The Vietnamese

Title: The Vietnamese List of Artists: Dong Ho Folk Painting (painter)  Nguyen, Khac Chinh (painter) Nghiem, Xuan Hung (painter) To, Ngoc Van (painter) Nguyen, Hai Nam (painter) Nguyen, Dai Giang (painter) Sebastien Laval (photographer) Thu Dong Rice Painting Group (painter) Luong Dung (painter) Quoc Huy (photographer) There have been several years since I left Vietnam, and I would say there is something about its heritage that is so stunning and delightful. It is not as grand as Wonders of the World neither is it classical and royal like European heritage.  Rather, it holds the very simple but elegant values; very small but it sufficiently reflects the insight of Vietnamese people. As its title, the artworks below would provide viewer some of the prominent Vietnamese traditions and the people there. This exhibition does not hold any political nor economic purpose, it is just an art show created by an art lover.

Dong Ho Folks, Mice Wedding , Woodblock prints, 10”x15”, ca. 16 00. Dong Ho is a small village in Thuan Thanh, Bac Ninh province, located on the southern side of the Duong river (30km to the east from Hanoi,) is one of the villages that remains to preserve ancient cultural relies of Kinh Bac area (red river delta, north of Vietnam.) Dong Ho paintings have about 300 years of history in the north of Vietnam.  Luu Duy Dan, Vice President of Vietnamese Craft Village Association, says: “Dong Ho paintings are artifacts of Vietnamese culture games. For example, paintings showing… a Rat’s wedding… depict cultural traditions concerned with education and life lessons”. The painting is hand made from the bark of a tree called Dzo. The bark of Dzo is stored in the water for months, then grounded and mixed with sea shell. The painting depicts a wedding parade with the mouse bride (sitting) and the mouse groom (riding the horse) together with other mice. There are two mice on the to...

Nguyễn Khắc Chính, Searching Real Face, Oil on Canvas, 49.21” x 83.08”. 2011 Nuyen, Khac Chinh is a contemporary Vietnamese artist. He was born in 1984 in Hanoi, Vietnam, and graduated in 2006 from HanoiUniversity of Fine Arts. Nguyen's painting depicts a young woman in a long yellow dress, wearing a mask on her face and holding a mask in her hand. Under her feet lie several masks. Chinh says the real is mixed with the false, as it is in contemporary life. "Searching for real face" is a self-portrait painting that is painted according to a realistic style combined with surrealist style. The content of the painting expresses the inner exploration of looking for the real nature or of true worth. Social life seems like a big play and everybody seems like an actor inside it. They live with many different faces. They often change their nature to suit goals or benefits that they have formulated. To achieve these goals, they sometimes have to lose themselves and when l...

Nghiem Xuan Hung, Girl with Monochord , Oil on canvas, 35” x 57”, 2010. Nghiem Xuan Hung 1953: Born in Hanoi, Vietnam. 1982: Graduated from Hanoi Fine Arts University and then worked in Vietnam Fine Arts Association The painting depicts a traditional girl playing Monochord, a Vietnamese instrument. The painting once again gives the context about Vietnamese perspectives on women in the very old days. We believe that an accomplished woman should be able to occupy “the 4 talents” including: playing instrument, playing Vietnamese chess, poetry, and drawing. Nowadays, some of traditional families in Vietnam still hold these values.    

Van To, Thiếu nữ bên hoa huệ (Young Girl by Lilies). Oil on Canvas,  1943.    Van To (Tô Ngọc Vân) 1906–1954, was one of the greatest Vietnamese painter. He was a master in Vietnamese oil painting.  His painting style was influenced by the French impressionist, Gauguin.  Tô paid special attention to forms and rendered with delicacy.  He also showed great passion of colors.  He brought to Vietnamese art the strong harmonies of colors that later became very popular among Vietnamese artists.  The painting depict an elegant young girl, wearing Ao Dai, sitting by lilies. The combine of light and use of white reflect the purity of the girl, while her melancholy look depicts her deep and beautiful soul.Tô’s masterpiece was an important movement in Vietnamese Art Revolution.

Nam Nguyen.  Lotus.  Lacquer painting. 35.43” x 47.24”. 2014. Being born 1984 (October 7, 1984) in Hanoi, Viet Nam, Nguyen Nam is early in his career and is enjoying the experience of self expression in his work. When you meet him it is easy to see his joy of life and the fun he is experiencing through art. His subject matter at the present time is a reflection of self – explosions of bright colors expressed in a bold and dramatic way through flowers. He paints flowers because he experiences the beauty within them. The painting vividly depicts beautiful lotuses with vibrant, rich colors. This is one of the latest paintings of Nguyen in 2014. The gold mixes with red background suggest an aggressive and complicated society while the white lotuses represent the purity that Vietnamese people desire to achieve. Lotus is considered to be national flower of Vietnam.