Phạm Thanh Tâm
Phạm Thanh Tâm (15 May 1932 – 30 May 2019) was a Vietnamese journalist and war artist, who used the nom de plume Huỳnh Biếc. His career spanned the First Indochina War as a Việt Minh soldier participating in the resistance against French colonialism, as well as the Second Indochina War (also known as the Vietnam War) as a member of the People's Army of Vietnam against South Vietnam and the United States. Early life. Phạm Thanh Tâm was born in Vĩnh Hảo, Vinh Lại, Vụ Bản district, Nam Định Province – northern Hải Phòng – into a family  with a tradition of revolutionary activities. In 1941, his father and mother both joined the Việt Minh resistance against French colonialism. Education. Phạm Thanh Tâm began his education as a primary school student in Hải Phòng. After evacuating the city in late-1946, he attended a six-month painting training course organized by the Art Division of Military Zone III held at Phù Lưu Chanh communal house, near Đầu market, in Bắc Ninh. His teachers included artists involved in the anti-colonial resistance, including Lương Xuân Nhị, Mai Văn Nam and Bùi Xuân Phái. Later, in 1963, he enrolled in the  Vietnam Fine Arts College (also known as the Hanoi Fine Arts College). He graduated the Vietnam Fine Arts College in 1967. Career. First Indochina War. After his studies at the painting training course in Military Zone III, Phạm Thanh Tâm was assigned to the Culture and Information Office in Hưng Yên Province. In 1950, he joined the Việt Minh as a journalist and war artist. His initial assignment was to the 34th Regiment's Tất Thắng newspaper. He was soon transferred to Artillery Division 351 to work for the division newspaper, Quyết Thắng. In 1952, along with his division, he  was sent to China for artillery training. After returning to Vietnam, he and his division marched from the town of Lào Cai on Vietnam's northern border with China to Điện Biên Phủ, a journey of over 300 kilometres on foot. He arrived on 11 March 1954, two days before the decisive Battle of Điện Biên Phủ, which he participated in as a soldier and documented as an artist and journalist. Second Indochina War. From 1954 to 1963, he worked for three newspapers concurrently: the Military Art Newspaper (Văn Nghệ Quân Đội), the People's Army Newspaper (Quân Đội Nhân  Dân) and the Military Image Newspaper (Hình Ảnh Quân Đội). During his education at the Vietnam Fine Arts College, he volunteered for the front during the Second Indochina War. Again as a journalist, he was granted permission to write and paint from the battlefields along the Ho Chi Minh trail; in Khe Sanh, Quảng Trị and Hạ Long Bay; during the 1972 Christmas Bombings; in Đà Nắng and during the Fall of Saigon. Although artists worked under difficult conditions and with limited resources, he managed to preserve most of his sketches and paintings by sending them back to Hanoi for  safe keeping, using a variety of materials and the occasional use of photographs. He revealed to Sherry Buchanan of "The Guardian" "At Khe Sanh I did the watercolours right there at the battle. I used a plume rehaussée d'aquarelle [pen with watercolour]. The idea was not to hang around too long in one place. So I would usually add the pen later on. When I traveled around the country and there was no ﬁerce ﬁghting, I had more time to sketch carefully. I traveled with a photographer. That was very useful. If I forgot details, I could look at his  pictures and ﬁll in details. I used all kinds of materials: watercolours, pens, pencils – whatever I could ﬁnd.". After Reunification. In 1978, he was appointed the director of the Military Fine Arts Workshop (later merged into the Military Museum) and staged painting exhibitions, taught art courses and erected statues to commemorate the reunification of Vietnam. He retired from the army as a Colonel and moved to Ho Chi Minh City with his family in 1989. Phạm Thanh Tâm died in Ho Chi Minh City on 30 May 2019. Works. Art Works Collections. Phạm Thanh Tâm's wartime works are collected  by numerous museums in Vietnam, as well as a number of international collections.