The famous paintings of the past

Collector Vu Dinh Hai next to a portrait of the late photographer Lam Tan Tai. Photo: Gian Thanh Son

Standing in front of the paintings collected before 1975 in the South, I felt a surge of emotions about time - both nostalgic and wistful. They are not just patches of color on canvas, but vivid memories of an era, of fates, of movements following the cultural flow of the country's history.

Perhaps what makes the exhibition special is the origin of the collection - from an overseas Vietnamese in the US. In my opinion, the exhibition has created a bridge, both geographically and spiritually, between the child living far away from home and the homeland, between what seems to have been lost and the desire to be preserved. The audience feels moved by the heart of preserving culture, saddened by the mark of time, and silently grateful that there are still people who cherish the national memory with all their hearts and the journey of their lives, like collector Vu Dinh Hai.

Viewers seem to meet once-famous painters of the South, such as Van Den with Playing Chess - 1960, Vu Huynh with Abstraction - 1970, Vu Huynh with Boat Wharf - 1970, Van Phung with Boat Wharf - 1960, Nguyen Huu Thinh with Landscape - 1970, Nguyen He with Horses on the Prairie - 1949, Be Ky with Grave Bus Station - 1960, Ho Thanh Duc with Husband and Wife - 1970, Ha Cam Tam with Wild Horses - 1960, Le Chanh with Portrait of a Young Woman - 1940, Le Minh with Apricot Blossoms on Tet - 1937- 2019, Luong The Hien with Cold Autumn Road - 1924-1970, Nguyen Cuong with Tet 1925-1960, Nguyen Tri Minh with Abstraction 1924-2010, Nguyen Van Phuong with Blossoming Lute 1930, Nguyen Van Phuong with Abstraction - 1960….

The atmosphere in the exhibition seems to slow down - the viewer is not only "looking" but is "listening" to a symphony of colors, of nostalgia and of soul.

Collector Vu Dinh Hai said that this is part of 50 paintings in his collection of about 300 paintings with the theme of Southern Fine Arts before 1975. He said: “I started collecting and preserving these paintings in 1982 and bought them until 1992. When Vietnam began to open up, foreigners rushed in to collect and buy old paintings, so the prices of the paintings increased along with the appearance of fake paintings, so since then I have not been able to collect anymore... However, with the awareness of wanting to contribute to preserving the ancient artistic heritage, I still continue my passionate and beloved work in the country and even abroad”...

That is a touching and proud sharing of the collector and through the above collection of paintings organized for exhibition in his homeland, the overseas Vietnamese not only expressed his nostalgia for his homeland but also actively preserved and spread cultural values - something that not everyone can do in a foreign land. This is a gesture expressing deep gratitude to the predecessors - the ancestors who laid the foundation for a rich art treasure of the nation.

That work is like a bridge between the past and the present, between traditional values and future generations. Art is not only a beautiful thing to admire, but also a memory, an identity and the voice of the national soul!

Gian Thanh Son

Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/dong-nai-cuoi-tuan/202506/nhung-buc-hoa-vang-bong-mot-thoi-9ab0d29/