VietNamNet Bridge – Portraits of Hanoians by painter Le Nang Hien (1921-2014) are on display in Hanoi.

Le Huyen Chau, a niece and a model of artist Le Nang Hien, looks at a painting of herself. — VNS Photo Minh Thu

The exhibition wowed visitors, with the talent of a remarkable artist’s lacquer, silk and oil on canvas work.

Hien was born in Hanoi’s Old Quarter and trained as an artist. During his 60-year career, he signed Nang Hien or Zuy Nhat on his paintings.

“Born into a middle-class family in the 20th century with Confucian teachings fused with Western neo-liberalism, Hien’s life was attached to the ancient capital Thang Long and the 1,000-year-old Hanoi,” said art critic Nguyen Hai Yen. “He absorbed the quintessence of this city and saw social turbulence not many experience, and his works reflect that.”

This is the second posthumous solo exhibition of Hien’s paintings arranged by his family.

Of the 67 pieces on display, 21 are silk paintings, 16 are oil on canvas and nine are lacquer works. Others are chalk and watercolour paintings, many with classic themes such as young Hanoian women in ao dai (traditional long dress), family portraits and scenes of daily life in the city.

Tran Khanh Chuong, chairman of the Viet Nam Fine Arts Association, said that Hien was very famous in his time and he was one of the few Vietnamese artists of his era who could make a living through painting.

 “Hien was a talented artist, an elegant man of Hanoi,” he said.

“I remember when Hien hosted an exhibition to celebrate his 75th birthday in 1996,” said Chuong. “All 75 paintings were sold – that’s really impressive for any artist.”

“The large stock of paintings he left behind is an important part of the history of Vietnamese fine art,” Chuong said. “Hien mastered various materials. We must acknowledge his contribution to the development of fine arts in Vietnam.”

The artist’s 67-year-old niece, Le Huyen Chau, was moved by the exhibition. She was one of Hien’s models, an inspiration for some of his beautiful paintings.

Late painter Le Nang Hien’s famous portraits of Hanoians are on display.

“I modeled for him for 10 years,” she said. “All of my brilliant youth and the most beautiful moments of my life were preserved in his paintings.”

As she contemplated the depictions of herself, Chau’s eyes reflected the sparkling pearl ao dai in Hien’s paintings. Chau is glad she could represent the beauty of Hanoi’s women through Hien’s art.

A book on the artist’s life and work will be released next month.

The exhibition will run until September 20 at the Viet Nam Museum of Fine Arts, 66 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street. 

Source: VNS