HÀ NỘI — Artist Đặng Thanh Huyền’s first solo exhibition is a chance for visitors to the Việt Nam Museum of Fine Arts to admire the beauty of Hà Nội and Hanoian women.

The exhibition Hương Sắc Hà Thành (Hà Nội Beauty) is currently displaying 31 oil-on-canvas paintings in different sizes. Huyền drew the paintings over two years, depicting the charm of the capital and its people.

Hà Nội Autumn

The landscape paintings are rich in emotions. Huyền painted them with soft colours showing her love for Hà Nội, where she was born and bred. The largest painting entitled Sớm Tinh Sương (Early Morning Dew) captures the beauty of two rows of old trees on both sides of Lò Đúc Street in the early morning.

"The exhibition is my feeling about Hà Nội," said Huyền. "I want my first solo exhibition to introduce to art lovers images of Hà Nội such as tender and elegant women, the nature, the rhythm of life, and small street corners with unique characteristics of Hà Nội."

Through the eyes of a child, Huyền depicts flower sellers in the street and the dark purple violets and the sparkling flower vases.

Quiet Street

"Images of women carrying colourful flowers on their bicycles to sell on the streets are very unique," said Huyền. "I think these images make Hà Nội’s streets more beautiful and poetic."

Huyền depicts these images of Hà Nội in a set of three paintings sized 40cm by 40cm. The paintings are the smallest at the exhibition.

"This is a rather unexpected painting for me," said veteran artist Đỗ Đức. "The painting takes viewers into an emotion between real and virtual from a change. It is also like an open comment and a visual essay about the future of the beautiful capital.

Cầu Thê Húc (Thê Húc Bridge)

"These are the hidden memories that appear after the strokes by the artist that viewers can read even though she doesn’t intend when she draws. But it is art which is always made by subjective ideas and objective impacts. It will make the artwork become rich in perception."

Born in 1984, Huyền got a master’s degree in fine art from Việt Nam University of Fine Arts in 2014. She participated in the group Việt Nam - Lao Painting Exhibition at Việt Art Centre in 2010.

The exhibition is running at 66 Nguyễn Thái Học Street untill March 3. — VNS