“Spring Roses under the Sun” – a symphony of flowers shining through the brushstrokes of Van Duong Thanh

"Symphony" of brilliant colors

In “Spring Roses under the Sun,” viewers encounter a vibrant bouquet of white, yellow, red, and pink flowers, standing out against a background of blue, green, orange, and brown. The artist uses a powerful trowel and applies thick paint (impasto) to create vibrant, spontaneous color blocks while maintaining a tight composition. Light seems to radiate from the layers of white and yellow, creating a fresh, vibrant feeling. The alternating strokes of pink and red are like musical notes, making the painting both harmonious and full of life.

Artist Van Duong Thanh creates works about Hanoi . Photo: NVCC

This is a composition with a strong expressive character, the flowers are both a thing to admire and a symbol of freedom, liberty and joy of life. The surface of the painting is handled flexibly, in many places the background color is brushed thinly, revealing the structure of the canvas fibers to create "breathing space", while the central petals are thickly applied, almost sculptural in shape.

Each stroke, each brushstroke has a rhythm of “press hard – lift lightly”, leaving thick ridges of paint that then relax into thin tails. The effect makes the colors seem to vibrate in the light, like a visual music.

“Spring Roses under the Sun” by artist Van Duong Thanh. Photo: NVCC

The artist’s color placement also recalls the French painting tradition, allowing pure colors to meet directly, creating an optical vibration effect as the viewer’s eye “mixes” the colors at a medium distance. The painting is therefore both powerful and direct, yet has a subtle depth.

Painter Van Duong Thanh is a familiar name to art lovers at home and abroad. She grew up in Hanoi and studied for 12 years at the Vietnam University of Fine Arts, a student of the famous painter Bui Xuan Phai.

She was the first Vietnamese person to be selected into the CFM Snecma (International Excellence of Arts) International Arts Program of the US - France twice in 1995 and 1997.

Since the age of 20, Van Duong Thanh's paintings have been collected by the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum. Up to now, her works have been collected by national museums in many countries such as India, China, Mongolia, Singapore, Poland, Romania, Moldova, Spain, Sweden...

Painter Van Duong Thanh and delegates and guests at the exhibition "Children of the Fatherland". Photo: NVCC

With 115 solo exhibitions at home and abroad, displaying about 2,000 paintings, the artist has inspired art lovers at home and abroad. Many of her works have been selected as gifts for heads of state.

Along with her writing, she has made many contributions to Vietnam's cultural diplomacy , one of which is coordinating the organization of more than 50 exhibitions celebrating Vietnam's National Day abroad.

The artist has also actively participated in charity projects for many years. She has auctioned 30 paintings to raise funds for afforestation, award scholarships to poor students and orphans, and build charity houses for the poor.

Artist Van Duong Thanh is currently a guest lecturer for VinUni,FPT University, Marie Curie Inter-level School, Seoul University of Foreign Languages and Translation.

A memorable creative journey

In recent years, artist Van Duong Thanh has continuously made her mark through many international and domestic exhibitions. In November 2023, she had a solo exhibition at Daejeon International Art Center (Korea). Then, in October 2024, her paintings were introduced at the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum, and in November 2024, a solo exhibition titled "Light Source" was held at Hakgojae Art Gallery (Seoul, Korea).

In 2025, the series of artistic activities continued to spread with an exhibition at the Honorary Consulate of Naples (Italy) in May with the theme "Blue Sea and Mountains of Naples". On May 28, the Consulate General of Vietnam in Fukuoka (Japan) organized the exhibition "President Ho Chi Minh - Symbol of the Age", where Van Duong Thanh participated with works rich in artistic and ideological values.

"Surgery in a bomb shelter" by artist Van Duong Thanh. Photo: VNFAM

In particular, artist Van Duong Thanh also left an impression in the exhibition "Children of the Fatherland" organized by the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum to celebrate the 80th anniversary of National Day, with the work "Surgery in the bomb shelter".

The female artist emotionally shared about this work: “The painting “Surgery in the bomb shelter” was painted by me in 1974, in oil on canvas, about 1 meter in size. At that time, I had just graduated from the 7-year program of the Vietnam Fine Arts University. This is a real image in the operating room of the Vietnam - Germany Friendship Hospital, on a night when the whole city almost did not sleep, wounded soldiers were brought back continuously, filling the room. Doctors operated and gave first aid all night long, without a minute of rest. I am not a medical person, that night I could only run around to help with small tasks and record the moment with a camera, and then paint. Unexpectedly, that work was later awarded an art award and collected by the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum. After more than half a century, I met it again.”

If “Operation in the Bomb Shelter” is a memory of war, then “Spring Roses under the Sun” is a brilliant melody of peace and life. The two paintings, half a century apart, show the artist’s enduring and meaningful creative journey.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/spring-roses-under-the-sun-ban-giao-huong-hoa-bung-sang-qua-net-co-van-duong-thanh-716089.html