By Bát Tràng Museum
Produced by Bat Trang Museum
Born in 1955, Vũ Đức Thắng (aka Vũ Thắng) was raised in Bát Tràng Village. After graduating in graphic design at Hanoi’s University of Industrial Fine Art in 1980, Vũ Thắng dedicated his career to gathering integral knowledge of fine arts.
As an expression of his inner thoughts and feelings, Vũ Thắng’s creations combine the quintessence of traditional landscapes with a contemporary philosophy resulting in highly creative and unique pieces.
"Everything originates from a simple source and evolves to be enhanced from generation to generation."
Vũ Thắng is a Master of engraving, embossing, enameling, and glazing ceramics. To master these skills, an artisan must learn how to combine feelings with experiences to express a predetermined idea. These skills serve as a measure to evaluate the talent of a potter.
Throughout his almost 50-year-long career, Vũ Thắng continuously researched and experimented with techniques while prioritizing materials sourced in Vietnam.
He drew inspiration from traditional designs and motifs such as lotus flowers, carp fish, clouds found in antique lamps, incense burners, and water hyacinth vases. Vũ Thắng skillfully engraved those motifs on ceramics, enameling them delicately with layers of colors. This process created depth and a bold expression that became Vũ Thắng’s signature trait.
Posthumously awarded the title of People's Artist to artisan Vu Thang (2020) by Bat Trang Museum and Vu Khanh TungBát Tràng Museum
The title of People's Artisan was posthumously awarded to The late Meritorious Artisan Vũ Thắng in 2020.
Portrait of The Late Vietnamese National Artist Vu Thang #10 (2010) by Bat Trang MuseumBát Tràng Museum
Photo by Le Lai, Vu Khanh Tung, LTQ, Vu Quoc Huy
