Image of Uncle Ho in literary and artistic works

Painting "Uncle Ho with Textile Factory Workers" by artist Vu Minh.

Many Nam Dinh artists have found in the image of Uncle Ho a source of profound expression, from which they have created works imbued with humanity and art. Through each stroke, they not only recreate the image of the beloved leader, but also convey gratitude, admiration and responsibility to preserve an immortal cultural and spiritual symbol. Painter Duong Duc Dien has created hundreds of propaganda paintings about Uncle Ho over many decades. Using diverse materials such as colored panels, watercolors, oil paintings, wood carvings or ceramic paintings, he has recreated the image of Uncle Ho with all the respect and admiration. Typical paintings such as "Uncle Ho is still with us" (1967), "Uncle Ho visits the Textile Factory" (1984), "Uncle Ho visits the kindergarten" (2003) depict Uncle Ho as both majestic and close in daily life. Artist Dang Son Nam is also a veteran, famous for his oil painting “Uncle Ho with Children” - completed after many years of preparation and displayed at the Ho Chi Minh Museum in 1990. In the painting, Uncle Ho appears gentle in the arms of children, with a dove of peace flying behind him. Before painting, he painstakingly researched documents, hoping to fully express Uncle Ho's spirit. For him, this is a “spiritual flower” dedicated to the great father of the nation.

A special figure in the Nam Dinh fine arts scene is painter Le Duc Biet. Although he was originally from Binh Dinh, he lived and created works in Nam Dinh for many years, considering this place a land that nurtured artistic inspiration. Works such as “On the Campaign Road”, “A Life of Pure and Unblemished Gold”, “A Winter Night in Viet Bac”… depict the image of Uncle Ho among soldiers, sometimes simple, sometimes pensive, sometimes quietly covering a sick person in the middle of the night forest. He pursues a realistic, rustic style, focusing on psychological and emotional depth. For him, each painting is a journey of gratitude, a stick of incense sent to memory. In fact, Nam Dinh painters have constantly cultivated the image of President Ho Chi Minh with both talent and deep gratitude so that each painting is not only a work of art, but also a message about morality, personality and spiritual heritage that lasts forever.

On the music stage, the image of Uncle Ho also resonates through many proud melodies. Many Nam Dinh musicians have composed songs praising Uncle Ho with sincere emotions. Meritorious Artist Kieu Du is especially skillful in incorporating Uncle Ho's teachings into his song compositions. The lyrics in his musical works are often imbued with Ho Chi Minh's ideology, becoming a red thread running through them. A typical example is the song "Ket dai hoa dang Bac" - a composition praising the People's Public Security force - which uses Uncle Ho's advice to the Public Security soldiers as the lyrics, both rich in lyricism and containing a profound message.

In addition, musician Trong Du chose to convey his feelings for Uncle Ho through childhood melodies. He is the author of the song collection “My mother tells stories about Uncle Ho” consisting of 11 songs written specifically for children. In this collection, there are many songs that have become familiar to many generations of students, such as “Tuoi Tho Bay Xa” or “Bong Hoa Tinh Ban”, which won high prizes at the national Hoa Phuong Do Festival in the 1980s. With pure lyrics and passionate melodies, musician Trong Du helped the image of Uncle Ho enter the souls of children naturally, nurturing their love for Uncle Ho from their childhood.

For teacher and poet Tran Van Loi, the image of President Ho Chi Minh is a source of sacred emotions, a spiritual support in his journey of writing poetry. Ever since he was a student, Tran Van Loi was fascinated by poems about Uncle Ho by Che Lan Vien, To Huu, Tran Dang Khoa... and poems composed by Uncle Ho himself. That feeling grew over time, permeated his soul and became a lasting stream in his poetry. Making a special mark in the topic of Uncle Ho, Tran Van Loi won the B prize at the "Studying and following the moral example of Ho Chi Minh" creative campaign organized by the Propaganda Department of Nam Dinh province, with a series of 11 poems imbued with a calm and sincere tone. Works such as "Uncle Ho's house", "The road to save the country", "Planting trees, remembering his words"... are not elaborate in form but rich in images and emotions. Through each word, Uncle Ho appears close and ordinary - from the simple stilt house to the arduous resistance path, from the advice to plant trees to the far-sighted vision for future generations. Besides poetry, Tran Van Loi also devoted much effort to research, with works such as Uncle Ho's Letters Through the Moon Seasons, poet Hai Nhu and poems about Uncle Ho, President Ho Chi Minh's thoughts on educating patriotism for children and youth... Each work about Uncle Ho is a gratitude, a moral lesson imbued with love, sent to students as a way to continue and spread the values ​​that he left behind.

Using wood carving materials, Meritorious Artist Nguyen Van Duc has spent many years painstakingly carving a statue of President Ho Chi Minh. Coming from La Xuyen craft village - the famous wood carving cradle of Nam Dinh, he skillfully combines traditional techniques with contemporary creative thinking to create works rich in emotion and spiritual depth. More than a dozen large and small statues and reliefs of Uncle Ho have been born from his hands, each work is cherished like a "brainchild". A typical example is the relief "Uncle Ho with the people of Nam Dinh" - currently on solemn display at the Provincial Museum. The work depicts Uncle Ho standing in the arms of his compatriots during a visit to Nam Dinh, his face radiant with joy and affection. Another work is the wooden statue "I dream of meeting Uncle Ho" (2015), recreating the image of Uncle sitting lovingly next to a child - which was introduced at the National Fine Arts Exhibition. In 2023, on the occasion of the 133rd anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh's birthday, artisan Nguyen Van Duc completed the statue "Uncle Ho Planting Trees". The work depicts the moment when Uncle Ho slightly bows, holding a shovel to dig the roots of a green shoot, next to the joyful face of a child watching him... That image recreates Uncle Ho's familiar action, imbued with a profound philosophy about the future of the nation, the spirit condensed in the immortal teaching: "For the benefit of ten years, plant trees, for the benefit of a hundred years, cultivate people".

From music, fine arts to poetry, theater, sculpture... in every field, Nam Dinh artists have put all their love and respect into the image of Uncle Ho and have achieved many valuable achievements. The works are not only rich in art, praising his merits and noble qualities, but also spreading profound humanistic messages. Thereby, contributing to fostering ideals of life, arousing national pride and strongly encouraging the study and following of Ho Chi Minh's ideology, morality and style in today's life.

Article and photos: Viet Du

Source: https://baonamdinh.vn/van-hoa-nghe-thuat/202505/hinh-tuong-bac-ho-trong-tac-pham-van-hoc-nghe-thuat-83472c1/