Who was Bùi Xuân Phái?
Bùi Xuân Phái was born on 1/9/1920 in Kim Hoàng village, Vân Canh commune, Hoài Đức district, old Hà Tây province, now part of Hà Nội. He was a painter, famous for paintings of the old quarter of Hà Nội. He died on 24/6/1988.
Why is his body of paintings of the old quarter of Hà Nội remembered so strongly?
His body of paintings of the old quarter of Hà Nội is called by viewers by a name of its own, phố Phái. What is notable is that the painter's own name became the way of referring to the very subject he painted, a phenomenon that is not common in painting. That way of speaking shows that viewers not only remember the painting but attach it firmly to a specific individual.
What does his graduation from the Trường Cao đẳng Mỹ thuật Đông Dương mean?
He graduated from the Painting department of the Trường Cao đẳng Mỹ thuật Đông Dương, class of 1941 to 1945. This was an art training institution in the Western academic style set up by the French in Đông Dương, which trained many painters of the first generation of Vietnam's modern art. A graduation diploma there placed him in the same generation of painters who were properly schooled, who had the craft of painting and an awareness of material and composition.
After graduating, where did he live and work?
Returning to Hà Nội in 1952, he lived at 87 Thuốc Bắc street until he died. That house was right in the old quarter, which later became the main subject in his paintings. Living for a long time at such an address means that what he painted was largely the scenery around where he lived, seen every day.
Did he teach?
In the two years 1956 and 1957 he taught at the Trường Mỹ thuật Hà Nội. This was a short period in his career, but it shows that besides painting, he also at one point took part in passing on the craft within the art school system of Hà Nội.
Which parts of this biography are certain records?
Markers such as the date of birth, place of birth, the course at the Trường Cao đẳng Mỹ thuật Đông Dương, the time he returned to Hà Nội and the house address on Thuốc Bắc street, the two years of teaching, and the date of death are facts recorded and repeated in many sources. The name phố Phái belongs to how viewers name things, that is, a remark about how prevalent the subject is in his work rather than a biographical fact.