[Article] “Girl Tending Buffalo” by Nguyễn Phan Chánh

“Girl Tending Buffalo”. Silk. 1938
Private collection. Originated from a relative of the artist’s family.

In the auction “L’âme Vietnamienne: Maîtres de la Modernité” of Millon which will be held on June 27, 2026, a silk painting by artist Nguyễn Phan Chánh appeared without a title or year of creation.

We have based on comparative historical research and analysis of the work’s intrinsic elements such as medium, composition, visual language, colors, inscriptions, signatures, and ownership history. The aim was to establish the authenticity and appropriate identification of the work.

In the book “Artist Nguyễn Phan Chánh” by Nguyệt Tú and Nguyễn Phan Cảnh (Culture Publishing House, 1979), the illustrations record two separate works: “Girl with a Buffalo” (silk, 1938) and “Riding a Cow Across the River” (silk, 1972). This recognition was further confirmed in the publication “Nguyễn Phan Chánh Silk Paintings” published by Việt Nam Fine Arts Museum in 1992.

“Girl with buffalo”. Silk. 1938

“Riding a cow across the river”. Silk. 1972

However, in the books “Nguyễn Phan Chánh – The Soul of the Countryside on Silk” 1998, and “Nguyen Phan Chanh and Vietnamese Paintings” (Hồ Chí Minh City Publishing House), the illustrations show the work in the 1979 and 1992 editions with a more consistent title, suggesting a more accurate re-identification of this painting.

The image of the work “Riding a cow across the river” of Nguyễn Phan Chánh

Specifically, in the book “Nguyễn Phan Chánh – The Soul of the Countryside on Silk”, the section on “Nguyễn Phan Chánh’s Silk Paintings” by artist Nguyễn Văn Tỵ contains the following passage: “The painting ‘Riding a Cow Across the River’ depicts a girl leading a cow across the river to graze. In the evening, when it’s hot, she goes to the river to bathe and hangs her clothes on the bank to dry. When the sun is low and her clothes are still not dry, she drapes it over her shoulders and rides the cow back. This is a sunset scene, the sun about to set behind the blue clouds, and the character, foreground and background, all must be tinged with the colors of sunset…”

Meanwhile, the original manuscript “Nguyen Phan Chanh and Vietnamese Silk Paintings”, written in 1973 (unpublished) by Nguyễn Văn Tỵ, describes a completely different work: “The Girl with the Buffalo”. A girl tending buffalo is sitting on a tree trunk leaning over a pond, lifting her trousers (or skirt?) to dip her feet in the water, amidst a scene of leaves and tree trunks spreading out on the water. The buffalo ambles at the bank. This space is no longer a scene of crossing the river at sunset, but rather an daily, innocent, and poetic moment of rural childhood, close to the spirit of “Catch the coconut”, joyful, lyrical.

Thus, when comparing the illustrations in the 1979 and 1992 publications with the image content, descriptions by Nguyễn Văn Tỵ, the inscriptions on the paintings, and the artistic style, it could be seen that the previous annotations in the 1979 and 1992 books contained errors, or at least did not accurately reflect the title and date of the work.

In particular, the inscription on the work printed in “Nguyễn Phan Chánh – The Soul of the Countryside on Silk”, “Nguyen Phan Chanh and Vietnamese Paintings” can be tentatively translated as: “A country girl tending buffalo by the water’s edge”, which perfectly corresponds to the description in Nguyễn Văn Tỵ’s original manuscript. Furthermore, the signature and brushstroke style are consistent with Nguyễn Phan Chánh’s paintings from the late 1930s, especially the period after his second solo exhibition in Hà Nội in 1938, when he returned from Hà Nội to his hometown in Hà Tĩnh and continued painting on familiar rural life.

From this system of document comparison, it could be determined that the work will be presented in the duplex auction at Millon on June 27, 2026, is not “Riding a Cow Across the River” (1972), but rather a work from around 1938, appropriately titled “Girl Tending Buffalo”.

This is not merely a revision of the painting’s title, but also a restoration of the rightful place of a rare and representative early work by Nguyễn Phan Chánh, depicting the world of rural childhood that he cherished.

Looking back at Nguyễn Phan Chánh’s entire body of work, it is clear that the image of women always holds a central position. This choice is not accidental; it reflects his deep aesthetic sensibility and affection for women in rural life in Việt Nam.

This subject appears throughout in his paintings of mothers, wives, and rural girls wearing headscarves and brown blouses, their figures working in daily labor and activities such as planting and harvesting, carrying loads, washing rice, washing vegetables, sewing, holding and breastfeeding children, cutting grass, and tending buffaloes… All of them subtly reflect the image of his hometown, Hà Tĩnh. But what is special is that Nguyễn Phan Chánh viewed women with empathy, affection, and respect that was truly heartfelt. It is this that gives the world of women in his paintings a humane and vibrant beauty.

In the group of subjects related to herding, Nguyễn Phan Chánh’s choice of female characters becomes even more special. Basically, in East Asian art and culture, the image with a buffalo is usually associated with boys, symbolizing mischief and freedom in the fields. But since “Tending buffaloes in the Forest” (1938), “Girl Tending Buffalo” (1938) to “Riding an Cow Across the River” (1972), viewers encounter vibrant, mischievous, energetic, and free-spirited teenage girls in their joys of childhood amidst nature alongside livestock closely associated with rural life.

Therefore, the painting “Girl Tending Buffalo” recreates a very beautiful moment of life. The composition of the painting clearly demonstrates this. This is not a random recording but a deliberately “filmed – cut” frame, as if the artist suddenly caught a fleeting moment and quickly captured before it vanished.

The scene in the painting does not expand like a panoramic landscape but is enclosed and discreetly shielded. Large branches hang down, tree trunks lean towards the water, shadows of leaves surround the character, the buffalo in the foreground… all create a private space as if embraced by nature. The viewer feels that the artist is not observing from afar but is very close, as if he himself is standing on a higher branch, silently looking down at the buffalo-tending girl in an daily moment of affection.

What is special is that in the entire scene, only the character is fully depicted and becomes the spiritual center of the work. The buffalo is shown by its upper part, for the chicken it is the lower half, the tree trunk – a corner, the water – a small area, but all are enough for the viewer to expand the space in their imagination. This “continuing expansion” gives the composition depth and creates the feeling that a vast world exists beyond the frame.

The girl is placed in the center but not in the foreground; instead, she is set back, blending gently into the foliage. She sat on a branch that stretched low over the water, in a position that seemed precarious but appeared visually stable.

To create that sense of “stability within precarious”, the artist has handled the composition with boldness and decisiveness, yet with great subtlety. The girl’s entire figure is held within a visual “three-legged stool” created by two horizontal branches below, the diagonal branches hanging down above, and the large diagonal mass of the buffalo in the foreground. All those movements converge towards a single central point: the position where the girl is sitting. Even the wide expanse of light occupying nearly a quarter of the silk background used to depict the water serves as a resting point for the eye, a breathing space for the rhythm, before the gaze focuses on the girl.

Thanks to that structural system, even though the character is in a very free pose, sitting on a tree trunk with her feet in the water in a dynamic position, the viewer still feels that the composition is completely balanced. It is this contrast between a feeling of instability of the action and the solidity of the visual structure that creates the work’s special appeal. It makes the work come alive, feeling like an image caught instantly in life.

Some details, in addition to their descriptive function, also serve to draw the eye, separate the areas, and highlight the character’s figure and personality. Nguyễn Phan Chánh handled each detail with subtle calculation so that every detail has both visual value and expressive meaning.

The girl’s hair is naturally flowing beneath her headscarf. This detail first shows her carefree nature, not yet fully entering the disciplined and discreet state of a mature woman. But in terms of visual language, the strokes of dark hair falling down on either side also serve to separate the background, highlighting the girl’s face and neck amidst the foliage behind.

The black trousers are rolled up very high, almost completely exposing the upper thighs, creating a sense of health, agility, and energy. This detail isn’t meant to draw attention to the body, but rather to depict the natural state of a carefree teenage girl living in nature. This way of rolling up the trousers suits her actions of playing with the water, climbing, and sitting on a tree trunk, while also adding a sense of movement to the overall composition.

In particular, the bodice is rendered very subtly. Nguyễn Phan Chánh intentionally blurred the boundaries between the body, light, and air, causing the viewer to no longer focus on the structure of the clothing but rather feel more the youthful, healthy skin blending into the shadows of the trees, the water, and the light. This blurring prevents the character’s body from feeling heavy and bulky, instead making it appear light, soft, and visually rich.

In the overall composition, the image of the buffalo, though just appearing partially in large, bold area and restrained lines, plays a crucial role in the visual and spiritual aspects of the work. Just the depiction of the upper part of the head and the horns conveys the feeling that this is a well-nourished, fine, healthy buffalo, carefully cared for. This detail is not simply a realistic depiction. In traditional Vietnamese rural life, the buffalo was a valuable asset to the family, the foundation of their livelihood, and reflected the lifestyle of each household. A healthy, gentle, and leisurely buffalo like the one in the work suggests it was carefully nurtured and cared for by a family with a stable and secure life. This is also very consistent with the depiction of the girl, healthy and full of energy.

This is a very unique aesthetic perspective of Nguyễn Phan Chánh. Despite his deep Confucian background, he did not view women through the lens of rigid Confucianism or strict social norms. On the contrary, he offered them a humane and sympathetic eye. Women in his paintings are cherished, becoming the center of beauty and artistic emotion.

The composition of the paintings further highlights this spirit. The buffalo in the foreground on the right, with its bold color, creates a contrasting visual weight, providing a solid foundation for the composition. Meanwhile, the system of branches and leaves, both descending and reaching towards the girl in the center, acts as a link between the character and the space, shielding and enveloping the entire frame. These branches and leaves are not merely realistic but create a visual rhythm very close to the spirit of Eastern calligraphy and ink painting from Nguyễn Phan Chánh’s background in Sino-Vietnamese script and his beautiful handwriting. The interplay of light and dark shades works like ink on paper, maintaining the strength of the composition while giving a soul to the space.

The painting’s color scheme consists only of the natural silk color, black, and two white accents, yet it is full of light and life. In silk paintings, the natural silk background is often used to depict light instead of white, but it doesn’t function to depict shape. The white appears very sparingly at two points: the ripples at the character’s feet and the thin layer of light surrounding the character’s body. These two white accents bring life to the otherwise static space. The small ripples allow the viewer to feel the coolness of the water, the gentle vibrations of the moment, and the childlike joy of playing with the water. The light around the character both separates the two details and draws attention.

Therefore, although simple in color, the work possesses a unique beauty characteristic of Nguyễn Phan Chánh’s silk works. He used little to suggest much, used stillness to depict movement, and with just two basic shades, he opens up a world full of color. However, hidden behind the image of the healthy, carefree buffalo herder and the well-cared-for buffalo is the positive family values ​​and lifestyle of the Vietnamese countryside of the past. Nguyễn Phan Chánh seems to see in these details the deep foundation of a good society. Because a child who grows up in a loving family, receives a good education, and and appreciating labor … will build for themselves a humane life.

Nguyễn Phan Chánh’s work “Girl Tending Buffalo” embodies a belief, firm in spirit and gentle in emotion, in humanity and in the future of Vietnamese society.

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