“Street and Flowers” ​​- the artistic mark of female painter Truong Ngoc Hien

The exhibition displays more than 50 representative works created by the female artist in recent years. This is a very meaningful exhibition for the female artist and her family, because “Street and Flowers” is also the exhibition held when the female artist was 80 years old.

Born in 1946 in Yen Phu, a village on the West Lake, painter Truong Ngoc Hien grew up in an art-loving family. Her father, Mr. Truong Van Hieu, a famous dancer in Hanoi , was close to many artists such as Nguyen Sang, Bui Xuan Phai... She learned to paint at the age of 12, with her first teacher Pham Viet Song. Later, she continued to be guided by names such as painters Nguyen Duc Nung and Nguyen Sy Ngoc.

Her artistic path opened up when she passed the Vietnam College of Fine Arts in 1963, studying with many talented female artists such as Do Thi Ninh, Dang Thi Khue, Le Kim My... Graduating from the College of Fine Arts in 1966, she worked at the Animation Studio, then worked at the Propaganda Department, Hanoi Department of Information for 34 years. That was a period of perseverance and diligence with propaganda paintings, an art genre that directly served the resistance war and socio-political life. During this time, she worked but continued to study at the Hanoi University of Fine Arts from 1975-1979, to continue to improve her knowledge of painting.

Besides her work responsibilities, she still yearns for her own world : "Deep down, I just want to paint the most familiar things: streets, flowers and memories" - female artist Truong Ngoc Hien shared.

More than 50 works rich in lyricism and national colors, mainly on silk and Do paper, show the artist's emotions, gentleness and calmness, full of love for flowers, plants, the country and people of Vietnam. The artist chooses the subjects closest to her with a special concern of a woman: simple but profound.

Perhaps because she lives in Nghi Tam, where the Quang Ba flower market is just a few steps away, flowers have become an endless source of inspiration for her. More than half of the works on display are painted flowers: “Narcissus”, “Sea snail flower”, “At the communal house gate”, “Dance of water orchids”, “Yellow flowers”, “Purple orchids”, “Yellow orchids”, “White swallow flowers”, “Flowers in the garden”, “Water orchids on purple pedestal”, “Autumn in Hanoi”, …

As a woman from Yen Phu village, Hanoi, the artist has a lot of affection for the work “Autumn in Hanoi”. The image of moss-covered tiled roofs one after another in the space of Hanoi’s Old Quarter, viewed from above, through the balcony, evokes a sense of familiarity of an ancient Hanoi, where flowers and streets blend together in a slow pace of life. “Autumn in Hanoi” is not only a still life of flowers placed in the street space, but also a love song about Hanoi’s memories. The artist has skillfully combined the pristine beauty of nature and the cultural depth of the Old Quarter, creating a picture that is both realistic and lyrical. It gives viewers a feeling of closeness and intimacy, but also full of nostalgia for an old, simple and poetic Hanoi.

If the painting “Narcissus” is a still life work rich in symbolism, not only honoring the beauty of pure flowers but also evoking feelings of purity, nobility and hope for peace, the work “Piêu Flowers” shows the familiar style of Truong Ngoc Hien: simple, rich in decoration, combining national spirit and romantic inspiration. The painting has a gentle beauty, but contains cultural depth. From a simple vase of flowers, the artist breathes life into the atmosphere of the mountainous region, memories of the mountains and forests and the figure of Thai women in Vietnamese life and consciousness.

Besides that, there are deep feelings of love for the homeland, for the lands she has passed through: "Going to But Thap Pagoda", "Ma May Street", "A corner of Co Nhue", "Hanoi Suburbs", "Afternoon Street", "Storm", "Thanh Hoa Fishing Village", "Cat Ba Sunset", "Thai Village", "Banana Garden"... In particular, the works "Uncle Ho's Soldiers on the way to liberate the Capital" (oil on canvas, 130x100cm) and "On the way to liberate the Northwest" (silk, 110x90cm) are two of her passionate works, a symphony of aspirations for freedom and peace.

Composing about the country's natural landscape, the work "Ban Thai" shows a poetic composition, recording the simple and warm beauty of mountain life through the ink brush, while "Thanh Hoa Fishing Village" with its strong brushstrokes and open layout recreates the coastal space with boats anchored peacefully at the foot of the mountain. This is a continuation of the female artist's style: simple, close, but always preserving the poetry and nostalgia for the homeland.

In particular, the large-scale silk painting “On the Road to Liberate the Northwest” is a testament to Truong Ngoc Hien’s artistic style: exploiting the theme of revolutionary war with a humanistic perspective, blending love and humanity with the ideal of national liberation. The traditional silk material makes the painting mention the theme of war but has a soft, ethereal beauty like the mist of the Northwest mountains. The image of the couple in the center of the work is in the moment of parting, the soldier puts his arm around the shoulder, gently kisses the hair of the Thai girl in traditional costume, his eyes filled with longing. The painting exudes an optimistic spirit, both poetic in everyday life and epic in tone of the resistance period.

Through the works of art that she has contributed, Truong Ngoc Hien is not only a painter, but also a witness to the history of Hanoi's fine arts. From the first days of holding a brush, through the war, the ups and downs of social life, until today, that woman still keeps a soft heart for easel painting.

Her three solo exhibitions: in 1994, 2001 and now 2025, all opened on September 11. A strange coincidence, like her life itself: quiet, persistent, but always with its own mark.

For her contributions, artist Truong Ngoc Hien received the First Class Resistance Medal, the Medal for the Cause of Mass Culture, and the Medal for the Cause of Fine Arts. But perhaps the greatest reward is the harmony she finds in viewers, when they stand before a flower painting and recognize somewhere the silhouette of Hanoi: gentle, proud, yet close.

In a small house in Nghi Tam, the 80-year-old woman still works hard with Do paper and silk plaster, amidst the smell of Chinese ink, watercolors, and flower pots. For her, each painting is a breath of life, a simple but lasting happiness.

Brief biography of painter Truong Ngoc Hien

· Date of birth: December 1, 1946

· Hometown: Yen Phu, Hanoi

· 1963-1968: Studied at the College of Fine Arts (now part of the Vietnam University of Fine Arts)

· 1968-2001: Artist of Propaganda Department, Hanoi Department of Information (later Hanoi Department of Culture and Information)

· 1975-1979: Studied at Hanoi University of Fine Arts (Vietnam University of Fine Arts)

· Member of Vietnam Fine Arts Association, majoring in Painting

Exhibitions & works

· Solo exhibitions: 1994, 2001, 2025

· Group exhibitions: 1993, 1995

· The work is kept at the Museum of History, Vietnam Fine Arts Association and in private collections and foreign ambassadors.

Awards & Recognition