The Left Chapter: The Art of Resistance: Sketches of the Vietnamese National Liberation Front 1964

The second part of our look at this art of liberation and resistance. The first part can be found at this link.

In 1967 Liberation Publishing House -- which was the publishing house of the South Vietnamese National Liberation Front -- put out a remarkable series of folders that contained sketches drawn by artists who were on the front line of the fight to liberate South Vietnam.

Called "South Vietnam Land and People" these amazing portraits of resistance run from drawings of sites that had been bombed by the Americans, to liberated villages, to individual guerrilla fighters. All were originally done in pen or crayon and, in this installment, date from 1964 or 1966.

While there are sketches from several artists, the most, by far, are by a remarkable artist Huynh Phuong Dong. Dong, happily, survived the war and died at the age of 88 in 2015. He is regarded in Vietnam as one of the greatest creators of what is called 'Liberation Art'.

These folders were accompanied by a brief but very moving leaflet that speaks of the terrible brutality and barbarity of the war and the spirit of resistance.

This is the second of two parts showing some of the sketches. They are divided by artist and are accompanied by their title/subject.

(Click on images to enlarge)