Khamsouk Keomingmuang (b. 1941, Laos) is one of the most senior and respected artists in Laos, and was the first artist to be conferred the title of National Artist in the country. He was educated in Hanoi for 12 years prior to 1975, before returning to live and work in Vientiane.This artwork is from a collection of 13 war drawings and other works on paper by Khamsouk dating to the early 1970s held in the Gallery's collection. Small pen, pencil, and watercolour sketches, these works depict scenes of military activity during the Second Indochina War, as well as aspects of daily life in the period. These are among the only known extant artworks from Laos dating to the early 1970s not held in national institutions within Laos. The works are quickly executed, mostly in situ, yet the compositions are quite well-developed for war drawings of their kind.
