Nguyen Cao Thuong’s oil painting  Đêm Nay Bác Thao Thức (Uncle Ho Doesn’t Sleep Tonight), released in 1995, portrays President Ho Chi Minh sits late at night, deep in thought, while his guards are sound asleep around.. Photo courtesy of Ngo Art Gallery

The event called Đất Nước và Con Người (The Country and People) introduces 62 paintings by 12 veteran artists, such as the Nguyen Cao Thuong, Ngo Dong and Hua Thanh Binh. 

Many of the artists’ works highlight President Ho and patriotism. Themes of Vietnamese culture and lifestyle are also included. 

Thuong’s oil painting entitled Đêm Nay Bác Thao Thức (Uncle Ho Doesn’t Sleep Tonight), released in 1995, portrays President Ho with his white beard and hair as he sits late at night, deep in thought, while his guards are sound asleep around. The picture spotlights the President the great leader and his remarkable ideas for achieving his country’s freedom.

“Đêm Nay Bác Thao Thức is one of Thuong’s best works. The picture is very unique and very Vietnamese,” said Nguyen Cong Thuc, a visitor who attended the exhibition’s opening ceremony on May 19, the President’s birthday.

The exhibition Đất Nước và Con Người (The Country and People) features 62 paintings by 12 veteran artists, such as Nguyen Cao Thuong, Ngo Dong and Hua Thanh Binh. Photo courtesy of Ngo Art Gallery

Other works by Thuong, such as Bám Biển Ra Khơi (Reaching to the Seas), released in 1965, and Tình Đồng Chí (Comradeship) in 1974, highlight the beauty of Vietnamese characters. 

Thuong studied at the Indochina College of Fine Arts, established in 1925 during French colonial time in Hanoi. 

He served as a soldier in the anti-French war and was one of the artists who established the Vietnam Fine Arts’ Association in 1957. 

In 1962, he went to Russia to study art in Moscow.

In 1978, he was the principal of the Dong Nai School of Fine Arts and Decorations. 

Thuong won several top prizes and awards from fine arts associations at home and abroad. He was honoured with the State Prize for Literature and Arts presented by the Government in 2012. 

“Viewers gained new experiences and passion after visiting Đất Nước và Con Người at Ngo Art Gallery. The exhibits are different in materials and themes but share the same topic of love for the country and people,” artist Hua Thanh Binh, former deputy director of the HCM City Museum of Fine Arts, who also sent his work to the event. 

Đất Nước và Con Người opens until June 19, 9am to 9pm every day at Ngo Art Gallery at 21 Vo Truong Toan Street, Thao Dien Ward in Thu Duc City. 

VNS

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