Building a People’s Art

Building a People’s Art is a ground-breaking work that brings together, for the first time, a curated selection of writings by Vietnam’s foremost wartime cultural theorists, Trường Chinh and Tố Hữu. These texts, which include sharp critiques of existing cultural practices, visionary calls for cultural revolution, and principles of art-making, are foundational to the establishment of Vietnamese socialist realism. The majority of these works, pivotal in shaping Vietnam’s cultural and artistic landscape during and after the war, have been translated into English for the very first time, offering readers a rare glimpse into the ideological underpinnings of Vietnam’s revolutionary art.Building a People’s Art: Selected Works of Trường Chinh and Tố Hữu is scaffolded by a critical introduction by professor and researcher Ruehl Muller, unpacking the key principles of Vietnamisation, Scientification, and Massification: concepts that were central to the cultural and political strategies of the time. Muller’s introduction situates the translated texts within the broader context of Vietnam’s colonial history and its complex socio-political struggles, providing readers with a deeper understanding of the forces that shaped the nation’s artistic expressions. What makes this important book particularly striking is its visual component: nearly one-hundred never before seen artworks created by twenty-five Vietnamese artists from the era are included, offering a tangible portrayal of the techniques and styles that emerged during the war. These artworks not only complement the theoretical writings but also serve as a powerful visual documentation of a tumultuous and transformative period.