An & Huy: Dialogue between oil painting & lacquer, between lover & light

The exhibition 'An & Huy, Lover & Light' is not just a display of two individuals, but a dialogue between two materials, two personalities, two ways of looking at the world and the close similarities of two artists.

On the evening of December 5, at the Sigma Gallery art space (107 N3C Global City Street, Ho Chi Minh City), painters Dang Thu An and Nguyen Duc Huy (from Hue ) had a meeting An & Huy, lover & light with the art world and art lovers. The exhibition brings a unique combination of Dang Thu An's feminine and clear oil painting material and Nguyen Duc Huy's traditional but modern lacquer.

Dream under the flowers (lacquer, 2023) by Nguyen Duc Huy

Photo: T.HUYEN

Prayer (lacquer, 2023) by Nguyen Duc Huy

Photo: T.HUYEN

Here, Nguyen Duc Huy introduces two main lacquer works. With Lovers , originating from the contemplation of emotional connection in modern life. Couples of lovers blend into the brilliant nature, symbolizing the intersection of yin and yang, praising the spirit of Eastern fertility and the beauty of human love. Meanwhile, Light is a journey of inner contemplation, where light is the rhythm of hope and rebirth. The image of a woman hidden among the minimalistic shapes is a symbol of knowledge, enlightenment and the return to pure self.

Inspired by women and youth, artist Dang Thu An depicts a world rich in poetry and emotion with a secret, graceful, modern yet traditional beauty. In addition to the familiar oil painting material, she introduces a series of lacquer works on canvas - a bold experiment, bringing a new, mysterious and sensual painting surface.

Admire the works of artist Dang Thu An at the exhibition

Photo: Organizing Committee

Critic Ngo Kim Khoi (right) and painters Nguyen Duc Huy and Dang Thu An next to the painting Red Clouds sold for 66 million VND for charity work.

Photo: Organizing Committee

An & Huy, Lover & Light : When oil paint learns to be silent, lacquer learns to breathe

Associate Professor, Dr. Phan Thanh Binh (Hue University of Arts) said: "Dang Thu An's works evoke secret emotions that she seems to want to feel in their true form, such as: Dreamy Garden, Night Fragrance, Silk 2, Red Clouds , Pomegranate Blossoms and Honeyed Sunlight ... The work Sunny Day is like a different tone, echoing the tones of hidden ideas, difficult to express despite the discreet and sympathetic 'openings'. Nguyen Duc Huy's series of paintings such as Red Grassland, Under the Trees, Under the Moonlight... remind viewers of ancient legends, but they appear in the structural forms of modern lacquer. Even Confession, Blue Night, Kiss in the Wind, Self-Love ... also evoke a love story somewhere in the high mountains, deep forests, passionate kisses in the middle of the wilderness".

New work Spring Colors by Dang Thu An (lacquer on canvas, 2025)

Photo: T.HUYEN

Looking at the works of painters Dang Thu An and Nguyen Duc Huy, critic Ngo Kim Khoi said: "There is no separation between them, there is no pain of having to let go of a relationship or a memory. That is also how oil painting learns to be silent, and lacquer painting learns to breathe."

"Dang Thu An is like a summer river in the ancient capital: the water surface is calm, but underneath are very light, very deep eddies. An's oil paint is not thick, not showy; the color is just enough to evoke the skin of a young girl after a rosy dream. The female characters in the paintings never look directly at the viewer; they look towards a distant point, as if keeping for themselves a secret that only the wind and time understand. On the contrary, Nguyen Duc Huy is a person of darkness and light that is kept. Each of his lacquer paintings is a long ritual: grinding, polishing, gilding, grinding again, polishing again, as if trying to slow down time to preserve a moment. The surface of the painting is so deep and black that you can see it in a mirror, but in that blackness are thousands of streaks of gold, silver, and eggshells sparkling like stars compressed into the soul", Mr. Ngo Kim Khoi commented.

Two artists An and Huy together with Sigma Gallery will donate all revenue from the work Van May Do - a new creation by artist Dang Thu An to support conservation activities in the Central region, especially the traditional craft villages of women in Hue City.

The work Red Clouds is inspired by the beauty of roses, the powerful red color and the dreamy moments that linger in a woman's memory. The red clouds roll up like warmth, like blooming emotions blending with the quiet beauty of Asian beauty. Selling price 66 million VND.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/an-huy-doi-thoai-giua-son-dau-son-mai-giua-tinh-nhan-anh-sang-185251206112816708.htm