyen (2013), “A form of inspiration in painting”, Theory and Criticism of Literature and Art Journal, number 11, p.51-54 2. Pham Van Tuyen (2013), “Theory of painting from a multidisciplinary approach”, Culture and Arts Magazine, number 350, p.91- 94 3. Pham Van Tuyen (2014), “Effects of traditional fine arts on modern fine arts”, Culture and Arts Magazine, number 357, p.52-56 4. Pham Van Tuyen (2014), “Post-impressionism – From a multidisciplinary approach”, Theory and Criticism of Literature and Art Journal, number 19, p.26-33 5. Pham Van Tuyen (2014), “Discussion about artistic inspiration of Nguyễn Sáng through the painting Kết nạp Đảng ở Điện Biên Phủ”, Theory and Criticism of Literature and Art Journal, number 21, p.15-17 6. Pham Van Tuyen (2014), “The mountainous spirit of artist Nguyễn Thụ”, Theory and Criticism of Literature and Art Journal, number 27, p.73-75 7. Pham Van Tuyen (2015), “Artistic inspiration of artists”, Culture and Arts Magazine, number 367, p.67-71