Artwork: "Moon 1"
From July 26th to August 1st, the exhibition "Time" introduces to the public 46 paintings by artist Le Van Nhuong from 1994 to 2020. Most of the works are painted in oil, which is the material that has been with him since his time at art school.
Stone horses, royal motifs, raindrops and silver moonlight reflected on the mausoleum, etc., are unique features of Hue that viewers easily recognize when enjoying the exhibition "Time" by Le Van Nhuong. Hue nature is also expressed through soft lines, gentle colors, full of nostalgia in the series of paintings: "Rain", "Moon", "Traces", "Sunlight" ...
Artwork: "Traces"
The latest of these themes is the series of works titled "Moon". Still the familiar images of the stone horses, the nghê, the dragon patterns... at the tombs of Gia Long, Dong Khanh, Thieu Tri; but under the moonlight, the scenes become alive and magical.
With two paintings called "Traces", Le Van Nhuong again mentioned traces of time and war imprinted on relics, as well as the culture of human behavior towards them. Accompanying the image of the lotus and the Big Dipper on the Nine Tripod Cauldrons of Nguyen Dynasty are bullet wounds of war; or the problem of littering and graffiti on monuments. In his work "Time", he expresses a quite unique idea when drawing a camera, which is capturing the scene of the broken ruins in the monument.
Artwork: “& me 2”
In the "Rain" series, the author invokes the feeling of peace when one remembers distant dreams. On a soft blue background, the painting is minimalist with rain drops, square, round shapes ... creating a strange space but full of breath of life.
Drawing about himself, the "& me" series is a confident assertion of artist Le Van Nhuong with its own style and imprint. Appearing in these paintings is the small “me”, alone in a vast space or precarious on the earth blocks.
Sometimes he painted his own shadow with a bit of humor and spontaneity, expressing emotions and contemplating the philosophy of human destiny through images: a person flying high with a bunch of balloons attached to the back, a person carrying the globe, a person walking on stilts...
Artwork: "Rain 3"
Having a fondness for painting since the first days after liberation in 1975 when he joined the Fine Arts Club of Hue Children's Cultural House, artist Le Van Nhuong often traveled and often painted.
In the archive of his work, paintings about Hue occupy a large quantity, such as: Rain, Moon, Sound of Time, Traces, Time, Sunlight ... Though his paintings are presented in many different art styles and art movements through many periods, they all still contain features of Hue, both in the ideas and language of painting.
Artist Le Van Nhuong shared that the surrounding life is the material and inspiration for him to paint. These emotions gradually permeate, nourish and flow through the brush strokes. His paintings are a way of thinking, a way of feeling, a vibration of the process of finding the interest and beauty of an artist.
Not just relying on emotions, he researches and explores carefully when painting. For example, to express the royal court patterns vividly, he not only studied the relics but also searched related materials to understand the ancient capital, understand its structure, and not just simply copy it.
After 30 years of painting, known for many domestic and international exhibitions, and having won many fine art awards, "Time" is the exhibition marking the 30-year painting journey of artist Le Van Nhuong. This is the artist's fifth solo exhibition in Vietnam and the second in Hue.
Story and photos: MINH HIEN