 |
| Mai Quang Huy at his easel |
A meditative harmony
Visiting Mai Quang Huy’s studio on an autumn day in Hue, set amid the lush greenery of a garden house in the historic Kim Long area, I was struck by both the sheer number and the distinctive character of his dozens of oil paintings. Although Huy remains devoted to oil paint, a medium known for its strong colors, rich tonal contrasts and precise rendering, his works present an entirely different visual language. His paintings feature graceful compositions, delicate lines and soft, romantic color harmonies - qualities more commonly associated with East Asian silk painting or ink wash painting.
Huy is particularly fond of the famous words of Pablo Picasso: “I paint things as I think about them, not as I see them”. This way of thinking has led him toward a minimalist form of expression. In each work, details are pared down to the bare essentials, leaving room for emptiness and silence. Symbolic images such as temples and stupas are not depicted through clearly defined bricks or individual stones. Instead, they appear as hazy traces, an intangible light radiating from the lofty tops of the stupas. Works such as ‘Một sớm vô vi’, ‘Xung khiêm tạ’, ‘Khiêm cung tĩnh lặng’ , ‘Thủy tạ chiều tà’ and ‘Ánh sáng vô vi từ bảo tháp’ seem to draw viewers into a world where the wind has stopped blowing, the leaves have ceased to fall and the surface of the lake lies in absolute stillness. A meditative space unfolds, inviting us to turn inward and contemplate our own being.
Alongside his meditative landscapes, the image of young Hue women is another distinctive artistic feature of Mai Quang Huy’s work, marked by a very distinctive style and personality: fragile, pure and gentle, harmoniously intertwined with grass, trees and flowers.
Through works such as ‘Sắp sương tan’, ‘Hoàng phi dạo vườn Cơ Hạ’, ‘Ban mai trong xanh’, and ‘Thiếu nữ sông Hương’, viewers can clearly sense the breath of everyday life interwoven with quiet memories of the Ancient Capital. The women in his paintings never stand apart from their surroundings. Instead, they become part of nature, appearing behind spring blossoms or dissolving into the early-morning mist, evoking a deeper realm of contemplation.
Mai Quang Huy has devoted considerable effort to a series of paintings about Saola - the rare and endemic mammal known as the ‘Asian unicorn’, regarded as a symbol of the Annamite Range and facing the threat of extinction. Through the language of painting, with brushstrokes that convey both reverence and anxiety, this ancient animal emerges as both sacred and solitary amid the vast forests. Each painting in the series has become more than simply a work of art. It carries a powerful message to the community: ‘Save the Saola, now or never. Join us in protecting Saola”.
Conversely, his life experiences, from trekking through forests and streams to reflecting on environmental ethics and interacting with ethnic minority communities, have enriched his artistic vocabulary, keeping his creative world vibrant and grounded in reality.
In full bloom
Mai Quang Huy does not paint as a means of earning a living, but as an intrinsic need to fulfill his passion. He shares: “I can paint day and night without feeling tired. On the contrary, painting gives me the energy to return to my professional work the next day. For me, painting is an escape”. His art provides a quiet space where he can restore his energy and find balance between his professional responsibilities and inner world.
Today, Mai Quang Huy’s paintings have moved beyond his garden-house studio in Kim Long and have found their way into the collections of numerous individuals and respected collectors both in Vietnam and abroad.
Huy recalls that after graduating from high school, he was admitted to three university programs at the same time: forestry at Hue University of Agriculture and Forestry, biology at Hue University of Sciences, and fine arts at Hue University of Arts. Faced with three possible paths, Huy chose forestry.
After graduating from Hue University of Agriculture and Forestry in 1995, he went on to pursue a master’s degree at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) in Thailand, and completing the program in 2008.
Mai Quang Huy’s love of painting was not an impulsive departure from his chosen profession. His father, Mai Quang Chau, was a teacher and a well-known painter in Hue’s art community. Growing up in a family where painting and music were part of everyday life, Huy absorbed the arts naturally. This upbringing encouraged him to study independently, teach himself to paint and persevere in his artistic practice.