Painter Nguyen Binh Son: Defining a creative path with lacquer

Painter Nguyen Binh Son (born 1983, in Nghe An) is one of the five painters present at the Vietnam - Korea fine arts exhibition last November. His path to painting was not smooth, even challenging over many years, but Nguyen Binh Son remained steadfast in his passion for painting. Many of Nguyen Binh Son's works often use warm colors, vividly depicting everyday life, simple but no less luxurious and sophisticated.

- Reporter: Hello artist Nguyen Binh Son, can you share about the work participating in the recent Vietnam - Korea fine arts exhibition?

Painter Nguyen Binh Son: I came to this exhibition through the introduction of a friend, painter and art researcher Vu Huy Thong (Lecturer at the Vietnam University of Fine Arts). I submitted a lacquer painting depicting the Northwest landscape in the early morning mist, painted in early 2023. The name of the work is "Morning in the Highlands", which is also quite suitable for the theme that the Organizing Committee of the Vietnam - Korea Fine Arts Exhibition has proposed: nature, friendship, love.

When I went to the highlands, I felt the quiet, unhurried life of the people here. Life was not too crowded, even the deserted houses had no people, I naturally felt relieved and peaceful. It was the season of hawthorn flowers blooming, so I drew in my work the image of a stilt house with the white color of flowers, in the early morning scene, covered in mist, with the faint sunlight, pure.

Painter Nguyen Binh Son. Photo: NVCC

- Reporter: Through this Vietnam - Korea fine art exhibition, what spirit do you feel?

Artist Nguyen Binh Son: My mindset when participating in this exhibition is to exchange, not to put too much emphasis on the works. We get to learn and understand the culture of your country, not only painting but also music , rituals... Although we are not fluent in foreign languages, we still have meetings with each other, very friendly, sharing and learning creative experiences.

You have introduced lacquer paintings, but in my opinion, the works of domestic artists are not inferior, even their technical level is superior. Lacquer is the advantage of Vietnam, with a long tradition. Your country's artists brought landscape paintings, while domestic artists introduced many abstract works.

The painting "Sunset on the Sea" by artist Nguyen Binh Son. Photo: NVCC

- Reporter: Why did you choose the path of creating paintings with lacquer?

Painter Nguyen Binh Son: While studying at Hue University of Arts, I had the opportunity to be exposed to lacquer early on, through a teacher at the school. Throughout my student life, I made lacquer paintings with him, learning about techniques as well as composition, color coordination, etc. While our first two years of study did not teach about materials, being exposed to lacquer early was my luck.

Besides, I myself am also very interested in this material. I still remember the first test on lacquer, I got 9.5 points and was praised by the teacher in front of the class. Perhaps because lacquer always brings surprises to the creator. Artists can only be "active" with lacquer to some extent, the rest of it does not completely follow the subjective will of technique and quality, from one idea can move to another. I had paintings that seemed to be about to fail, I worked on them over and over but could not get them. Now I relax, think about what to do, the results are natural and surprising.

The painting "Shepherd" by artist Nguyen Binh Son. Photo: NVCC

- Reporter: Do you still remember your first lacquer work, in the sense of a complete and most satisfactory painting?

Artist Nguyen Binh Son: When I first graduated, I also did many different jobs related to painting. Not only did I do lacquer paintings, I also did mural paintings. But officially since 2020, during the Covid pandemic, I have had more time for myself. I painted a lot of lacquer paintings, from small sizes to large sizes. I have been focusing on creating since then.

In 2021, I had a painting to participate in a group exhibition and fortunately the first large-scale painting was loved and supported by a collector. I remember the name of that painting was “Hoang Su Phi” depicting the beautiful scenery of the Northwest region.

After completing each work, I spend time looking at it, reviewing it and always feel really excited. Because with each idea and topic, I devote all my time and effort to perfecting it. There are paintings that take a long time to complete, I also try to nurture my emotions, to go all the way with that work. The joy of finishing a work is also strange, I can laugh alone, even jump for joy without paying attention to anyone around.

- Reporter: Born and raised in Nghe An, studied art in Hue, then chose Hanoi as the place to start a career. But in your works, there are always traces of different regions, including Nghe An?

Artist Nguyen Binh Son: I am working on the idea of ​​going along the Lam River and painting. I used to think that through the folk songs, people would know more about Nghe An. What about painting? Painting must also contribute to promoting the image of the homeland.

I always remember the image of the boats on the river, the songs of the villagers occasionally echoing. I have saved those impressions in the frame and will convey them to the paintings as different stories.

- Reporter: Sincerely thank artist Nguyen Binh Son and wish you will have many beautiful works about Nghe An!

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Source: https://baonghean.vn/hoa-si-nguyen-binh-son-dinh-vi-con-duong-sang-tao-voi-son-mai-10313935.html