The 7.6m-long Chiến Thắng Ấp Bắc (Victory at Ấp Bắc)

Silk painting Củ Chi Female Guerrila by artist Huỳnh Phương Đông. Photos VNAM

HÀ NỘI - For the first time a painting by artist and soldier Huỳnh Phương Đông is on a display at Việt Nam Museum of Fine Arts (VNAM).

Đông (1925-2025) painted the 7.6m-long Chiến Thắng Ấp Bắc (Victory at Ấp Bắc) about the glorious moment of the historical victory in the southern province of Tiền Giang, about 65km southwest of HCM City.

He did not witness the actual battle at the time because he was heading South, according to his wife Lê Thị Thu, at the exhibition's opening ceremony at VNAM. 

"He went to Ấp Bắc and was told by local people about the battlefield," Thu said. "The battle happened early 1963 while he began to return from Hà Nội in the middle of August the same year, so he painted it from his imagination."

Đông, whose real name was Huỳnh Công Nhãn, after graduating from the Gia Định Fine Arts Training School in HCM City in 1945 joined the army to fight against the French colonists (1945-1954).

After the Điện Biên Phủ Victory in 1954, he continued with his studies, majoring in sculpture at the Việt Nam Fine Arts College in Hà Nội (1957-1963). As both an artist and a soldier, he played an active role in the resistance wars against both French and American forces.

Huỳnh Phương Đông became his alias in 1963, when he crossed the Trường Sơn Mountain Range to work at the Liberation Painting Department as part of the southeastern battlefield. It remained as his official pseudonym throughout his artistic career, until his passing in 2015.

"It is difficult to choose which painting I like the most," said a visitor to the exhibition Mai Anh, from Thanh Xuân District.

"But perhaps I am most impressed with the painting Victory at Ấp Bắc. Looking at all the artist's paintings I feel war was depicted very clearly and vividly. For a young person like me, not directly witnessing that time, I feel very emotional and grateful for the sacrifices of the elder generations."

The painting is among 150 works by the artist displayed at VNAM on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Liberation Day and National Reunification in April 30, and in celebration of the centenary of the birth of the artist.

The paintings are in a variety of media including graphite, watercolour, pen and ink, gouache and silk. Other depictions include historic pieces such as the La Ngà Battle, the Y-shaped Bridge Battlefield and legendary locations like the 'steel land' Củ Chi and the Rừng Sác military base.

The artist's drawings and sketches, with urgent and evocative strokes, are not only powerful works of art, but also work as vivid historical records bearing witness to the sacrifices, courage and spirit of Vietnamese army and people.

Following the national liberation, the artist continued to capture the vibrancy of everyday life, drawing industrious farmers, workers, children and heroic Vietnamese mothers who together contributed to the development of the nation.

From left to right Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Tạ Quang Đông, late artist Huỳnh Phương Đông's wife and VNAM director Nguyễn Anh Minh at the exhibition opening. VNS photo Nguyễn Bình

"The exhibition brings visitors back to the heroic years of struggle, to relive the unforgettable memories through the lens of a courageous and devoted artist-soldier," said VNAM director Nguyễn Anh Minh.

"Hopefully it will inspire younger generations to understand the value of peace, to appreciate the sacrifices of those who came before, and to uphold the enduring traditions of our nation."

The exhibition runs until May 2 at 66 Nguyễn Thái Học Street. - VNS