From June 2nd to June 10th, at the Vietnam National Fine Arts Museum (Hanoi), the exhibition "Calm Days" introduces about 60 works by the late painter Tran Nguyen Dung (1942-2023) with many materials such as oil paint, lacquer, silk, color powder, Do paper and synthetic forms.
The one who dedicated his whole life to painting
Tran Nguyen Dung was born in 1942 in Hanoi, known by friends and the art world as "Dung Den Cho Gao". Coming to fine arts quite early, he studied painting at the studios of painter Luong Xuan Nhi and Pham Viet Song, but did not choose the path of academic training but mainly self-study, accumulated experience and formed his own style.
At the age of 18, he started working at the Hanoi Department of Culture and Information and Hanoi Fine Arts Company. For many years, he both did professional work and nurtured his passion for painting. In 1993, he decided to quit his job to devote all his time to creation.
Tran Nguyen Dung's paintings were later well received by many collectors at home and abroad. His works are currently present in many collections in Vietnam, the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea and Singapore.
Remembering her husband, Ms. Truong Thanh Tra shared: "Mr. Dung is a wonderful husband, a father who loves his children very much. He also dedicated most of his life to his passion for painting.
According to Ms. Tra, usually, painter Tran Nguyen Dung is a spoiled person, never raising his voice in the family.
Sometimes when they were angry with each other, he was also the one who took the initiative to apologize, not because he admitted his mistake, but because he yielded to his wife.
During his lifetime, the painter was known as a calm and discreet person. She recounted that sometimes when painter Bui Xuan Phai came to visit, she would invite him to her house and then give them space to chat about painting all afternoon.
In more than 30 years of freelance creative activities from 1993 to 2023, Tran Nguyen Dung has built a diverse artistic practice with hundreds of paintings in many different materials, from oil paint, lacquer, color powder, silk, Do paper to synthetic forms.
Hanoi and memories in paintings
Tran Nguyen Dung's visual language is imbued with Vietnamese spirit but does not follow traditional interpretation.
Colors are promoted, shapes have flexible changes, creating a space that is both familiar and expressive. The theme throughout his paintings is women, festivals, everyday life and cultural memories.
In particular, Hanoi is a great source of inspiration in the artist's creative career. From Hang Bac street, Hang Be street, Phat Loc alley, Bach Ma temple, O Quan Chuong to Hang Luoc flower market or Nhat Tan flower garden... all appear not simply like place names but become memories preserved in color.
The exhibition is divided into three display spaces. The "Days of Festivals" space introduces works inspired by festivals and rural life in the North with images of village communal houses, water wharves, processions or water puppetry.
Hanoi Girl" depicts the elegant and graceful beauty of Hanoi women in ao dai, next to flower baskets or in the Tet market atmosphere...
