A painting of President Ho Chi Minh by painter Thai Hoa.

To commemorate President Ho’s birthday on May 19, 1890, the exhibition Remembering Uncle Hồ in May includes nearly 20 oil paintings featuring the leader while he was working, meeting people, telling children stories and visiting soldiers.

The artworks were selected from a collection of 100 paintings by Hoa.

Hoa was born in 1955 in Hanoi and graduated from the Surikov Art Institute in the Soviet Union (now the Moscow State Academic Art Institute). He focused on painting President Ho five years ago, when he retired.  

“With the respect and love for Uncle Ho, I have created many sketches and paintings of the leader,” said Hoa.

Hoa said that he had a chance to meet President Ho many times and those memories are imprinted deeply on Hoa’s mind.

“It’s a pride of my family when Uncle Ho named my father as Thai Thanh which means big success,” Hoa said.

“Uncle Ho often visited my father’s office at the Department of Arts (now known as the Department of Performing Arts) and the artists at Mai Dich residential area where my house is located, each time he came, I always tried to elbow others out of the way to see Uncle Ho clearly.”

“As I was a boy, people always let me stand at the front. He always had many sweets to give children he met, it’s magic for kids like us, as sweets were very rare and precious at that time.”

Painter Thai Hoa (right) talks about his works at the opening ceremony. VNS Photo Minh Thu

Then his family moved to the campus of artists at the Vietnam University of Fine Arts where Hoa learned from painter/sculptor Diẹp Minh Chau (1919-2002) who created many artworks of President Ho. Hoa admitted that he has many paintings inspired by Chau’s works.

“Apart from memories and truthful emotions when I was a child, I consulted many books, newspapers, photos and paintings of Uncle Ho to develop my own paintings,” he said.

Painter Nguyen Khuong said the artworks reflect the great personality and soul of the leader in daily moments.

“Many painters find inspiration from Uncle Ho and through Hoa’s paintings, we can feel the love and respect to the President.”

The exhibition will run for five days at La Casa Hotel, 17 Pham Dinh Ho Street, Hanoi.  VNS

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