Coming Home, oil on canvas, 80cm by100cm.

HÀ NỘI — An exhibition showcasing work by artist Đặng Hữu opens in Hà Nội on August 16.

Called Gạn (Selection) the exhibition introduces his work from the last two years, including portraits, landscape, still life, abstract and nude art. 

Hữu was born in 1986 in the northern province of Hòa Bình. He graduated from the Việt Nam University of Fine Arts in 2012 majoring in teaching arts. However, he decided to work as an independent artist to focus on creating his own work. He has participated to many joint exhibitions in Việt Nam, Hong Kong and Malaysia.

He feels his work has reached a mature and thoughtful stage, and he is ready to exhibit on his own.

As well female beauty, Hữu also paints portraits of men at work.

“When I went to coastal regions in Nam Định and Hải Phòng to find inspiration for landscape paintings, I met many people who are salt farmers and fishermen,” said Hữu.

“I sympathised with their hard work and was inspired by the beauty of them working. I describe carefully the glimpse, muscles and facial expressions of men with sweaty bare chests when they draw up the fishing net or set sail to the sea.”

Hữu is sensitive with the light and often chooses the moments in twilight or dawn to paint.

“I love to use that glimmer of light in the works because it helps portray inner feelings of the character and creates a balance for colours of the paintings,” said Hữu.

“For portraits, the darkness and brightness can express different sides of a person. The brilliant colours of the sunrise can illustrate the happiness of a fisherman when he returns with a boat full of fish. The flickering fire in houses of the mountainous region at the twilight evokes the cozy atmosphere when people gather together.” 

HCM City-based collector Tú Anh said Hữu is one of a few contemporary artists following romantic and simple post-impressionism. Paintings of sea landscapes, daily life and mountainous regions help people take note of his work, said Anh.

“I appreciate his works which describe emotionally the vibration of the air, trees and light,” she said.

“In his eyes, trees or men are not important, his real characters are the array of light that changes in different moments of the day.

“He doesn’t focus on small details, he reflects the emotion and space, making us sink and drift in his paintings. That’s the wonderful reward when we can feel the spectacular view of Nho Quế River or the immensity of the sea and the dim and distant air of the forest.”

The exhibition will run until August 20 at the Việt Nam Museum of Fine Arts, 66 Nguyễn Thái Học Street, Hà Nội. — VNS

Red River, oil on canvas, 162cm by 280cm.