Painter Xu Man in sparkling memories

(GLO)- There are people who have been gone for a long time but their memories still shine brightly in the minds of others. What has been given and left behind becomes an unforgettable memory. The late talented painter Xu Man was such a person.

Painter Xu Man (real name Siu Dong) is a Bahnar who grew up in Plei Bong, Ayun commune, Gia Lai province. He is the first person in the Central Highlands to be honored with the State Prize for Literature and Arts in the field of fine arts.

On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of his birth (1925-2025), the portrait of Xu Man - "the leading bird of the Central Highlands fine arts" has been skillfully recreated through a number of artworks by his students and the next generation. In particular, these works will be donated to the Pleiku Museum.

Sculptor Nguyen Vinh carefully crafts a portrait of painter Xu Man. Photo: Phuong Duyen

1. Upon hearing the news that Pleiku Museum would coordinate to open the exhibition with the theme "Artistic Heritage of Painter Xu Man" on the morning of November 15, painter Nguyen Thanh Son - Member of the Ho Chi Minh City Fine Arts Association, Member of the Vietnam Fine Arts Association immediately sat down at the easel. After 1 month of hard work, the portrait of painter Xu Man in oil (70 x 70 cm) was completed. In the painting, the talented painter smiles gently with a headscarf and a typical brocade shirt. The background color was deliberately chosen, which is the color of red basalt soil.

Portrait of artist Xu Man through the drawings of artist Nguyen Thanh Son. Photo: NVCC

Painter Nguyen Thanh Son recalls: In the past, his house was in Kep village (now Thong Nhat ward, Gia Lai province). The village's grave-sweeping ceremonies were the first communication between the young man from Hue and the Central Highlands culture. In 1980, after graduating from high school for 2 years, he had time to attend a drawing and composition class organized by the Gia Lai Department of Culture and Information. His first teacher, the one who extended that source, was painter Xu Man. From just drawing instinctively, without any concept of art, he and his students at that time were like a piece of land that was gradually reclaimed.

What artist Nguyen Thanh Son still remembers is the closeness and innocence in the art of this special teacher. He recalls: That time, a student finished painting and immediately asked the teacher for comments. “Uncle Xu Man looked at the painting and said that this place must have more people, this place must have mountains, houses, cows and pigs. The mouth talked and the hand painted. When he stood up, I asked: “Uncle, so who signed the painting?”. He immediately burst out laughing heartily…

From the above class, Nguyen Thanh Son had the opportunity to study at Hue College of Fine Arts (now Hue University of Fine Arts). In the first year of study, a work Thanh Son completed while studying with artist Xu Man was selected to display at the National Fine Arts Exhibition. Up to now, artist Thanh Son has created hundreds of works on the theme of the Central Highlands. He established his career in Ho Chi Minh City, and every time he returned to Pleiku, he visited his teacher and interacted with the Bana people there. "I have walked like that with the love of Uncle Xu Man as well as with my love for the profession and the Central Highlands," he confided.

2. For the next generations in the Gia Lai art world, even though they have never met painter Xu Man, his works and the inspiration he left behind are enough to create admiration.

Woodcut portrait of artist Xu Man, by artist Nguyen Van Chung. Photo: NVCC

On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the birth of painter Xu Man, painter Nguyen Van Chung - member of the Provincial Literature and Arts Association, member of the Vietnam Fine Arts Association, started to create a woodcut (60x80 cm) portrait of the village artist. With 2 contrasting black and white colors, each carving vividly highlights the passage of time on the face of painter Xu Man. Painter Van Chung said that he had to work continuously for many days in a row to have the work included in the largest exhibition ever about the talented painter Xu Man.

At the same time, sculptor Nguyen Vinh - member of the Provincial Literature and Arts Association, member of the Vietnam Fine Arts Association also introduced a portrait of painter Xu Man in composite material (120x100x40 cm).

He shared: “In my mind, artist Xu Man is not only the pioneer of Central Highlands painting but also a great bird of the great forest - steadfastly flying high and leading many generations of artists to come. It is that image that has become the main source of inspiration for me to create his portrait statue”. Accordingly, artist Xu Man's face not only appears with a characteristic calm and gentle look but also sparkles with the spirit of a “leading bird”.

Having previously donated a work of portrait of painter Xu Man to the Pleiku Museum, Nguyen Vinh will dedicate this statue to his family. “By placing the statue in his hometown, I hope that the image of “the leading bird of the Central Highlands fine arts” will continue to inspire today’s and future generations – those who are still listening to the sound of the forest and dreaming of new creative wings”, sculptor Nguyen Vinh expressed.

Source: https://baogialai.com.vn/hoa-si-xu-man-trong-ky-uc-lap-lanh-post572432.html