The story of maternal love in the paintings of artist Nguyen Nhu Duc

11 years, more than 30 paintings were selected for artist Nguyen Nhu Duc to create the exhibition 'Motherland': where all images originate from women.

Painter Nguyen Nhu Duc was born in 1980 and grew up in Hanoi , where he laid the foundation for his journey into fine arts. In 2014, he came to Hoi An and chose it as his second home, starting his painting journey called "Duc Bet".

Artist Nguyen Nhu Duc

PHOTO: NVCC

For more than a decade living in the old town, he has lived a slow life, doing many jobs to earn a living and nurturing his own artistic aspirations. In a peaceful space and simple life, Nguyen Nhu Duc gradually shaped a surreal, simple yet emotional style, taking family as the main material.

The Motherland exhibition includes 33 paintings, divided into 3 stages: primitive - fantasy - sublimation. The artist expressed them using oil paint, because it is suitable for the surreal world he pursues. "I tried lacquer, etching... but in the end I still returned to oil paint, because it gives me the richest ability to express myself", artist Nguyen Nhu Duc shared.

The work 13 moonlights in the garden by artist Nguyen Nhu Duc

PHOTO: NVCC

His paintings do not follow theory but operate on emotion. From detailed pencil sketches, he paints layer by layer, color by color as if tending a garden: a surreal garden, full of light and life. Mother Earth is therefore the crystallization of that quiet but powerful creative journey.

Happiness by Nguyen Nhu Duc

PHOTO: NVCC

Explaining the name of the exhibition Motherland , artist Nguyen Nhu Duc said, "Motherland" is both the mother who gave birth to us, our homeland, and the place that nurtures our spirit and soul. To him, the mother is always present in his paintings, sometimes as eyes, sometimes as hands, sometimes as a vague shape, but always full of love.

"In the image of the mother, I can incorporate the eyes of my daughter, the hands of my wife, the figure of my mother... All blend together in the way of surrealist art. Each character in the painting carries many layers of meaning. All blend together, layer upon layer, interweave, creating a multi-layered emotional space," the artist added.

Among the works on display, Nguyen Nhu Duc is most satisfied with the work Happiness, which he painted in 2018 and completed in 2025. That was when he had his first daughter. "In the painting, I imagine a garden with two children protected by the hands of their father and mother. The image is like a fetus in the womb. Maybe that child is my child, or maybe it is me, the child inside being loved and protected," the artist confided.

The exhibition Motherland by artist Nguyen Nhu Duc takes place from July 3 to 9 at the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum, 66 Nguyen Thai Hoc, Hanoi.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/cau-chuyen-ve-tinh-mau-tu-trong-tranh-cua-hoa-si-nguyen-nhu-duc-185250622102135152.htm