Great escape: Chu Chi Thanh's photo depicts the joy of Vietnamese soldiers when they were freed from prison on the Thach Han River in Quang Tri Province.

HA NOI — Residents of the capital will have a chance to experience distinctive art works by acclaimed Vietnamese artists including leading lacquer painter Nguyen Gia Tri at an exhibition that opened yesterday at the Viet Nam Fine Arts Museum.

Thieu Nu Trong Vuon (Maidens in the Garden) and Phong Canh (Landscape) are on display along with more than 30 valuable artworks from last year's prestigious Ho Chi Minh and State Awards.

A graduate from the 1931-1936 class of the Ecole Superieure des Beaux-Arts de l'Indochine, Tri is regarded as Viet Nam's leading lacquer artist.

His experiments with lacquer led to the creation of the finest works ever produced in the early 1940s.

Masterpiece: Nguyen Gia Tri's painting Phong Canh (Landscapes), on display at the exhibit, is praised as one of Viet Nam's two most beautiful lacquer paintings.

The world in his paintings appears both real and unreal between layers of lacquer. They typically glisten with a dazzling golden colour that creates a sense of balance, uniformity, rhythm and harmony, and highlights the outlines of human bodies and objects.

Maidens in the Garden depicts the charming beauty of young girls in traditional dress, playing in a garden full of flowers and colours.

As many as 38 award-winning pieces have been contributed to the show by 19 Vietnamese painters, sculptors and photographers.

The exhibition aims to honour the contributions of artists to national culture and provide insight into the landscape and daily life of the Vietnamese, including their struggle during times of war. The event will also mark the August Revolution and National Day on September 2.

Director of the Department of Fine Arts, Photography and Exhibitions Vi Kien Thanh says the exhibition combines artistic creativity with profound subject matter, which has led to a wide public reception.

A series of photos titled Triumphant Return from Prison by Chu Chi Thanh, former Vietnam News Agency photographer and former President of the Viet Nam Association of Photographic Artists, has touched the heart of the public.

In 1973, a few weeks before the Paris Agreements were signed, Thanh was sent to Quang Tri Province to take photos of Vietnamese and Amerian soldiers being freed from prison.

His three photos on display at the show depict the great happiness of the Vietnamese soldiers during their first moments of freedom and victory after the long American War.

"It was the biggest release of prisoners in the history of the war. It happened near the Thach Han River, and I know that I was very lucky to witness the event and be able to record it," said a clearly emotional Thanh.

One photo in the series features the reconciliation of Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Minh Sang and his wife Nguyen Thi Ha after 13 years of detainment in various prisons by the US-backed Sai Gon administration.

"I was deeply touched by the couple's story. I couldn't get in touch with them after the war. Now I wonder where they are, and I wish I could get news of them," Thanh said.

The exhibition will run until next Monday at 66, Nguyen Thai Hoc Street. — VNS