Lun Gywe Burmese Artist

U Lun Gywe (Burma, b. 1930)

size: 61cm x 46cm

This vibrant work by U Lun Gywe with its quick brushtrokes and impressionistic style shows eight or more shapely Burmese women bathing against a background of tropical foliage in strong light. The movement and the fluidity of the cascading water is amply captured by the Lun Gywe’s big strokes of thickly applied paint. It is signed ‘Lun Gywe/2010’ in the bottom right corner.

U Lun Gywe is the grand man of modern Burmese painting. Born in 1930 he is one of Burma;s most prominent artists but also has been a prominent instructor of a new generation of young Burmese artists. He worked for many years as a teacher at and then as the principal of the Yangon State School of Fine Arts.

In 1964, he graduated with distinction in Eastern Art from study in China, and in 1971, he trained in East Germany in art preservation techniques.

He has staged solo shows in Japan, Korea, China, Australia, the US and Singapore. A hardcover retrospective book on his works was published in 2005.

He is one of the best selling Burmese artists today. His works are noted for their impressionist interpretations of Burmese scenes and themes. The impressionist style works well with the thick air of the tropics and the shimmering tropical sun. U Lun Gywe thinks of himself as an impressionist. He has said: ‘When I was walking on the beach, I could sense a beautiful and rhythmic composition and a sense of colours. After absorbing these impressions and returning to my studio, I reminded myself of what the feeling was like on the beach. As soon as I recalled the mood and inspiration, I painted rapidly with swift brush strokes to record what I could remember from my visit to the beautiful beach.’ (

U Lun Gwye: A Master Painter from Myanmar, 2005, p. 5.)

U Lun Gywe’s works are represented in the National Museum of Burma (Myanmar), the National Art of Gallery of Malaysia and the Singapore Art Museum. Other than the 2005 retrospective published on his work, his paintings have been published in Ranard (2009) and Khin Muang Nuynt (2006).

U Lun Gwye: A Master Painter from Myanmar, Thavibu Gallery, 2005; Khin Muang Nuynt et al, Myanmar Painting: From Worship to Self-Imaging, EvoHeritage, 2006; and Ranard, A., Burmese Painting: A Linear and Lateral History , Silkworm Books, 2009.