Mention Vietnamese paintings, you immediately think of landscapes dotted with colourful trees and women in traditional dresses and their signature hats.
Among the Southeast Asian countries, Vietnam probably has the most recognized modern generation of artists from as early as the 1930s to the 1950s with names like Le Pho, To Ngoc Van, Nguyen Phan Chanh and Bui Xuan Phai.
Like other artists in the world, Vietnamese painters are affected by their environment and have found a particularly sensitive way to convey their identities, histories and beliefs through colour and poetic imagery.
Today, a new group of artists have come to the fore, very much attuned to international trends. Young artists are seeking their own identities based on their own experiences and personal visions. The result is a powerful upsurge of new art forms and revitalized traditions moving Vietnamese art forward. The works show youthful confidence, even audacity in trying to reinvent tradition.
Come this October, four artists who have graduated from prestigious art institutions will be showcasing their works together. Nguyen Quang Vinh, Mac Hoang Thuong, Chinh Khac Nguyen and Huynh Quang Cuong will be participating in a joint exhibition.
Vinh is currently working as lecturer of Painting Faculty, Fine Arts University in Vietnam. He graduated with a MFA from V.A Surikov Moscow State Academy Art Institute, Russia. He has participated in many exhibitions held in Vietnam and Thailand for the past 12 years. His colourful take on the Mona Lisa is one of the works to look out for. He has also painted a series of cats, the mix of fiction and reality makes for an almost surreal balance.
Thuong has exhibited in countries like Korea, Australia and Thailand. He also earned a merit in Philip Moris Art competition in Vietnam. With bold, confident and almost freestyle-like strokes, Thuong creates abstract images effortlessly with bold textures. A marked departure from the conventional art seen in Vietnam; the paintings create life and colour, fusing the two aspects to form a bold textured surface on the canvas.
While studying in the Hanoi University of Fine Arts, Chinh engaged himself in a number of exhibitions held in Hanoi. Chinh's art is based on still life, focusing on Hanoi's environment and old buildings. His paintings are earthly and rustic yet arrestingly beautiful. "I paint what I understand, close around me: the canvases show small streets or the corner of the scene, hidden surprise to jolt the viewer. I draw with a burning desire in the best and purest language of art," says Chinh.
Cuong is currently working in the Painting Faculty at Van Lang as a lecturer. He has been exhibiting his works since 1997 in Vietnam. His latest exhibition was the group exhibition at the "Agricultural Art Festival" at Can Tho City – Vietnam. Cuong's portraits consist of peaceful landscapes and soothing sceneries done in his own perspective. His painting "The Morning" captivates with a blue and serene feel that calms.
