Streets ahead: Pho Tam Bac Hai Phong (Tam Bac Street in Hai Phong), a lacquer painting by Ha Noi-based Nguyen Van Chien, is one of 147 works on display at the Ngu Sac (Five Primary Colours) exhibition at the HCM City Fine Arts Museum.

HCM CITY (VNS)— Landscapes, portraits of daily life, and the beauty of Vietnamese women are the themes of a painting exhibition that has opened at the HCM City Fine Arts Museum.

The 147 exhibits on show at Ngu Sac (Five Primary Colours) include the latest oil, lacquer, and silk paintings by four Ha Noi artists and one from HCM City.

Le Xuan Chieu of HCM City, one of the five artists, said the five colours symbolise the artists' five different styles and materials.

Chieu, who normally uses lacquer and oil on canvas to depict landscapes, is exhibiting his first ever silk paintings.

"I used canvas to strengthen the silk and create soft lines and cloudy effects for my paintings."

The 56-year-old has used bright colours like red, yellow, blue, and green especially in works like Hoa Tau (Performing in a Concert) and Co gai voi chim (Girl and Bird).

He also has four large lacquer and 14 oil on canvas works.

Chieu, a lecturer at the HCM City Fine Arts University and vice-chairman of the HCM City Fine Arts Association, has held several solo and group exhibitions in Viet Nam and in countries like German, Thailand, and South Korea.

His paintings are kept at museums in Viet Nam and Japan.

Nguyen Van Chien has 33 paintings in traditional lacquer and materials like egg shells, mother of pearl, and oil.

"My paintings are divided into two kinds: lacquer paintings and lacquer engraving paintings.

"To make an engraved painting, first I engrave lines on lacquer and then use egg shells and mother of pearl to inlay on them. Finally, I use oil to colour the paintings."

His works feature landscapes and life in villages, streets, and valleys in the north, predominantly in black and brown.

His works include Dem Bao Loc Nam Dinh (Night in Bao Loc Temple in Nam Dinh Province) and Pho Tam Bac Hai Phong (Tam Bac Street in Hai Phong).

Chien, 61, graduated from the College of Fine Arts in Ha Noi and used to work as a designer at Phap Luat (Law) newspaper.

He has held exhibitions in Viet Nam, Italy, Germany, Poland, and the Netherlands.

The exhibition also features 30 large lacquer works of women by Tran Quang Hai, 30, mixed media paintings about life in the countryside by Le Tuan Anh, and 39 impressionist oil on canvas paintings by Ngo Van Cao.

The exhibition will remain open until December 31 at 97A Pho Duc Chinh, District 1. — VNS