Does Hanoi have Phai Street and Sung Market?

According to Nguyen Anh Minh, Director of the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum, the saying "Phai's streets, Sung's markets" was once circulated in art circles to acknowledge the distinctive beauty in Bui Xuan Phai's street paintings and Hoang Sung's market paintings.

The "Soul of the Countryside" exhibition captivates viewers with the spirit of the countryside preserved in the paintings - Photo: T. ĐIỂU

Mr. Minh shared his feelings upon receiving the lacquer painting "Phung Market" by artist Hoang Sung, donated by his family to the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum for the exhibition of selected works by Hoang Sung titled "Homeland Soul," which opened at the museum on the evening of March 23.

The exhibition is organized by the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum in collaboration with the Vietnam Fine Arts Association, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of painter Hoang Sung (1926-2026).

The exhibition presents to the public nearly 70 works by the late painter Hoang Sung, created on materials such as lacquer, silk, and do paper. The entire room is filled with the characteristic brown hues of lacquer paint found in Hoang Sung's paintings.

The artwork "Phung Market" was donated by the family to the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum - Photo: T. ĐIỂU

The family selected works belonging to the themes that have become Hoang Sung's "trademark": bustling markets, and paintings depicting folk community life, from villages to towns, from village festivals to urban gatherings.

Viewers have the opportunity to pause and be moved by the heartfelt and warm feelings the artist has for the rural markets of the Northern Delta with their hardworking mothers and grandmothers, the highland markets, and the vibrant, authentic market corners in Hanoi …

It is evident that the artist, who masters their favorite medium of lacquer painting and possesses talent in organizing space within their paintings, often features numerous characters and settings.

But above all, what moves viewers is the affection he has for the bustling markets from the countryside to the city, and the folk festivals.

Looking at the market, one can see an entire social life, from the economy to the culture and the emotions of the people.

Therefore, when viewing paintings of Hoang Sung market, one can see within them an entire aspect of Vietnamese social life during a period in which the artist lived, observed, listened, loved, and painted.

Phung Market – a work donated by the artist's family to the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum – is a prime example of the countless market scenes depicted in Hoang Sung's paintings throughout his career.

It is unclear who coined the term "Sùng Market" to identify Hoàng Sùng and acknowledge his passion for painting markets, but the name "Sùng Market" has long been passed down in art circles, much like how people refer to "Phái Street, Liên Girls" (meaning as beautiful as Bùi Xuân Phái's street paintings and Dương Bích Liên's portraits of women).

Among the two works considered for the State Prize for Hoang Sung in 2022, there is a painting of a market - "The Old Market in My Hometown".

The artwork "Rural Market" by Hoang Sung - Photo: T. DIEU

Street market - Hoang Sung - Photo: T. DIEU

The artwork "Old Market in My Hometown" - Photo: T. ĐIỂU

The artwork "Highland Market" - Photo: T. ĐIỂU

Painter Hoang Sung was born in 1926 in Hung Yen province. His artistic career was closely linked to the flow of the nation's history.

At the age of 17, he participated in the August Revolution (1945) to seize power, actively involved in propaganda work and painting motivational posters. The artist worked at the Vietnam News Agency and was sent by the agency to study painting at the Vietnam Fine Arts School from 1956-1958, and continued his studies abroad.

He was also an animation director and one of the first animators at Vietnam Television.

BIRD OF HEAVEN

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/ha-noi-co-pho-phai-cho-sung-20260324124724319.htm