Painting an old Hanoi, Pham Binh Chuong's paintings are still in high demand after 25 years

Painter Pham Binh Chuong has spent 25 years persistently painting 200 pictures of old Hanoi . In addition to loving the quiet features of the city, perhaps the public also loves it like him.

Hà Nội cũ kỹ trong tranh của Phạm Bình Chương 25 năm vẫn ‘đắt hàng’ - Ảnh 1. — Painter Pham Binh Chuong at the exhibition Going to the Street - Photo: Organizing Committee

Pham Binh Chuong 's exhibition Going Down to the Street 4 is currently on display at the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum (until November 7), attracting a large number of viewers, which is quite rare in current art exhibitions. Starting his painting career with an abstract style, then expressionism, but one day 25 years ago, Pham Binh Chuong switched to realistic painting and then found himself in this classical style, especially paintings of Hanoi's streets and people . In 25 years, he has painted about 200 paintings with the same theme of Hanoi, four of his six solo exhibitions all have the same theme Going Down to the Street. People can clearly see Pham Binh Chuong's love and attachment to Hanoi. He is absorbed in painting the quiet, old pieces of Hanoi's people and landscapes that remain or no longer exist.

Hà Nội cũ kỹ trong tranh của Phạm Bình Chương 25 năm vẫn ‘đắt hàng’ - Ảnh 2. — Crowds of people viewing Pham Binh Chuong's exhibition Going Down to Street 4 throughout the exhibition days - Photo: T.DIEU

The most noticeable signs in Pham Binh Chuong's paintings are old houses and old street corners. If Bui Xuan Phai specializes in painting streets, Pham Binh Chuong also shares the same interest in this topic, of course with a completely different style. Pham Binh Chuong chose a realistic style to record the beauty of Hanoi that he feared would gradually disappear. Old houses, street vendors, Hanoians who keep their old ways, tea shops on the street with moss-covered walls where old people sit and chat, a roadside bicycle repair shop, electric poles with tangled wires... appear in his paintings as if to remind viewers of another Hanoi that is still looming or has disappeared without warning. The author's nostalgic longing for Hanoi coincidentally "overlaps" with many people. His paintings are loved by collectors and the public, a great source of motivation for him to decide to stop and persevere with this style and topic for the past several decades and perhaps continue in the future.

Hà Nội cũ kỹ trong tranh của Phạm Bình Chương 25 năm vẫn ‘đắt hàng’ - Ảnh 3. — Both adults and children love the realistic style and nostalgic emotions in Pham Binh Chuong's paintings - Photo: T.DIEU

It is rare to find an exhibition where after one or two days of hanging the paintings, most of the works are marked in red (have been purchased) like the exhibition Down the Street 4 by Pham Binh Chuong. It is also rare to find an exhibition that makes a series of painting classes organized for students to visit, admire the paintings and learn like what is happening with Down the Street 4. Many Hanoians when coming to see the exhibition occasionally cheered with joy when recognizing familiar street corners, familiar scenes that they have not seen for a long time. Pham Binh Chuong's realistic painting style combined with nostalgic emotions of Hanoi streets has created for him a unique path to enter the hearts of many people.