Critic Pham Xuan Nguyen - a close friend of the artist said he died at 6:55 pm on July 17, at his home in Ly Quoc Su. He had been suffering from a rare cancer for several years. A week before his death, his condition worsened and he was hospitalized in critical condition.
A few days before his death, on his personal page, the artist posted a final status of one of his sculptures, along with a verse from the poem "Having Nothing " ( Having - Not Having ) by Zen Master Tu Dao Hanh, Ly Dynasty: "If there is, there is from the slightest bit/ If there is not, then the whole world is not".
In the last years of his life, despite fighting illness, Le Thiet Cuong worked hard and contributed to his field. In June, he published a critical book , Conversations with Paintings, consisting of 70 articles about authors, works of fine arts, sculptures, and ceramics, published in newspapers and magazines since 2000. The book is like a miniature portrait of the history of modern Vietnamese art, where Le Thiet Cuong talks with artists of the past and present, as well as dialogues with himself.
In April, he curated an exhibition of more than 200 ceramic paintings about Nguyen Huy Thiep. Last August, he held a multi-material exhibition, taking the theme from the word Duyên .
Painter Le Thiet Cuong was born in 1962, the son of screenwriter and poet Le Nguyen and cameraman Do Phuong Thao. He studied at the Hanoi Academy of Theatre and Cinema from 1985 to 1990. He has spent more than 30 years pursuing the minimalist painting style, practicing and experimenting through many different branches: Light and dark, color harmony, shape and line.
Regarding his creative perspective, the artist once said: "I can do nothing but minimalism, whether it's painting, sculpture, pottery or graphic design. Minimalism is me, I am minimalism. Minimalism is my 'essential personality', my DNA, my fingerprint, each person is their own, my identity."
The artist is passionate about reading books, especially books about Buddhism. Buddhist thought is closely related to his minimalist school. "Minimalism is meditation, is quiet, is wordless, is economical with form, color, and strokes, is speaking through silence, 'silence of thunder'. Buddhists believe that becoming a monk is returning to oneself, finding one's 'original face', seeing one's nature and becoming a Buddha, 'looking back is the shore', just like the art profession, making art is being oneself, finding oneself, returning to one's inner self", the artist wrote in Conversation with Painting.
He also has a talent for writing criticism, with his first book being Seeing (2017). Or in his latest book - Talking with Painting, he uses simple language, a straightforward tone, pointing out the impressive features of the author and his work in an objective manner. "When writing about an author, I only talk about the precious dust that he contributed to painting, not the outside. As few words as possible", said Le Thiet Cuong.
After many years of working in art, he has come to appreciate the concept of British historian W. Dilthey: "The ultimate goal of the process of interpreting a text is to understand an author more deeply than they understand themselves." As a critic, Le Thiet Cuong "only relies on the painting itself to analyze and make judgments, absolutely not listening to the author talking about their work." "Making art, drawing, writing is subjective. Without subjectivity, there is no art," he said.
The artist was close to many figures in the literary world, deeply understanding their thoughts and styles. During his lifetime, he was a friend of writer Nguyen Huy Thiep. In his essay book House and People, published last year, he gave a subtle perspective on many artists and writers such as poet Nguyen Quang Thieu, musician Phu Quang, and director Dao Trong Khanh.
Writer Do Bich Thuy commented that painter Le Thiet Cuong is a person with a lot of cultural knowledge, lives very carefully, and always observes everything in extremely detailed ways. "Besides being a painter, he is also a writer, a researcher, a scientist with a unique way of thinking. For him, everything has its own logic, nothing is natural," said Do Bich Thuy.
In addition to fine arts, he has become famous in many fields such as photography, sculpture, architecture, and design. He has participated in many exhibitions at home and abroad, curated many events, and has works in the collection of the National Museum of Singapore.
VN (according to VnExpress)Source: https://baohaiphongplus.vn/hoa-si-le-thiet-cuong-qua-doi-416589.html
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