Road to Tay Bac

Nguyen Quan (1948) was born in Ha Son Province, Vietnam and graduated with a degree in math and cybernetics in the German Democratic Republic in 1971. It was during this time abroad that Quan developed an interest in Surrealism. His painting style is one that incorporates Western influences with a Vietnamese sensibility that belies an Asian tendency. In the immediate post-Doi Moi period Quan's works and ideas became highly influential in the art circle, which was suddenly liberated, and allowed to paint non-representational works. In 1986, the Vietnamese Government implemented the Doi Moi policy, which opened up Vietnam, transforming it into a socialist market-oriented economy. Similarly, the artists gained greater freedom in expression and over their works. Known for his surrealist tendency, this early work of Quan, dated 1986, is an example of his exploration into surrealism, although the subject is on American war with a narrative structure, which would soon disappear from his later works.