Painting Hanoi with memories, with stories I have lived through
Painter Nguyen Mai Long was born and raised in the heart of Hanoi. Sticking to this city as a natural thing, but it was not until holding the brush and choosing oil paint as the expression language, that he understood how deep his love for Hanoi.
"I do not definitely define what is the love of Hanoi. Only know, whenever I hold the brush in Hanoi, I feel that my heart calms up, feels like I am talking to a acquaintance for a long time," - Nguyen Mai Long shared.
Painter Nguyen Mai Long did not choose the spectacular or monumental scenes. For him, inspiration comes from very simple things. His work mainly draws on the old streets, the roofs of the tile, the burden of street vendors goes through early in the morning or late afternoon.
"The sun is also an important figure. I love the way the sunshine of Hanoi through the tree canopy and pouring the ball on the golden wall, both remembers and as if whispering something very old" - he said.
Each picture is a piece of memory. Sometimes real, sometimes imagined based on what Mr. Long has heard and seen. This artist once painted the house where he lived in a young age, drawing an old cafe who had sitting at the rain. There are places no more, but he still draws, as a way to keep in the picture, keep himself and maybe, for others.
Materials to retain the depth of time
When asked why he chose oil paint, a material that requires a lot of time and technology, Nguyen Mai Long just laughed and said: "Because I am not in a hurry. Oil painting gives me time to think, so that this color layer penetrates into the other layer, like memories absorbed into memories. Hanoi, for me, is the city of memory classes.
It is no coincidence that Nguyen Mai Long chose oil paint as the main material in the composition. For him, oil paint is a way to cling to the memory layers, a means to retain depth and emotional thickness. The overlap technique, the thick layers of colors, the ability to change tones flexibly help him to show a Hanoi, both ancient, sparkling and somewhat as if they are passing between dreams.
Mr. Long pays special attention to light and layout. The old walls, mossy tile roofs, empty street corners or shadows are walking by him with emotions, not following rigid rules. He did not draw to copy the scenery, but recounted what had touched him. Sometimes the light in the painting is the light of the artist who once seen, but sometimes the light in memory.
With Nguyen Mai Long, Hanoi Drawing is not only art, but also a responsibility. As the city became more and more modern, the street changed day by day, he wanted to draw a Hanoi that he lived, loved, so that someone when he saw the picture could smile: "Ah, Hanoi is here".
The biggest challenge for Mai Long when drawing Hanoi, is how to keep the intersection between the past and the present - between the old things that are fading and the new things are overwhelming. He sought to reconcile all in the picture, with a typical layout, with color arrays sometimes contrast but not grumpy, with the technique of creating depth to make viewers feel like they are entering a layer of space full of memory.
He did not try to hold on to the old Hanoi, nor did he judge in Hanoi. Mai Long only chose to tell gently and earnestly as an old friend who reminiscent of the past years.
Although not noisy in the media, Nguyen Mai Long still works hard, considering each picture as a way to talk to the city he loves. He is not too expected of his reputation or the market, just hope if someone, whether in Hanoi or in a distance, when he sees his paintings to remember and feel that Hanoi is enough.
