Cách Ly 1 (Quarantine 1) painting by established artist Pham An Hai. — Photo tienphong.vn

Tranh Trong Mùa Giãn Cách (Painting in Social Distancing) displayed nearly 130 paintings which were made during the coronavirus pandemic-induced social distancing period in April.

The artists include Pham An Hai, Le Anh Van, Pham Luan, Le Thiet Cuong, Dao Hai Phong, Dang Xuan Hoa and Dang Tien.

Hai, one of the most famous abstract painters in modern Vietnamese fine art, displayed Cách Ly 1 (Quarantine 1).

“Social distancing was a rare time forcing me to be locked in four walls,” said Hai. “It helped me slow down and have time to think about myself and people around me.

“A happy life and community relationships are always the most durable bond between people. That's what we have known before but we only felt the deepest and most profound experiences in the social distancing time.”

The painting has blue, white and dark green, showing the artist's skilled use of colour to express the lonelineness of a man wearing a mask in his house.

Hai won the second International Abstraction and was honoured by Sotheby’s Auction House as one of Asia’s top contemporary artists.

Artist Van said he thought quarantine not only brought deep feelings about love and community relationships but also gave him time to enjoy the beauty of his living environment.

He painted Đường Làng (Village) with yellow, white and black featuring a peaceful and quiet village.

Contrary to this rural scene, artist Luan drew Nhà Thờ Street in Hanoi. The busy and touristy street seems quiet and calm under his strokes.

Artist Hoa brought two semi-abstract paintings entitled Vắng Lặng (Deserted) and Niềm Tin (Belief).

“The empty and uninhabited paths represent the stillness of the soul of each individual,” said Hoa.

“The initial victory against COVID-19 shows that belief has helped society to unity and work together in fighting the pandemic which is an extremely difficult problem.

For artist Tien, each day of social distancing seems to grow longer. He chose to draw more, read more books and learn about COVID-19 to kill time.

“In my family, it is quiet strangely though we all stayed at home,” said Tien. “I recorded truthfully what happened in my family with my eyes.”

The artists have made contributions to encouraging people and helped raise awareness about the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the association's chairman Luong Xuan Doan. 

"The paintings emotionally make their personal creativity," he said. 

The paintings were published in a book which will be free to spread optimism and convey a humane. Please contact telephone number 0914687177 to register for a copy. 

After the one-day display at Nhân Dân newspaper's office, the paintings will be exhibited at Ministry of National Defence, 1B Nguyen Tri Phuong Street at the end of June.  VNS

Unique Hanoi through COVID-19 sketch paintings

Depicting Hanoi in the midst of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic is the theme of a drawing contest initiated by Hanoi Sketching Group.

Vietnamese painter releases 'Please Stay Home' series of paintings

It took painter Phan Tuan Ngoc from Ninh Binh City in the northern province of Ninh Binh barely a week to finish a series of paintings about the novel coronavirus outbreak and social distancing to prevent the spread of the deadly virus.

Teenage painter helps fight Covid-19

He may be just 15-years-old, but Tran Nam Long’s artistic skills are way beyond his tender age.