Painting - the place to return

1. “Standing in front of a piece of paper, a white canvas, my emotions burst forth, like a horse with its reins broken,” Hai Phong artist Nguyen Duc Quang shared while busy preparing for his first solo exhibition, at the age of over 60.

Cat Ba Bay Fish Market, watercolor, 56x76cm 2025.

This is also a return to the 100-year-old school where he studied diligently during the difficult times of the late 1970s.

Nguyen Duc Quang had a talent and passion for drawing since childhood. Despite the general situation of the country after the reunification as well as his own difficult family situation, his parents always created conditions for him to pursue his passion for painting.

He passed the entrance exam for the intermediate level, school year 1977-1982, of the Vietnam College of Fine Arts (the school was renamed Hanoi University of Fine Arts in 1981 and from 2008 until now, Vietnam University of Fine Arts). He could not forget the time he took the entrance exam to the school. His father, the chief engineer of a fishing boat belonging to a seafood fishing unit in Hai Phong, took leave to take his son to Hanoi to take the exam. During the three days of the exam, the father and son stayed at Thong Nhat Park, walked to the school to take the exam, walked around Hanoi Railway Station to eat and drink, then walked back to the temporary resting place. All three nights, the father and son did not sleep well because of many worries... The memory of the painting exam during those difficult days, later, was a great source of spiritual encouragement for him. For many years after graduation, due to earning a living, he could not devote himself wholeheartedly to painting, but he always cherished every little remaining time to paint.

Cat Ba Bay Fish Market, watercolor, 56x76cm 2025.

2. During his 5 years of secondary school, watercolor was his familiar material, along with Chinese ink, pencil, and charcoal for sketching. In addition, this was the most suitable material in the context where he could not spend much time on painting. Therefore, since 2017, when he had arranged space and time for his creations, painter Nguyen Duc Quang has focused on learning more deeply about watercolor painting in the world as well as in the country, to feel more secure in his choice of this material.

Besides, he actively chose the genre of landscape paintings, especially the seascape of his hometown Hai Phong . The artist has found his own way of expression. Still the contrast of movement and stillness, mass and array on the painting, but artist Nguyen Duc Quang has focused on the highlight of the movement intertwined with the stillness of the water. The thin, transparent layer of color both vividly describes the shimmering, stirring surface and evokes the immense depth of the ocean, blending with the shadow of the sky, the shadow of the boat - the embodiment of many generations of people clinging to the sea, surviving thanks to the sea and with the sea. There, there is full of the artist's personal feelings for his father who spends all year round fishing at sea, but always follows him, giving him more writing power.

With tight composition, solid shaping, delicate selection of spacing and highlights, the artist's 37 watercolor paintings of his homeland's landscapes certainly evoke many beautiful feelings in the viewer. The paintings are drawn by the artist on Canson fine art paper, with two main sizes: 40x55cm and 56x76cm.

In this exhibition, artist Nguyen Duc Quang also introduces 5 lacquer paintings, size 90x120cm. This is a material that the artist learned the technique of from a colleague, since 2009, after that, he further pondered during the creation process in his own studio.

For artist Nguyen Duc Quang, having the opportunity to return to painting more often is a great joy. He is also preparing for his next solo exhibition of abstract paintings using acrylic material, scheduled to be introduced to the public in Hanoi in the first half of 2026.

Painter Nguyen Duc Quang joined the Mac Huong group with art exhibitions titled “Sen Dau Ha” in Hanoi, Hue, Ninh Binh, and several art exhibitions between artists from Hai Phong and Korea. In 2020, he was awarded the Second Prize at the Hai Phong Fine Arts Exhibition.

His first solo exhibition, titled “Return”, took place from November 1 to 10 at Art Space, Vietnam University of Fine Arts, 42 Yet Kieu, Cua Nam Ward, Hanoi.

tomorrow

Source: https://nhandan.vn/hoi-hoa-noi-tro-ve-post917383.html