Once a great symbol of French modernity, the train line from Hanoi to
Saigon was pulverized and repaired almost continually throughout the war until
it was grafted back together by the Communist party in 1975. This poster,
painted by Le Minh Ngu, one of Vietnam’s few known propaganda artists, was
created in 1976 to celebrate the opening of the “Unification Express”. While
‘express’ may not be entirely accurate, the journey takes from 34 to 44 hours,
the train line is certainly a potent symbol of Vietnamese unity.
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In 1957 Trung Chin, the Minister of Information for the
Northern Democratic Republic of Vietnam, paraphrased the well-known Leninist
dogma, declaring, 'Art is only real art if it becomes propaganda'. Over the
...
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In 1957 Trung Chin, the Minister of Information for the
Northern Democratic Republic of Vietnam, paraphrased the well-known Leninist
dogma, declaring, 'Art is only real art if it becomes propaganda'. Over the
next three decades, as the country fought against the French, the Americans and
the Cambodian Khmer Rouge, the Vietnamese ‘art force’ played an essential part
in relaying the government’s message to a difficult to reach population. Amid
bombing campaigns and land battles, the artists cycled their posters to
villages across Vietnam. Despite these brutal conditions they created works of
striking originality, pieces that combined 1960s Soviet art with Vietnam’s own
folk art traditions.
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Details and Dimensions
15 x 10.5"
A silk-screen reproduction of
the original propaganda poster on rice paper.
