Oil-on canvas painting Bạn (Friend) by Duong Tuan. — Photos courtesy of artists

The artists include Duong Tuan, Bui Van Tuat, Chu Viet Cuong, Minh Dong, Can Manh Tuong, Dat Phu, Tuan Dat, Nguyen The Long and Nguyen Minh.

The exhibition will show some of 50 paintings from a field trip to old Cuu Village in Phu Xuyen District, about 40km south of Hanoi.

The village is more than 500 years old and used to have a thriving tailoring sector and is filled with French-style houses.

“We went around the village to find old houses, gates and mossy walls which impress us,” said Tuan.

Cổng Nhà (Gate) by Duong Tuan.

After the trip, Tuan drew three oil-on-canvas paintings which he will show at the exhibition. One called Bạn (Friend) features only an old sewing machine, which represents Cuu villagers.

He used a low tone for the painting with grey and brown featuring old and simple equipment to remind people about the traditional job.

“Tailoring helped the villagers become rich and they built the French-style houses which were quite different from typical rural villages of northern Vietnam. But now it seems nobody lives in these houses,” said Tuan.

In another painting entitled Cổng Nhà (Gate), he drew a beautiful gate in the village.

“I think the house owner must be rich to build such a beautiful gate. I was moved to see the beauty of the old gate when sunlight shone through it.”

While Tuan's paintings are a realist style, Minh went for a more distinctive, semi-abstract look with one of his, featuring cubes with strong tones of red, yellow and blue.

One of painting measuring 69cm by 1,96cm by Nguyen Minh.

“I personally always care about what is different from others,” Minh said. “I do not want to follow a pattern of common things, especially in my work. I set the stage to study and change myself, of course, each stage must be new.”

The exhibition will kick-off a project entitled Đánh Thức Di Sản (Awaken Heritage) carried out by the artists.

“This is our long-term project,” said Minh. “We hope the paintings will bring tangible and intangible heritage closer to the public and promote culture value preservation.”

A lacquer painting by Can Manh Tuong.  Photos courtesy of artists

Tuong was also impressed by the unique old beauty and cultural value of Cuu Village.

“Quietness is my first feeling when I come to the village,” said Tuong. “Very few people were walking in the street and it was not noisy and busy like some old villages I have been to.”

Tuong will show five lacquer paintings at the exhibition. The exhibition will open tomorrow and run till May 26.  VNS

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