Painter Hong Quan, son of musician Phan Nhan and artist Phi Dieu: Painting a quiet West

Họa sĩ Hồng Quân, con trai nhạc sĩ Phan Nhân và nghệ sĩ Phi Điểu: Vẽ một miền Tây không ồn ào - Ảnh 1. — Artist Le Xuan Chieu, vice president of the Ho Chi Minh City Fine Arts Association, views the exhibition 'Delta Dawn' - Photo: H.VY

These warm, intimate feelings, "like just coming home," are conveyed by artist Hong Quan through more than 200 watercolor paintings on cold-pressed paper, a medium he has used consistently from 2019 to the present.

Nearly 70 of these paintings have been selected for the exhibition 'Delta Sunrise', which is on display from now until July 15th at Maii Art Space (72/7 Tran Quoc Toan, Ho Chi Minh City).

Stories that can never be stopped.

With this seventh solo exhibition, the artist continues to take viewers back to the Mekong Delta, showcasing familiar aspects of daily life that are undergoing change in the delta's dawn. Watercolor painting is his way of keeping a diary, recording moments that are gradually fading into the past.

These are rivers where boats have gradually become scarce. Houses no longer face the riverbank, but instead face the road inland. Floating markets are no longer bustling, and the familiar rural scenes are tinged with nostalgia amidst many changes.

There, too, the simple, rustic yet vibrant moments of the people of the Mekong Delta, whose lives are intertwined with the waterways, remain vividly present and memorable.

Artist Hong Quan not only recreates real-life moments and nostalgic scenes, but also meticulously observes and preserves every vibrant movement and change of life in his paintings.

The colors of the water change with the seasons, varying from region to region, from the river flowing into the sea, the shifting light on the alluvial plains, and even the subtle changes hidden in the smiles, eyes, and daily lives of the people living along the river.

As the artist Hong Quan himself confided: "I don't paint to beautify life. I paint to preserve the image of my homeland, to preserve the light, to preserve the old boats, the gray-haired people sitting and watching the evening water, the sunrises in the delta region…".

miền Tây - Ảnh 2. — The familiar image of two boats in a watercolor painting by artist Hong Quan.

Artist Hong Quan is the son of musician Phan Nhan and Meritorious Artist Phi Dieu, but he did not follow in his parents' footsteps, instead choosing to pursue painting. Although born in the North, the Mekong Delta – his parents' homeland – became the source of his artistic roots.

After graduating in fine arts in Ho Chi Minh City, artist Hong Quan returned to the Mekong Delta and worked as a set designer in the Dong Thap Performing Arts Troupe. His years traveling with the troupe left him with a special memory: the memory of an artist amidst everyday life, surrounded by rivers, yellow lights, and the sound of oars in the night.

"Those images became the central theme in my paintings, especially when I started experimenting with watercolors. I don't paint to beautify life. I paint to preserve the shadows of my homeland, to preserve the light, to preserve the old boats, the gray-haired people sitting and watching the evening water, the sunrises in the delta region..."

"I believe that a painting, if done honestly, even with just a few strokes, is enough to make people pause for a moment. Like stopping by a small canal, looking at your reflection on the water's surface, and feeling your heart become still," Hong Quan reflected.

miền Tây - Ảnh 3. — Artist Hong Quan amidst scenes of the Mekong Delta's waterways at the "Delta Sunrise" exhibition - Photo: H.VY

Using watercolors to paint the scenery of the countryside and its rivers.

According to artist Phan Trong Van, with this 7th exhibition, Hong Quan continues to affirm his personal artistic style through his unique approach to composition, color palette, and emotional state.

His paintings don't depict the world realistically, but rather delve into expressing spatial states and emotions, inner stillness, hazy memories, or the fragile passage of time.

He uses watercolor on arches cold press paper with a calm and subtle approach: thin layers of color, the white spaces of the paper, the gentle streaks like morning dew... All of this creates a space that is both familiar and strange, evoking a sense of tranquility and contemplation.

He has reached a mature stage in his creative journey. In each brushstroke, the viewer sees not only the reflection of the river, but also the reflection of people, the homeland, and even their own reflection.

miền Tây - Ảnh 4. — Quietly admiring the paintings of artist Hong Quan at the 'Delta Sunrise' exhibition - Photo: H.VY

Choosing watercolors to capture the essence of the countryside and its rivers was also a special experience for artist Hong Quan, as he received formal training from the oil painting department of the Ho Chi Minh City University of Fine Arts.

But watercolor, a medium with unpredictable variations, captivated him, prompting him to explore and conquer it; the more he painted, the more harmonious it became with him.

The artist confided that in the past, he always painted with heavy materials, thick colors, and bold compositions. But the more he painted, the lighter his work became, lighter in his hands, lighter in his heart. Then one day, he picked up a watercolor brush. The transparency of the colors, the natural mottled effect of the paper and the paint… like water seeping into the earth, reminded him of the southern lands.

"For me, watercolor painting is a way to slow down, to breathe in rhythm with the river, to preserve things that seem to slip away with time. I don't try to make my paintings 'perfect,' but I only hope to capture the soul of the riverside region: simple, sincere, and yet tinged with sadness…"

"Watercolor is my way of telling stories. And the Mekong Delta is a story I can never stop telling," artist Hong Quan affirmed.