Bright oil paintings Japan Vietnam India. Vietnamese paintings made from unusual materials: art of the past and present

On trends in the development of landscape painting in modern Vietnam. Peculiarities artistic life countries in modern economic and political conditions.

Autumn fog on Mount We-lin
envelops the trees.
Various colors of herbs, myriads of flowers
decorate the mortal world.

Nguyen Zy “Conversation in Kim Hoa about poetry” XVI century.

Contemporary painting in Vietnam is amazingly diverse artistic directions. At the same time, there is no clear division into styles and genres - the style of each artist is unique in its individuality, but at the same time, all masters strive to find and express precisely the national Vietnamese ideal. Since ancient times, the Vietnamese people have felt themselves to be an integral part of nature, obeying its rhythms and admiring its strength and beauty. Achieving harmony with nature for the Vietnamese is not only a contemplative and philosophical concept, but also an urgent necessity. Geographers sometimes call Vietnam “the balcony on the Pacific Ocean.” The humid climate and constant flooding forced the inhabitants of these lands to look for an opportunity to adapt to such difficult conditions. The hard work and responsibility of the Vietnamese helped them develop these lands, which were initially not suitable for agriculture. The Vietnamese are rightfully proud of this fact. They have a saying: “In Cambodia they eat rice, in Laos they trade it, and in Vietnam they grow it.” Now rice grown in Vietnam has the most valuable nutritional qualities, and therefore for the economy of this country it is the same important factor as oil and gas for many other countries.

Any Vietnamese is truly a patriot of his land, knowing the names of almost every mountain or river, every beautiful flower. When Vietnamese artists paint nature, they try not to copy any landscape from nature, but to convey their personal experiences from contemplating the beauty of their native country, to express their sincere love for the endless grandeur and diversity of nature. Landscape painting on silk has the most exquisite artistic qualities. The material itself allows you to show the finest nuances of color and convey the changes occurring in the landscape due to weather phenomena. Nguyen Thi Tam in his “Village Scene” depicts a morning landscape after rain. The trees are reflected in the muddy clay water of the bay, and the horizon line is hidden by a foggy haze. In the foreground of the picture are wooden rickety footbridges leading to modest village houses. Before us is a poetic image of the capricious nature with which the Vietnamese are accustomed to living in harmony. Houses are practically flooded with water, and children are having fun carefreely, swinging on the bridges.

A characteristic work Landscape painting on silk from the 1990s is the painting “Folk Festival in Northwestern Vietnam.” The artist Chu Thi Thanh here achieves a genuine organic synthesis of landscape and genre painting. The folk holiday is correlated by the master with the elements of nature. It seems as if nature itself is taking part in the celebration: the branches of the trees, bent by the wind, echo the smooth movements of the village dancers, and the mountains serve as a natural backdrop for this joyful scene. There are no local colors in the coloring of the painting. Light shades of green, grayish blue and lemon yellow create a unique major color unity.

The artist Le Kim My paints the North Vietnamese view with the same inspiration, but he is attracted not by festive fun, but by everyday work. In the landscape “North Vietnam” he depicts girls walking along the edge of a rice field and carrying wicker baskets behind their backs. The tree trunks are painted graphically by the master, which evokes associations with the traditional painting of China and Korea. The color scheme is dominated by shades of green, conveying the freshness of foliage saturated with moisture. Landscape painting oil painting became popular at the beginning of the new 21st century, but it gravitates more towards decorativeness than towards genuine picturesqueness. Silk is a familiar material for Vietnamese painters, the lightness, smoothness and transparency of which help them fully demonstrate the richness of their palette. Vietnamese artists began painting in oil on canvas only in the middle of the 20th century. Working with this technique for a long time did not go beyond student attempts to master a new painting method. Only now have artists turning to oil painting begun to actively seek visual means to embody the Vietnamese artistic ideals. It is important for any Vietnamese artist to emphasize the special colorfulness that distinguishes the nature of his native country. If in painting on silk masters create a variety of colors due to exquisite subtle combinations of somewhat muted colors, then in oil painting artists reveal the visual and decorative properties of usually local bright colors.

The impeccable beauty of yellow and of blue color we can admire in the painting “Trees in Autumn”, painted in oil by an artist named Le Thanh. Some contemporary artists Vietnamese are so passionate about the beauty of local flowers that they create entire seasonal cycles of landscapes. This is, for example, Lam Dak Manh, who created a cycle of more than twenty paintings depicting the central street in Hanoi at different times of the day and year. Color allows you to characterize the colors of a certain season, convey to the viewer the feeling of hot summer or cool winter. Such works are in great demand among European and American collectors and entrepreneurs, and therefore almost every gallery in Hanoi employs a master who can custom-make any type that interests the customer in a certain color scheme. Unfortunately, a painting made in this way does not always have the features of a truly high art. It is worth recognizing, however, that both the customer and the artist are usually endowed with good taste, so the Vietnamese art industry rarely stoops to the level of handicrafts. Buyers of Vietnamese art are mainly European intellectuals and large French entrepreneurs, descendants of the aristocratic families of those influential figures who did business in the Asian colony. It may seem very strange that the former aggressors and occupiers invest significant funds in the Vietnamese economy and show more friendly attention to Vietnam than former like-minded people and partners. In France, for example, exhibitions and fairs of Vietnamese artists are held almost every year.

Contemporary Vietnamese painting that has retained its unique charm eastern traditions and absorbed special feeling modernity is an important part of world culture. The amazing internal harmony characteristic of this strong and noble people, who withstood the horrors of destructive wars with dignity, gave birth to bright and original art, filled with highly poetic images.

Palette of happiness- Painting of Vietnam 1950s

(Hanoi Museum of Fine Arts).

Taking a short look at the works of Vietnamese masters in the 1950s, one is constantly amazed at how modern the images created in those harsh times seem. The colors of the paintings themselves are fresh, as if reflecting the variety of shades of the nature of Vietnam, with the dense greenery of tropical plants and the azure tints of the waves of Ha Long Bay, with the golden glow of the sand on the ocean coast and sun-drenched rice fields, with the colorful bustle of flower markets...

Since ancient times, the artistic culture of Vietnam has absorbed all the best achievements and influences from outside. The formation of the Vietnamese visual tradition was influenced by strong influences Confucian philosophy and Buddhist culture of China, complex forms and images of Hindu art, and later the styles and movements of art in France. Of course, in the 1950s, no matter how hard it is to guess, big influence had the art of socialist realism. But with all this - history Vietnamese painting appears to be a ball of bright and strong thread that has never been interrupted, creating a fabric with patterns that express the very soul of Vietnam. And therefore, we probably will not see in the art of Vietnam in the 1950s either the instructive intonations of the Confucian tradition, or Buddhist detachment, or a somewhat proud sophistication French school, not a hint of open “polit. agitation,” nor the socialist realist emphasis on ideology. Vietnamese painting, if you try to characterize it literally in “a nutshell,” expresses a hidden admiration for the simplest everyday life, she is a feeling of happiness frozen in colors and a dream of happiness at the same time. In general, after taking a quick glance at the paintings of the 1950s from the collection of the Hanoi Museum, the visitor is left with a strange feeling of confidence that the answer to the “damned” question “What is happiness and how to find it?” finally found in the depths of my own heart, melted from the ice of everyday life by the warm palette of Vietnamese masters.

Painting Tran Don Luon, “Happiness”, 1956, painting on silk

The painting by Tran Don Luon, created in 1956, is called “Happiness”. The images of this painting, painted on thin silk, seem to emerge from the haze of the morning fog in the mountains of northern Vietnam, where the artist is from. Silk canvas softens the shades, emphasizes the softness of halftones and light and shadow play, and saturates all the colors of the work with a golden glow. The artist expresses a centuries-old idea so simply and clearly, elegantly and sincerely. happy family, harmonious relationships developing in harmony with the surrounding world, with nature. The harmonious connection between the human world and the natural world is expressed not only by the plot, but also by the coloristic solution: the faded bluish-gray costume of the peasant woman echoes the silvery-bluish, partly ashy, half-tones of the mountains in the distance, which essentially serve as a perspective background genre scene. Poor peasant life does not look miserable, is not associated with the “heavy burden” of the people, as one might read in old textbooks. The emphasized modesty of clothing, restraint and serenity of gestures, and the artlessness of the hut’s entryway focus our attention on the inner harmony reigning in the hearts of the people depicted. Maybe someone is inclined to think that all this is just an indicator of “primitiveness” and a “backward economy”, or communist “propaganda” of the worker-peasant way of life... One should not rush to conclusions. Let's turn to the centuries-old legend about the happiness of a hero named Chu Dong Tuai. This poor fisherman once met the beautiful royal daughter Tien, who was accustomed to clothes embroidered with gold. The young people fell in love with each other, and Tien ran away from the palace to live in a simple hut with her lover, considering her main wealth to be the nature of her native country, living, sincere feelings, and the smiles of her children. Since then, the love of Chu Dong and Tien is believed to patronize young couples to survive all the hardships of life and preserve their feelings and relationships. And in this picture there is, as it were, an echo of an ancient legend, reminding us, absorbed in the whirlwind of big cities, of how to open the doors of happiness. But it was not even the Vietnamese and not at all “communist” philosopher Soren Kierkegaard who said that “the doors of happiness open not inward, but from within.” So, Vietnamese painting is both a confession and a philosophy in colors.

painting by To Ngoc Van “Buffalo Donated After Agrarian Reform”, 1955, watercolor.

But about To Ngoc Van’s painting with the expressive title “Buffalo Donated After Agrarian Reform” one could accurately say “propaganda”, “political order”... and call it a day. Well, I do not!!! And here everything is not so simple! What strikes the Vietnamese way of thinking is, first of all, their independence and ability to adapt any ideas to their own spiritual makeup. Graphic image in your own way artistic solution V to a greater extent resembles an etude, a sketch, and such a sketchy character serves as an expression of the poetry and internal dynamics of the image. The feeling of impetuous movement is achieved by developing dynamics along the diagonal of the composition. The buffalo seems to look at its new owner with surprise. On a woman’s face, a restrained smile expresses calm, confidence and joy. In ancient Vietnamese mythology, the buffalo symbolizes the guardian of the sun. As it is said in legends and fairy tales, during the time of the creation of the world by mythical heroes, the heavenly buffalo carried the solar disk on its horns and began to play with it, tossing it - when the sun jumps in height, then the day comes when it descends on the horns of the heavenly buffalo, then in peace comes night. And this buffalo given to a young peasant woman is a metaphor for hopes for the light of the sun of a new life, free and happy, an image captured by the artist’s swift brush, which stopped not only a moment from the history of Vietnam in the twentieth century, but also the motifs of ancient legends and myths.

painting “Two girls with a brother” To Ngoc Van, 1954, oil painting

In his painting “Two Girls with a Brother,” To Ngoc Van conveys the joy of spiritual closeness between people, the feeling of happiness from life itself and communication. The white clothes of the young girl sitting on the floor echo the snow-white flowers in the background; her figure symbolizes the purity of the blossoming of youth. The figure looks elegant older sister, her face is illuminated with inner peace and clarity of thoughts. The slight flickering of light reflexes on the faces and clothes of the girls enhances the expressiveness of the color scheme of the picture. The compositional solution emphasizes the calm, contemplative nature of the scene. The figures of two girls and a child are inscribed in an oval, which makes the dynamics of the composition as if closed inside the pictorial space, creating a special world inside the painting, breathing peace and kindness. A masterfully executed classical compositional scheme, however, does not seem canonical or frozen. The sincerity of the faces and the saturation of the picture with light, the figure of a child dressed in a bright red jacket, childishly naively bright in relation to the color of the picture as a whole - all this gives vitality and a special taste to the depicted scene from everyday life.

Nguyen Duc Nun painting<Прядильная нить>, 1956, lacquer painting

Nguyen Duc Nun in the film “Spinning Thread” does not just depict a scene of the routine work of spinners from the formative times independent state Vietnam, when women had to work 10 or 12 hours every day to meet the target. In the traditional worldview of the Vietnamese, work is not just a way to survive, to earn a living, it is not a tedious duty, but something like a cult, religious service, as well as a way to maintain sacred traditions, connection and continuity of generations. And in the picture there is a visible embodiment of this philosophical, religious and deeply traditional idea for Vietnam. It is interesting that, unlike the revolutionaries in Russia, the Vietnamese revolutionaries did not at all seek to impose an atheistic ideology, they only strove for national freedom, for political independence. This allowed the Vietnamese to preserve the original folk spiritual values ​​and ancient historical monuments art, and, of course, the most important thing - a traditional way of thinking, not emasculated by any dry ideological schemes. The composition of the painting is based on a comparison of three plans, perspectively contracting and going deep into the pictorial space. In the foreground, a young girl is intently doing her work. The bright yellow color of her sweater is symbolic - in Buddhism it is the color of the spiritual path, because the clothes of Buddha Shakyamuni, when he embarked on the path of wandering in search of truth, leaving his rich father's house, were precisely yellow. This is also the color of youth, the rays of the sun, giving life to all living things. Diligence in work is also asceticism, personal spiritual path which starts this young girl. In the background is an elderly woman wearing earth-colored clothes. Her element is earth, her image is associated with the fertility of the soil, her work is in the name of prosperity native land. And the third plane is the actual image of nature, eternal, preserving life, giving strength and faith. Reading the picture like an open book, from one plan to another, from one line to another, we realize that the artist is telling us in colors about the spiritual connection between generations, about the continuity of the thread of life of human culture, eternal and continuous, like the life of nature itself .

Chan Din To, "Wooden Bridge", 1956, watercolor

Chi Ngoc, "Wooden Bridge", 1956, watercolor painting on glue

Often, the image of a bridge appears as a symbol of connection and continuity of generations as the basis of happiness. Symbolically, and not just visibly, connecting the banks, the bridge is metaphorical, it hints at the need for ties between people - friendship, family, cooperation, spiritual connection, mutual understanding of different generations. Shi Ngoc, depicting a shaky wooden bridge, shows how strong it is in the wind - strong, like trees connected by their roots to their native land and capable of being flexible, but not breaking under gusts of wind. In the painting of another artist, Tran Din To, painted in the same 1956 as the painting by Chi Ngoc, the theme of the bridge also became central.

Compositionally, the picture is divided into three parts vertically. Below is the river, a symbol of impermanence and change, the mobility of existence, above is the sky, eternal, connected in consciousness with everything sublime and spiritual. Whatever religion the modern Vietnamese peasant professes (and in Vietnam there has always been a high degree of freedom of religion, some are not only Buddhists or followers of the teachings of Confucius and Lao Tzu, but Christians or Muslims), he invariably believes in the ancient wisdom that fertility earth is a sacred gift from heaven, which people must preserve, protect, protect and honor, work on earth, invariably admiring this gift. And it is no coincidence that the bridge here also acts as a metaphor for the connection between heaven and earth, the spiritual and worldly principles in human life. The idea of ​​the unity of spiritual and worldly life seems to be emphasized by the color of the picture - the color of the heavens echoes the color troubled waters rivers carrying fertile silt to the fields.

painting by Fan Ke An<Уборка урожая во Вьетбаке>, 1953, lacquer painting

The desire to glorify the fertility of the fields, the beauty of the native land and the alluring mystical expanse of the high skies is reflected in Phan Ke An’s painting “Harvesting in Viet Bac.” The artist worked in traditional South-East Asia lacquer painting technique, but the artistic and visual system is based in this work on the principles of European realistic painting. Phan Ke An preferred, like many other craftsmen in Vietnam, to make his own paints for his works. This is the secret of the elusive beauty and originality of shades, the uniqueness of halftones, and the melody of color combinations. By mixing crushed shoots and branches of Sophora in various proportions to create yellow paint, the artist achieves a variety of shades of yellow, realistically conveying the richness of the fresh harvest and filling visual space feeling the joy of life. The greenish color is achieved using copper oxide and pine resin, the effect of internal radiance is achieved by adding finely crushed mother-of-pearl to the varnish layer. A multi-figure composition in perspective reduction was originally solved. The figures of working peasants in impetuous movement gradually move away from the viewer into the depths of space, becoming barely noticeable points closer to the foot of the high mountains, where the limit of the fertile field is, and as if merging in a single stream with the rhythm of life of nature, forming unity with it and thereby embodying the true harmony of existence . The faces of the peasants are not visible to the viewer; individualism is generally alien to the Vietnamese, but the viewer is conveyed the powerful energy of these people, whose expressive figures are imbued with a feeling of happiness from creative work and a sense of unity and closeness to their native nature.

Wan Bin, painting<Единство народов севера и юга>, 1956, painting with water paints on glue

The image of unity and friendship between the peoples of Vietnam is embodied in Van Binh’s painting “Friendship of the Peoples of the North and South.” The painting was made using a complex technique that combines the traditions of Vietnamese lacquer painting and Western European watercolors. Water-based paints are applied by the artist onto a varnish-adhesive base specially prepared for them. After watercolor paints dried, the artist applied new layers of transparent glue on top, which gives the color of the painting a subtle shine and a special grace of shades. The images of two girls, symbolizing the unity of the North and South, are also associated not only with the historical vicissitudes of the 1950s, but also with legends ancient times. For those who are familiar with ancient history and the legends of Vietnam, the images of these girls seem to be an echo of the tales of the legendary Trung sisters, who in the first century AD gathered a powerful army and defeated the Chinese rulers, achieving, albeit for a short time, independence for their people. Van Binh conveys in this picture a very clear metaphor - a call for the north and south, like two legendary sisters, to unite and achieve the absolute liberation of the territory of Vietnam. To better understand what we are talking about here, let us briefly recall the history of the division of Vietnam. The idea of ​​fraternity and unity of the peoples of Vietnam became especially relevant in the 1950s, because in 1954 the territory of Vietnam was divided along the seventeenth parallel into two parts - northern Vietnam, which achieved independence, and southern Vietnam, where the pro-American “puppet” government was strengthened. In Washington, it was decided to rely on Ngo Dinh Diem, who was connected with the CIA, who, of course, not without the support of the American intelligence services, was nominated to the post of prime minister of the puppet government in southern Vietnam, because the United States wanted to turn South Vietnam into a new type of colony. In October 1955, Diem removed Emperor Bao Dai from power through fraudulent elections, after which he proclaimed the creation of the sovereign Republic of Vietnam, which was an objective violation of the Geneva Agreements. Thus, the prospect of Vietnamese reunification was deliberately postponed indefinitely. Diem's ​​serious strategic mistake was the abolition of village self-government in the south, which violated centuries-old Vietnamese traditions, especially the traditions of the South Vietnamese rural way of life. As a result, the peasantry, which made up the bulk of the population of South Vietnam, turned out to be opposed to the Diem government, which began, among other things, repressions against the communist underground that remained in the country after 1954, although it was weak and did not pose a real threat to him. No matter how hard pro-American circles tried to divide the people of Vietnam, they failed to do this, and in December 1960, the patriotic forces of South Vietnam created the National Liberation Front to fight for independence and unification of the country (remember that the north and south of Vietnam eventually united in 1976). So, Van Binh’s painting was, as they say now, “on the topic of the day,” while remaining in close connection with traditional images that echo the legends and centuries-old history of Vietnam.

Lyrical, saturated with the radiance of light and diversity color range, are paintings by Luong Xuan Ni. Contemplative peace fills the landscape, depicting a simple village on the banks of a river. At first glance, the picture seems deserted, the figures of people are only conventionally indicated in the background. However, nature itself seems to be endowed with humanity, spirituality, and a feeling of happiness. Luong Xuan Ni paints in oils, adhering to the traditions of the French school, which is why his colors sometimes resemble the palette of Cezanne or Renoir.

The subtlety of the sense of color is as important for an artist as the accuracy of hearing for a musician. And, as if a refined beautiful melody, from note to note, from chord to chord, conveying the movements of the soul, the color scheme of the landscape sounds. Either yellow highlights flash on the water and foliage, then soft green greenery unites all the colors with an emerald glow and relaxes our gaze, then thick greenery and brownish tree trunks emphasize the color of tropical flora.

Another painting by Luong Xuan Ni is a still life. Flowers in a vase are like the embodiment of a dream about the flourishing of one’s native country, or simply a dream of happiness.

The patterns of the tablecloth are reminiscent of the naive and dynamic patterns in the paintings of Henri Matisse, but we're talking about not about imitation, but rather about the continuity of traditions. Vietnamese artists never copied French masters, but only borrowed and adopted the features they liked, interpreting them on the basis of their own worldview. Flowers in a vase are so simple and delightful, and just as poetic and elegant. I am reminded of the lines of the 11th century Vietnamese poet Man Giac: “Springs pass, hundreds of flowers fall, hundreds of flowers bloom with a new spring.” Flowers are symbols of the changeability and transience of life, and, at the same time, hope for rebirth in the whirlwind of existence.

Mai Long, who was just beginning his career as an artist in the 1950s, depicted a scene from life in the Tai Meo National Autonomous Region in northwestern Vietnam. This region is practically cut off from major commercial and cultural centers of Vietnam high mountains and forests, due to which the Tai-meo people preserved their own unique culture. A young man in love dedicates the melody of the bamboo flute khen to his girlfriend. The girl’s bright clothes, in their inner glow, echo the color of the full moon, which brings to mind images from Vietnamese folk poetry, when the beauty of a woman is often compared to the face of the moon illuminating the darkness of the night. Just as the moon gives light to a night landscape, so the beauty of a girl illuminates life. young man with your blessed light. The feeling of the coolness of the night is conveyed in flickering bluish reflections, and it seems that the whole world, the peaks of distant mountains, and thin tree trunks are intently listening to the melody that pierces the silence of the night, warming the air of the night and the girl’s heart.

“Whenever there was no evil winter, the world would forget about spring...” It is with these words that we can conclude our short story about Vietnamese painting of the 1950s, which, against the backdrop of the hardships of war, seemed to be a colorful embodiment of the very idea of ​​happiness. These are lines from the famous “Prison Diary” of Ho Chi Minh, written during the years of the harsh struggle for the independence of the Vietnamese people. It was then, in the 1940s, that Nguyen Ai Quoc (translated as Nguyen Patriot, real name was Nguyen Tat Thanh), imprisoned for his struggle, the future leader of free Vietnam, adopted a pseudonym, under which he gained worldwide fame. Translated, the name Ho Chi Minh means endowed with wisdom. Wisdom as a combination life experience and observation, the manifestation of natural talent and genuine humanity, the embodiment of spirituality, kindness and compassion - this is precisely the wisdom that leads to happiness and freedom, in a philosophical, and not just political, understanding. Having taken such a sonorous pseudonym, modest and intelligent, but at the same time strong-willed and irreconcilable in the struggle, the leader of the national liberation movement in Vietnam seems to be affirming the idea that it is wisdom that must be guided not only in matters of governing the state, but also in overcoming sharp turns fate. The wisdom of the Vietnamese people in their pursuit of happiness at all times was reflected in fine arts. The pictorial art of the 1950s, with its colors, seemed to herald the arrival of “spring” - the revival of independent Vietnam after the harsh “winter” of wars and deprivations.

Summarizing brief overview works of Vietnamese painting of the 1950s from the collection of the Hanoi Museum, one could say what role they played in the history of Vietnamese art in particular and in the world artistic culture in general, or about how closely the images created by artists are connected with historical events those years and with the historical and cultural national tradition. But, probably, it will be enough just to look into your own soul - and this is the result of getting acquainted with the art of Vietnam in those years that are already relatively distant from us. It’s as if we have become somehow richer and wiser, having immersed our eyes and feelings in the palette of happiness.

Lukashevskaya Yana Naumovna, art historian, independent art critic, exhibition curator.

© site, 2011

When you look at the stunningly vibrant paintings of a young Vietnamese artist named Phan Thu Trang, they seem to be three-dimensional, and are made of sticker sheets glued to canvas. But upon closer examination it becomes clear that this is “oil on canvas” - and a palette knife. We are already familiar with palette knife painting, when the artist applies paint to the canvas not with a brush, but with the help of a small spatula knife, thanks to creativity and its colorful autumn landscapes. Phan Thu Trang’s paintings are just as colorful, albeit with a predominance of Vietnamese flavor.

Frankly, we do not know what paintings the young artist participated in the exhibitions with. But if we look at the works that are sold in art galleries today, we can say with confidence that most of all the author likes to paint trees. And those that you can’t tell the time of year. It seems that the paintings depict early autumn with its riot of colors, but it could also be late summer, or snowy winter...

Multi-colored trees with small figures of their compatriots are a favorite theme of Phan Thu Trang, this is a fact. But nevertheless, neither viewers nor fans of her work complain when they buy up colorful canvases for their apartments, galleries, country houses or offices.
For some time now, Phan Thu Trang has been a member of the Vietnam Association of Young Artists.

In her works, Vietnamese artist Phan Thu Trang uses a minimum of colors and avoids unnecessary details, which is why they can be considered too simple. However, beautiful, although a little naive, images of landscapes combined with unusual technology application of paint, became the reason for the popularity of Feng's works and attracted the attention of collectors from all over the world

At the very first moment when you see these bright, cheerful landscapes, it seems that the trees are made of many sticky leaves glued to each other. However, it is oil. Phan Thu Trang paints his caramel-colored stylizations of Vietnamese village life in oil using a palette knife technique. Her close-up style of painting creates the impression of a mosaic, patchwork appliqué, or brightly colored stickers pasted onto the canvas.

Phan Thu Trang was born in Hanoi in 1981. She received her first award for her talented work at the age of five, taking third place in a big competition children's drawing. By the age of eighteen, Phan Thu Trang took part in a student exhibition in Hanoi, where she took top places. However, the decision to follow the path of an artist did not come to Phan Thu Trang right away. First she graduated from the University of Theater and Film. But despite her diploma, she did not become a director, but returned to painting. Currently, Phan Thu Trang is a member of the Vietnam Young Artists Association. She is a highly sought-after artist and exhibits around the world, with her work in top galleries and private collections.

Images of the northern villagers and their hard lives were etched in her memory, and these vivid memories became the basis for much of Feng's work. The use of unusually warm and soft pastel colors creates a nostalgic mood for the viewer and allows them to feel the “breath of freshness” emanating from her landscapes.