Hanoi (VNA) - A painting exhibition is underway at the Vietnam Museum ofFine Arts, displaying 100 watercolour sketches by Vietnamese artists ofdifferent generations.

The artists include the first students of theIndochina College of Fine Arts, which was set up under French colonial in 1925;artists during the resistance war against the Americans; and artistsestablished after the country’s reunification in 1975. The exhibition aimsto present to the public sketches which not only have aesthetic value, but alsoare a precious source of history. 

"The country and the people are always themain themes on display at the museum," Vu Anh Minh, the museum’s deputydirector said at the exhibition’s opening ceremony recently.

"The sketches are vivid and are based onartists’ field trips to every nook and corner of the country. The works weresketched in the 1941-82 period, reflecting the national revolution and theconstruction progress in the country."


To Ngoc Van, Tran Van Can, Nguyen Sang, Luong XuanNhi and Nguyen Van Long, from the Indochina College of Fine Arts, were mastersof Vietnamese fine arts. Artists Tran Van Can and To Ngoc Van were known fortheir skill in oil-on-canvas painting, while Nguyen Sang’s lacquer paintingsand oil-on-canvas paintings are considered the best from the nationalrevolution period.

Five sketches by artist Van in four years, from1951-54, including Mua Lua (Dancing with Silk), Quan Ben Duong (SmallInn on Road) and Thieu Nu Dan Toc Dung (Ethnic Girl), and threesketches by artist Can, including Ba Ke Nguoi Nung (Mrs Ke from NungEthnic) and Khau Ao Cho Con (Shirt Sewing,) are showcased at theexhibition. 

Artists Van, Can and Sang have won the Ho ChiMinh Prize for Literature and Arts, while artist Nhi has received the StatePrize for Literature and Arts. At the exhibition, Nhi’s sketch titled MayXuc Deo Nai (Power Shovel in Nai Mountain Pass) will transport visitors tocoal mines in the northern province of Quang Ninh.


A sketch by artist Long titled Song DongBa-Hue (Dong Ba River in Hue), created in 1941, is the oldest work ondisplay at the exhibition. The 26.2cm by 30.7cm sketch features Hue womencarrying out their daily chores at the Dong Ba River bank. 

Huy Oanh represent artists from the resistancewar period. His work, sized 34.2cm by 49.4cm, depicts volunteer youngstersconstructing a road in Truong Son. The sketch was created in 1973. 


In particular, the Nha May Dien Tra Noc (TraNoc Power Plant) sketch by female artist Dang Thi Khue depicts a milestonein the progress of national construction. It was created in 1978 and is 26.8cmby 39cm in size. Khue is one of the artists from the post 1975 period. She sketcheda panorama view of the Tra Noc Power Plant in Can Tho during her first fieldtrip to the south.

"I was greatly impressed by the modernplant and the hardworking young workers," Khue said "I still rememberhow I was inspired by the enthusiasm of the young workers at the power plantand I sketched the scene under the sun without covering by head."

One hundred sketches by 70 artists whose workspresent the history of painting and sketching in Vietnam are on display.

"During Vietnam’s resistance against Frenchand American invaders, many Vietnamese artists observed people’s daily lives,soldiers, battles, rural labourers and the simplicity of life in thecountryside, which they translated into moving sketches," critic Nguyen HaiYen said.

The exhibition is on until February 20 at 66Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, Hanoi.-VNA