Spring awakening: Spring and women are the sources of inspiration for the artists whose work is shown at the Mua Xuan (Spring) exhibition at HCM City's Tu Do Gallery.

HCM CITY (VNS) — HCM City's renowned artists are heralding the new year with their latest exhibition titled Mua Xuan (Spring).

Each of the exhibition's 26 paintings on canvas and lacquer tackle the subject matter of spring and women in various ways, but the underlying themes of admiration and romanticism are constant.

Women have been the subject Nguyen Van Phuong, one of eight artists, for years as he finds them "an unlimited source of inspiration".

For Phuong, his art resembles "a woman who sees the world with pure eyes".

In this exhibition, women appear mostly in traditional clothes.

One of his highlighted works is Mua Xuan Van Mieu (Spring Comes to Van Mieu), which features a world full of passion.

He used vivid reddish-yellow and vermillion colours to highlight his feelings about the natural world and women in spring.

For Pham Minh Tung, he finds red is the best way to show his admiration of women.

His works feature beautiful women in traditional clothes taking part in festive activities in Ha Noi.

"I work with love and enthusiasm for Vietnamese mothers and sisters, who are prepared to do anything to ensure their family's happiness," says Tung.

His painting, Dang Le Den Ngoc Son (Offering Gifts at the Ngoc Son Temple), depicts a cheerful and vibrant scene with female subjects clothed in red, banana-green and black.

In contrast to Tung and Phuong, Quang Hai's works, featuring women playing traditional instruments, are both sombre and romantic.

Both Van Chien and Nguyen Tuan Duc use a limited palette of only brown and yellow to portray their subjects.

And in collaboration, Tran Thi Thu Ha and Bui Quang Anh have recreated Ha Noi's old streets and local women in abstract paintings.

"My first work in oil is called Hoa (Flowers). I love painting women, who are the most beautiful flowers," said Ha.

As an owner of Tu Do Gallery, she has organised 11 solo and group exhibitions in HCM City, Hong Kong, Sweden, Belgium and the US. All of her shows bring messages about Viet Nam and its people.

She is also a painter, having completed more than 400 works in different materials. She has sold 300 of them.

The exhibition runs through Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday until late February at the Tu Do Gallery, 53 Ho Tung Mau Street, District 1, HCM City. — VNS