An argument about whether art is a matter of spiritual inheritance and does not connect with the local people is still inconclusive and debatable. This study aimed to verify the argument. This study was based on the position that art is a matter of spiritual and material life and connects to the local people. To do so, this study adopted a historical approach to study Hue’s screens from 1925 to the present to depict how traditional art has been closely connected to the local people while being strongly influenced by French colonial culture, war, and globalization. Nevertheless, the argument is still inconclusive. Further research should verify the argument in multiple regions. This may clarify this debate and advance art studies, particularly Vietnamese art.