{"id":7259,"date":"2026-03-09T05:24:39","date_gmt":"2026-03-09T05:24:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/?p=7259"},"modified":"2026-03-09T05:31:51","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T05:31:51","slug":"a-chronicle-of-the-sewing-hands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/a-chronicle-of-the-sewing-hands\/","title":{"rendered":"A chronicle of the sewing hands"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Among the many themes of modern Vietnamese painting \u2013 from landscapes and portraits to still lifes \u2013 the iconography of women embroidering and sewing evolves along a luminous narrative thread of its own, one that is both ordinary and evocative. More than a familiar scene of daily life, it touches the innermost emotions of the viewer by the power that lies in the harmony between movement and stillness, between labouring hands and contemplative faces, and between the tender light of the domestic space and the quiet silhouette of a woman.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">For many generations, one would often see in old Northern Vietnamese houses a <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">grandmother, a mother, or an elder sister mending clothes, knitting, or embroidering <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">scarves. It was a private world where women gathered together, working with their hands while chatting away or confiding in each other. Thus, upon entering into this space to observe and record, a painter, often male, tends to leave a special presence. They become both witness and keeper of an intimate, feminine moment. Perhaps this is why depictions of sewing and embroidery in modern Vietnamese painting so often radiate a sense of closeness and familiarity, as if opening a small door unveiling moments of calm and gentle admiration for women\u2019s patience and quiet perseverance.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"uppercase\"><b>When art meets embroidery<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In <strong>\u201cThe Seamstresses\u201d (1930)<\/strong> by Nguyen Phan Chanh, four women sit closely together in a wooden house, their posture quiet yet steadfast. Each of their heads is bent down, and each pair of hands is steadily sewing,\u00a0 forming a closed, rhythmic cadence of a song of labour. The simple composition, rendered with precision in muted browns and greys, evokes the authenticity of rural life while highlighting the beauty of persistence and devotion.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_7260\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7260\" style=\"width: 1532px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-7260 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1.-Nguyen-Phan-Chanh.png\" alt=\"Nguyen Phan Chanh, \u201cSeamstresses at work (Les Couturi\u00e8res)\u201d, (1930), ink and gouache on silk, 65.5 x 88cm. Photo: Christie\u2019s.\" width=\"1532\" height=\"1156\" srcset=\"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1.-Nguyen-Phan-Chanh.png 1532w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1.-Nguyen-Phan-Chanh-300x226.png 300w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1.-Nguyen-Phan-Chanh-1024x773.png 1024w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1.-Nguyen-Phan-Chanh-768x580.png 768w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1.-Nguyen-Phan-Chanh-1200x905.png 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1532px) 100vw, 1532px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-7260\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nguyen Phan Chanh, \u201cSeamstresses at work (Les Couturi\u00e8res)\u201d, (1930), ink and gouache on silk, 65.5 x 88cm. Photo: Christie\u2019s.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mai Trung Thu, in several silk paintings from the 1940s, often portrayed young women in ao dai sitting beside sewing baskets, their posture and gestures refined, associated with the purity of the soul. In \u201c<strong>The sewing lesson\u201d (1944)<\/strong>, in which an elder sister teaches her younger sibling to sew, the familiar poetry of his art is illuminated by the cheerful eagerness of children gathering against the backdrop of childhood innocence. This ordinary scene becomes a subtle metaphor for the continuity of life, evoking echoes of a pure melody from childhood memories.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_7261\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7261\" style=\"width: 1420px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-7261 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/2.-hires-Mai-Trung-Thu-Lop-Hoc-Theu.png\" alt=\"Mai Trung Thu, \u201cThe sewing lesson (La Le\u00e7on de couture)\u201d (1944), ink and gouache on silk, 47 x 35 cm. Photo: Gazette.\" width=\"1420\" height=\"1760\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/2.-hires-Mai-Trung-Thu-Lop-Hoc-Theu.png 1420w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/2.-hires-Mai-Trung-Thu-Lop-Hoc-Theu-242x300.png 242w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/2.-hires-Mai-Trung-Thu-Lop-Hoc-Theu-826x1024.png 826w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/2.-hires-Mai-Trung-Thu-Lop-Hoc-Theu-768x952.png 768w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/2.-hires-Mai-Trung-Thu-Lop-Hoc-Theu-1239x1536.png 1239w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/2.-hires-Mai-Trung-Thu-Lop-Hoc-Theu-1200x1487.png 1200w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1420px) 100vw, 1420px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1420px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1420\/1760;\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-7261\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mai Trung Thu, \u201cThe sewing lesson (La Le\u00e7on de couture)\u201d (1944), ink and gouache on silk, 47 x 35 cm. Photo: Gazette.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Watching someone sew or weave often awakens a primeval feeling within us: a sense of peace and gentleness, as though mankind\u2019s ancient memories of home and of caring hands have been stirred. That sensation is instinctive, and when captured in painting, it is translated by the artist through colours, lights, and rhythms. In <strong>\u201cYoung woman knitting\u201d (c. 1950)<\/strong> by Luong Xuan Nhi, a girl lowers her gaze as slender fingers nimbly knit a dark-toned sweater. The headscarf she wears suggests the chill of an early winter day, yet the entire scene \u2013 immersed in warm yellows, browns, and deep reds, radiates intimacy and quiet serenity for both the sitter and the painter. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In <strong>\u201cFamily in the garden\u201d (1938)<\/strong> by Le Pho, the central figure is a young woman in a white ao dai bathing in light and <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">greenery, her left hand gracefully guiding the needle, her right hand holding a soft scarf. With gentle composure she oversees her household servants, children studying nearby, while still working intently on each stitch. The movements of characters, the leaves and branches swaying in sunlight, etc. all seem to come to a halt as the viewer\u2019s eye rests on her calm act of sewing, the embodiment of a harmonious home.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_7265\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7265\" style=\"width: 2400px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-7265 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ket-hop-1.png\" alt=\"Left: Luong Xuan Nhi, \u201cYoung woman knitting (Jeune femme au tricot)\u201d (c. 1950), oil on canvas, 61 x 46 cm. Photo: Auguttes. Right: Le Pho, \u201cFamily in the garden (La famille dans le jardin)\u201d (1938), oil on canvas, 90 x 130 cm. Photo: Christie\u2019s.\" width=\"2400\" height=\"1699\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ket-hop-1.png 2400w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ket-hop-1-300x212.png 300w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ket-hop-1-1024x725.png 1024w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ket-hop-1-768x544.png 768w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ket-hop-1-1536x1087.png 1536w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ket-hop-1-2048x1450.png 2048w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ket-hop-1-1200x850.png 1200w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 2400px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 2400\/1699;\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-7265\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Left: Luong Xuan Nhi, \u201cYoung woman knitting (Jeune femme au tricot)\u201d (c. 1950), oil on canvas, 61 x 46 cm. Photo: Auguttes. Right: Le Pho, \u201cFamily in the garden (La famille dans le jardin)\u201d (1938), oil on canvas, 90 x 130 cm. Photo: Christie\u2019s.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A particularly touching image is found in <strong>\u201cMother and children on the grass\u201d (1960\u20131965)<\/strong> by Le Thi Luu. A mother sits in a garden, holding her baby while guiding the eldest daughter\u2019s first attempt at sewing beside a basket of cloth and threads. Light falls softly on their faces, and the smile shared between mother and daughter suggests a moment of praise, perhaps for a stitch well made. The tender thread in the child\u2019s hand becomes a symbol of maternal love \u2013 a line that connects generations, carrying warmth and affection across time.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_7267\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7267\" style=\"width: 1304px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-7267 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/5-hires-le-thi-luu.png\" alt=\"Le Thi Luu, \u201cWoman and children\u201d (c. 1960\u20131965), ink and gouache on silk, 99 x 74 cm. Photo: Sotheby\u2019s.\" width=\"1304\" height=\"1730\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/5-hires-le-thi-luu.png 1304w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/5-hires-le-thi-luu-226x300.png 226w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/5-hires-le-thi-luu-772x1024.png 772w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/5-hires-le-thi-luu-768x1019.png 768w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/5-hires-le-thi-luu-1158x1536.png 1158w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/5-hires-le-thi-luu-1200x1592.png 1200w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1304px) 100vw, 1304px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1304px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1304\/1730;\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-7267\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Le Thi Luu, \u201cWoman and children\u201d (c. 1960\u20131965), ink and gouache on silk, 99 x 74 cm. Photo: Sotheby\u2019s.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">At times, everyday life enters paintings with a sudden intimacy. Bui Xuan Phai, in his sketch <strong>\u201cMadame Phai sewing\u201d (1952)<\/strong>, quickly captured the figure of his wife with plain, flowing lines \u2013 unadorned yet heartfelt, preserving a private moment of deep affection. Tran Van Can, in <strong>\u201cGirl sewing\u201d (1969)<\/strong>, portrayed a young girl sewing, her <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">hands steady, her face at once innocent and contemplative. Here, embroidery is not merely labour but a moment of reflection, a glimpse into the inner self.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_7266\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7266\" style=\"width: 1920px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-7266 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ket-hop-2.png\" alt=\"Left: Bui Xuan Phai, \u201cMadame Phai sewing\u201d (1952), graphite sketch. Photo: Witness Collection. Right: Tran Van Can, \u201cGirl sewing\u201d (1969), oil on canvas. Photo: Witness Collection.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1359\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ket-hop-2.png 1920w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ket-hop-2-300x212.png 300w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ket-hop-2-1024x725.png 1024w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ket-hop-2-768x544.png 768w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ket-hop-2-1536x1087.png 1536w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ket-hop-2-1200x849.png 1200w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1920px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1920\/1359;\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-7266\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Left: Bui Xuan Phai, \u201cMadame Phai sewing\u201d (1952), graphite sketch. Photo: Witness Collection. Right: Tran Van Can, \u201cGirl sewing\u201d (1969), oil on canvas. Photo: Witness Collection.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"uppercase\"><b>A seamstress\u2019s stitch, a painter\u2019s stroke<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Beyond the domestic sphere, paintings also depict collective labour scenes that carry both aesthetic values and the weight of cultural memory, cementing embroidery\u2019s significance as a Vietnamese intangible heritage object. <strong>\u201cEmbroidery workshop\u201d (1950)<\/strong> by Luong Xuan Nhi portrays men and women assembling around a large piece of cloth embroidered with dragons and phoenixes, children hovering nearby. Precious tools \u2013 mother-of-pearl boxes, antique shears, reels of golden and silken thread \u2013 evoke a traditional embroidery workshop that has all but vanished.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_7262\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7262\" style=\"width: 2304px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-7262 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/8-Luong-Xuan-Nhi-scaled-e1773032498681.png\" alt=\"Luong Xuan Nhi, \u201cThe embroidery atelier\u201d, ink and colours on silk, 37 x 77.5 cm. Photo: Auguttes.\" width=\"2304\" height=\"1075\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/8-Luong-Xuan-Nhi-scaled-e1773032498681.png 2304w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/8-Luong-Xuan-Nhi-scaled-e1773032498681-300x140.png 300w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/8-Luong-Xuan-Nhi-scaled-e1773032498681-1024x478.png 1024w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/8-Luong-Xuan-Nhi-scaled-e1773032498681-768x358.png 768w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/8-Luong-Xuan-Nhi-scaled-e1773032498681-1536x717.png 1536w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/8-Luong-Xuan-Nhi-scaled-e1773032498681-2048x956.png 2048w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/8-Luong-Xuan-Nhi-scaled-e1773032498681-1200x560.png 1200w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 2304px) 100vw, 2304px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 2304px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 2304\/1075;\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-7262\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Luong Xuan Nhi, \u201cThe embroidery atelier\u201d, ink and colours on silk, 37 x 77.5 cm. Photo: Auguttes.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In<strong> \u201cThe seamstress\u201d (1957)<\/strong>, Nguyen Phan Chanh highlighted the distinctive hand postures found only in the most skilled embroidery artisans trained in village tradition: the thumb and forefinger hold the needle firmly, the middle finger pushing it vertically with precision, and the little finger curving upward to guide the thread evenly across the fabric. Tran Dong Luong\u2019s<strong> \u201cEmbroidery class\u201d (1958)<\/strong> introduced a different atmosphere: city girls in ao dai and permed hair sit upright around embroidery frames, eyes attentive, in an air of lively <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">exchange. The presence of newly introduced floral motifs and the juxtaposition of round and square frames suggest a moment of transition, marking embroidery\u2019s entrance into urban households as both a craft and a creative language.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_7263\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7263\" style=\"width: 1220px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-7263 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/9-Nguyen-Phan-Chanh-Co-Theu-.png\" alt=\"Nguyen Phan Chanh, \u201cEmbroiderer\u201d (1957), gouache on silk, 38 x 49 cm, excerpted from \u201cNguyen Phan Chanh Silk Painting\u201d, Vietnam Fine Arts Museum (1992).\" width=\"1220\" height=\"1602\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/9-Nguyen-Phan-Chanh-Co-Theu-.png 1220w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/9-Nguyen-Phan-Chanh-Co-Theu--228x300.png 228w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/9-Nguyen-Phan-Chanh-Co-Theu--780x1024.png 780w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/9-Nguyen-Phan-Chanh-Co-Theu--768x1008.png 768w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/9-Nguyen-Phan-Chanh-Co-Theu--1170x1536.png 1170w, https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/9-Nguyen-Phan-Chanh-Co-Theu--1200x1576.png 1200w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1220px) 100vw, 1220px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1220px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1220\/1602;\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-7263\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nguyen Phan Chanh, \u201cEmbroiderer\u201d (1957), gouache on silk, 38 x 49 cm, excerpted from \u201cNguyen Phan Chanh Silk Painting\u201d, Vietnam Fine Arts Museum (1992).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Amidst these depictions lies a technical challenge: to paint embroidery is to paint hands. Teachers at the Indochina School of Fine Arts often reminded students with an old saying: \u201cSkill is shown in the face, but flaws are revealed in the hands and feet\u201d. To portray sewing, the painter must emphasise hands that are at once delicate and firm, dynamic and still. Especially in group scenes, the diversity of gestures reveals not only form and anatomy but also the very spirit of the figures. It is here that an artist\u2019s mastery of drawing is most clearly challenged and highlighted.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"uppercase\"><b>Threading memories into rhythms<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Today, contemporary artists rarely choose to explore this subject matter. Yet perhaps, if we look closely at life around us, we may still catch a glimpse of a mother or grandmother sewing quietly under the lamp, silently keeping the warmth of the household alive. The beauty of such unhurried peace, when recognised, continues to offer boundless inspiration for art. These images are not only depictions of life but also inadvertent records of intangible heritage: sericulture, spinning, weaving, embroidery \u2013 practices that have gradually faded from daily existence. They reveal postures, tools, and rhythms of women\u2019s work once common, now seldom encountered outside memory or museums. In this sense, painting not only beautifies but preserves, recalls, and extends a heritage on the verge of disappearance.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_7268\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7268\" style=\"width: 2236px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-7268 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/artnation.vn\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/10.-Tran-Dong-Luong-1.png\" alt=\"Tran Dong Luong, \u201cEmbroidery Class\u201d (1958), watercolour on paper, 55 x 73 cm. Photo courtesy of Quang San Art Museum.\" width=\"2236\" height=\"1668\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 2236px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 2236\/1668;\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-7268\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tran Dong Luong, \u201cEmbroidery Class\u201d (1958), watercolour on paper, 55 x 73 cm. Photo courtesy of Quang San Art Museum.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The images of needleworks in Vietnamese painting, over a century, are also testimonies to artists\u2019 ability to transform the ordinary into art. Each work becomes a chronicle of the hands \u2013 a milieu where forms are challenged and silent affection inscribed. From here, we understand that beauty is not always found in the grand or the dramatic, but often dwells quietly in the fine threads and steady rhythms of a woman seated by her embroidery frame.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right\"><strong>Words &amp; Translation: Pham Ngoc Tram<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A reflection on the course of Vietnamese art through women\u2019s embroidered handiwork.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":7268,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7259","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-art-natomy"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v21.4 (Yoast SEO v26.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>A chronicle of the sewing hands - 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