Phan Kế An (20 March 1923 – 21 January 2018), also known under the pseudonym Phan Kích, was a Vietnamese painter and renowned

lacquer Lacquer is a type of hard and usually shiny coating or finish applied to materials such as wood or metal. It is most often made from resin extracted from trees and waxes and has been in use since antiquity. Asian lacquerware, which may be c ...

artist. He was the son of Phan Kế Toại (1892–1973) who was the personal envoy to

Tonkin Tonkin, also spelled Tongkin, Tonquin or Tongking, is an exonym referring to the northern region of Vietnam. During the 17th and 18th centuries, this term referred to the domain '' Đàng Ngoài'' under Trịnh lords' control, including both the ...

of the last Emperor of Vietnam, Bảo Đại, the Minister of Home Affairs (1945-1955) and former deputy prime minister of

North Vietnam North Vietnam, officially the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV; ; VNDCCH), was a country in Southeast Asia from 1945 to 1976, with sovereignty fully recognized in 1954 Geneva Conference, 1954. A member of the communist Eastern Bloc, it o ...

from 1955-1973.

Early life and career

Phan Kế An studied at Bưởi school under famous teachers such as Lê Thị Lựu,

Tô Ngọc Vân Tô Ngọc Vân (蘇玉雲, 15 December 1906 or 1908 – 17 June 1954), also known as Tô Tử, was a Vietnamese painter. Several of his paintings are being displayed at the Vietnam National Museum of Fine Arts. He taught a resistance art cla ...

, and Nguyễn Tường Lân. He enrolled into the École des Beaux Arts de l'Indochine in 1944, but then joined the

Việt Minh The Việt Minh (, ) is the common and abbreviated name of the League for Independence of Vietnam ( or , ; ), which was a communist-led national independence coalition formed at Pác Bó by Hồ Chí Minh on 19 May 1941. Also known as the Vi ...

guerrillas before graduating along with many other artists from his class. He was tasked with drawing anti-colonial caricatures on walls in French occupied territory. In 1947, at 24 years-old, he was asked by General Secretary, Trường Chinh, to join ''Sự Thật'' newspaper (the predecessor of ''

Nhân Dân ''Nhân Dân'' (; , , , ) is the official newspaper of the Communist Party of Vietnam. According to the newspaper, it is “the voice of the Party, the State and the people of Vietnam.” It has a daily circulation of 180,000 copies. Its weekend ...

'' newspaper). In his role as commissioning editor, An drew political cartoons aimed at French, and later American, imperialism, as well as

Ngô Đình Diệm Ngô Đình Diệm ( , or ; ; 3 January 1901 – 2 November 1963) was a South Vietnamese politician who was the final prime minister of the State of Vietnam (1954–1955) and later the first president of South Vietnam ( Republic of ...

Republic of Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam (RVN; , VNCH), was a country in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975. It first garnered international recognition in 1949 as the State of Vietnam within the French Union, with it ...

government. He continued painting throughout the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

to criticize the American bombing of

Hanoi Hanoi ( ; ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Vietnam, second-most populous city of Vietnam. The name "Hanoi" translates to "inside the river" (Hanoi is bordered by the Red River (Asia), Red and Black River (Asia), Black Riv ...

. In November 1948 he spent 3 weeks with Hồ Chí Minh and his advisers in the

Việt Bắc Việt Bắc (''Northern Vietnam'') is a region of Vietnam north of Hanoi that served as the Việt Minh's base of support during the First Indochina War (1946–1954). Việt Bắc is also called the capital of northernmost Vietnam because this ...

, producing 20 portraits, which were later published in the ''Sự Thật'' (The Truth) newspaper. An used many improvised materials to create these sketches and portraits, including the burnt ends of cigarette butts. He used charcoal to sketch ''Hồ Chí Minh at Work in the Việt Bắc''. He was the first artist to depict Hồ Chí Minh during the

First Indochina War The First Indochina War (generally known as the Indochina War in France, and as the Anti-French Resistance War in Vietnam, and alternatively internationally as the French-Indochina War) was fought between French Fourth Republic, France and Việ ...

. According to An, early works of communist leaders and soldiers were created to show support of the

revolution, and risked severe punishment, even execution, if caught by French officials. In the winter of 1950, as a special envoy for the

, his painting ''Remembering the Northwest/Remember One the Northwest'' (''Nhớ Một Chiều Tây Bắc''), quickly established him as a renowned lacquer artist. The image was later immortalized by poet Đoàn Việt Bắc in his poem of the same name and was later accompanied by music from the composer Vũ Thành. Phan Kế An's art works were part of the ''Realism in Asian Art'' exhibition co-organized by The National Art Gallery, Singapore and at the National Museum of Contemporary Art, Korea in 2010. He died at the age of 94 on 21 January 2018 in

Collections

Phan Kế An's works are part of a number of Vietnamese and international collections: * Vietnam Fine Art Museum,

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

* Ho Chi Minh Fine Arts Museum,

Ho Chi Minh City Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) ('','' TP.HCM; ), commonly known as Saigon (; ), is the most populous city in Vietnam with a population of around 14 million in 2025. The city's geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the largest is Saigo ...

* State Museum of Oriental Art,

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

Witness Collection

Penang Penang is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia along the Strait of Malacca. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay Peninsula. Th ...

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

Official roles

During his career, An held a number of official positions: * Member of the Central Art Committee, 1951-1957 * Member of the Vietnam Fine Arts Association, 1957 * Deputy General Secretary of the Vietnam Fine Arts Association, 1958-1978 * Member of Executive Committee of the Vietnam Fine Arts Association, 1957-1983. * Member of the Executive Board, Member of the Professional Committee, Chairman of the Artistic Council of Graphic Design II Vietnam Association of Fine Arts, 1983-1989 * Member of the Vietnam Fine Arts Association Examination Board III, 1989-1994

Notable works

* ''Trời giông trên thành Thanh Hoá'' (Thunderstorm Looms over Thanh Hoá Citadel). First prize in the first National Fine Art Exhibition in Hanoi in 1946 * '' Hồ Chí Minh at Work in the Việt Bắc'', 1948 * ''Nhớ Một Chiều Tây Bắc'' (Remembering the Northwest/Remember One the Northwest), 1950 *''Hanoi Christmas Bombing of 1972'', Hanoi, 1975-1985

Awards

* Third Class Independence Medal * Second-Class Resistance Medal * Anti-American Resistance Medal First Class * Arts Devotion medal * Medal for the cause of Vietnamese art * Medal for the People's cause * State Awards for Literature and Arts, 2001

References

External links

Vietnam Fine Art MuseumWitness CollectionVietnam: The Art of War
{{DEFAULTSORT:Phan, Ke An Vietnamese painters 1923 births 2018 deaths People from Hà Tĩnh province