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Historic moments: Trang Phuong's paintings are displayed in the exhibition Tranh va Ky hoa (Paintings and Sketches). — File Photo |
HCM CITY — Memories of the historic moments of the revolutionary war and the return of peace to the country define the work of veteran painter Trang Phuong who held his first ever solo exhibition at the HCM City Fine Arts Museum on Saturday.
The 71-year-old's Tranh va Ky hoa (Painting and Sketch) exhibition features 100 sketches and 56 oil paintings, mostly featuring himself and his companions on the battlefield.
He took part in some major campaigns in the American War like Phuoc Long- Dong Xoai in Binh Phuoc Province in 1965 and the Tet Mau Than offensive on Sai Gon in 1968.
"My works are my memories of the country's war of resistance that transfer some historic moments to the public," Phuong said.
Uyen Huy, head of the HCM City Fine Arts Association, said: "Trang Phuong's style is not violent, but gentle and profound."
The artist, who hails from Binh Duong, uses his own colours to highlight the beauty of the southern region.
In Can cu Tinh uy Binh Duong, Long Nguyen 1961 (Base of Binh Duong Province's Party Committee in Long Nguyen in 1961), red and brown colours remind viewers of Vietnamese military bases.
The green and yellow-brown in Nu Phao Binh Long An (Long An Province's Women Artillerists) depicts rivers in the south-eastern region that are the colour of earth due to alluvium.
"I use my own colours to depict the soul of a land and people so that viewers can realise which lands I refer to," Phuong said.
Phuong graduated from the Sai Gon National Fine Arts College and was one of the first three painters to establish a studio in the south.
He completed a doctoral programme at Bulgaria's Fine Arts Academy in 1979 and held a solo art exhibition in Sofia.
He has held the posts of director of the Viet Nam Fine Arts Institute and deputy head of the HCM City Party Committee's Culture and Ideology Department.
"Trang Phuong has devoted all his life to the development of fine arts of Viet Nam and HCM City in particular. His works are now valuable documentaries about the war for later generations," Huy said.
The exhibition, on at the Fine Arts Museum, 97A Pho Duc Chinh Street, District 1, HCM City, will remain open until July 16. — VNS