SUMMER MEETING 2014 – An exhibition of abstract paintings by four artists

SUMMER MEETING 2014 – An exhibition of abstract paintings by four artists:

1.- Artist Nguyen Duy Linh (Born 1955, Hue City, currently lecturer at Hue Fine Arts College)

FLYING AUTUMN 2008 – Oil/canvas – 160cm x 130cm by Nguyen Duy Linh

Peaceful autumn, the transitional period between hot summer and frosty winter, incites deep feelings in the artist. The fluttering cadence of this shifting season ceaselessly takes to the air, as if longing to extend autumn’s breath. Wind flies, clouds fly, dews fly, leaves fly…all of Hue’s autumn is flying. “Flying autumn” is an artist’s inner emotions, portrayed in poetic paintings by his talented strokes, holding onto some marvelous moments.

FLYING AUTUMN 14 – Oil/canvas – 130cm x 130cm by Nguyen Duy Linh

2.- Artist Le Thanh Thu (Born 1956, Qui Nhon City. Living and working at Saigon)

LANDSCAPE 03 – oil/canvas – 75cm x 75cm by Le Thanh Thu

Le Thanh Thu is a poet before holding brush. From time to time, he follows various styles: Impressionist, Expressionist, Abstract, contemporary…Despite being a well-known artist, he continues composing poetry and has no intention of giving up.  Therefore, it is easy to understand why his art works are so strongly blended with poetical romantic aspects. Le Thanh Thu’s series of landscapes created during the 90’s are as softly elegant as a band of white cloud on the clear sky, a range of mountain slightly blurred behind waves of water…landscape without exact address. They are just the imagination of a poet.

CITY – oil/canvas – 65cm x 65cm by Le Thanh Thu

3.- Artist Kato Shojiro (Born 1954, Tokyo, Japan).

LOTUS POND 7 – Pigment, Linen Paper - 97.5cm x 62.5cm by Kato Shojiro

“I decided to paint lotuses because they are a symbol of Vietnam. My intention is to convey an impression about the country, through a foreign eye, to the local community,” says Shojiro.

Indeed, his Japanese-style rendition of the flowers is completely different from that of any local artist.

Without the title to give a hint, the series may strike viewers as a world of abstraction. Where colors are used merely as a function of the artist’s experience of the object and forms created for their own sake, devoid of any clear reference to the world of reality. Shojiro seeks to capture the subject’s essence as opposed to its outside appearance. This approach to painting is itself a vivid example of quintessentially Japanese aesthetics.

The paintings are slightly modified replicas of one another rendered in a different color tone, characterizing a series of experiments in which the artist plays with his own emotions and sensitivity. What is outstanding about these works is the flattening of surfaces and the use of a consistent color pattern to depict lotuses as non-figurative motifs that appear iconic against a shimmering background – the undulating pond water. 

LOTUS POND 13 – Pigment, Linen Paper - 97.5cm x 62.5cm by Kato Shojiro

4.- Artist Vo Xuan Huy (Born 1970, Quang Tri Province, Vietnam. Currently lecturer at Hue Fine Art College)

First of all, we would like to limit the definition of lacquer in this brief introduction to Vietnamese Traditional Lacquer, which has been processed from the resin obtained from a kind of tree planted in some areas of South East Asia, but the best quality is the one from Phu Tho Province in north Vietnam. It’s entirely different from other chemical, industrial materials similar to traditional lacquer.

SUNSET – lacquer/wood – 80cm x 80cm by Vo Xuan Huy

All Vietnamese artists want to challenge themselves with lacquer. A few of them created abstract paintings with lacquer. Vo Xuan Huy devoted 5 years for studying, experimenting, and realizing abstract paintings with lacquer. Some characteristics of lacquer such as wrinkle or crack are usually seen as technical failure. Huy discovers a technique to control and apply them to his creative projects.

Huy’s lacquer paintings in this show, created during 2002 – 2011, had enough time so that most of the lines and colors at deeper layers simmer luxuriously while the surface layer become more and more transparent. The miraculous beauty of this art material is now incomparable!

IMPRESSION IV – lacquer/wood – 80cm x 80cm by Vo Xuan Huy