VietNamNet Bridge – Over 100 paintings on various materials depicting the beauty of women and flowers are on display at the Vietnam Women's Museum, 36 Ly Thuong Kiet Street, Hanoi.


The exhibition is jointly held by the museum and the club of collectors of Pham Luc’s paintings.

Over 100 paintings at the exhibition are drawn on many materials, including silk, canvas, lacquer, jute and wood. Their titles are simple and short, 'She's dumb', 'Warming a soldier's heart', 'Wartime sadness', 'Teenager', and 'Late afternoon'. They come from the collections of nearly 30 collectors.

According to Pham Luc, the theme of the exhibition “Women and Flowers” was inspired by the 37th celebration of the liberation of South Vietnam on April 30 and the May Day. “This is a good opportunity for me, you, and my friends to recall the memories of the past and to mark the half century that I have spent," he said.

Pham Luc was born in Hue but he grew up in the central province of Ha Tinh. He began to paint at the age of three, using anything he could find, including twigs and pieces of coal or brick. At times he would be beaten by his mother for dirtying the neighbor's walls. Finally, he discovered a flat sand bank along a river near his home and then spent his days painting on the sand without fear of disturbing anyone.

He studied at the Vietnam Fine Arts School (now the Hanoi University of Fine Arts) from 1959 to 1964. He joined in the army in 1965. With 35 years in the army, Pham Luc was promoted to Major, but also became an experienced painter.

Pham Luc's paintings reflect various social aspects but women and flowers occupy a significant place in his career. The most typical images of women in his works are working women.

During the war they were soldiers, militia girls and youth volunteers. In peace, they are housekeepers, farmers and workers. He uses light to magnify the pure beauty of the Vietnamese female soul and spirit of motherhood.

This explains in part why Pham Luc's paintings have been tinted with different nuances of joy and sadness.

Perhaps Pham Luc is the only painter in Vietnam who has a club of collectors, who live in many provinces in Vietnam.

The exhibition will last until May 13.
Thanh Van