Come back to look at the sky in my garden

Artist Dang Mau Tuu does not paint Hue gardens full of fragrant flowers and sweet fruits, but rather paints as a reflection of the calm philosophy of the people in the old gardens. In his paintings, gardens are not only places with green trees, but also places that provide shade for memories, maintaining the slow pace of life in Hue.

Hue, in the public's perception, often appears with a light purple color, with continuous rain and the Perfume River as silent as a forgotten poem. But for artist Dang Mau Tuu - who lives in the heart of the ancient capital, Hue is not only an old citadel but also a mysterious garden, where nature blends with people, where the soul of the country flows like an underground river that nourishes his talented brushstrokes. From "Mustard flower season by the river" to "Met you go to the temple early this morning", from "Poet's debt" to "Royal poinciana season"..., in all those seemingly gentle frames is a whole universe of Hue gardens - a space of culture, memories, and surrealism. Hue gardens are present not only in the garden, but also in the figure of a girl, in the window, in the clouds or the sudden sunset...

Hue Garden in Dang Mau Tuu's paintings is an intersection between poetry and painting, between vision and memory.

Old garden birdsong

In the work “The sound of birds in the old garden”, Dang Mau Tuu not only painted a garden, but also a nostalgia for Hue, embodied through the green color and the figure of a young woman in a dark green ao dai, standing sideways, listening - or looking - at a distant sound: the sound of birds. The painting is filled with green, creating a feeling of both coolness and distance, like the old gardens that are deeply ingrained in memory. Yellow and brown soil intermingle like the sunset light breaking through the leaves, evoking the gentle sadness of a Hue afternoon. The artist does not describe the birds, only letting the viewer feel the sound of birds, which is the subtlety of the art of expression: Painting what cannot be seen, but letting the viewer hear it. The sound of birds is the call of the past, the echo in the soul of the old, not the sound of the present. “The sound of birds in the old garden” is a visual poem, where invisible sounds, quiet memories and natural space blend into a very Hue feeling...

Kim Long - the famous land of stilt houses, of areca gardens and tea rows, of the sound of temple bells in the evening, appears not in a realistic way, but in an emotional way. One can recognize a small alley, a tiled roof, a flower trellis, and a path leading to a separate world - the world of "Hue garden". The colors do not stand still, they move, blend, like sunlight broken by the wind on the moist ground. This is not just a painting of a Hue garden, but a painting of the soul of sunlight passing through the memories of the garden. There, sunlight is also a form of emotion, and only those who love Hue deeply can understand that sunlight: both harmonious, warm, and soft with melancholy rays of light.

Sunshine in Kim Long garden

Hue gardens in Dang Mau Tuu's paintings are not for display, but for concealment; just like the people of Hue live quietly and gently. His paintings do not scream with colors but invite viewers into a quiet, dreamy world - half real, half metaphysical.

Looking at many Hue garden paintings by Dang Mau Tuu, I always remember the painting “Returning to Look at the Sky in My Home Garden”. It is truly a vibrant and refreshing beauty of a dream of returning to one’s homeland. The painting opens up to a lush green garden. There, a woman in a white ao dai lies on the grass, her hands raised above her head as if opening her heart to the sky above the foliage. That gesture evokes a poetic letting go, her body stretched out comfortably, relaxed after a journey of thousands of miles, as if she were dissolving into nature, a feeling only felt when returning home. The painting is full of contemplation about loyalty like a very long green dream.

In a world that is being disrupted by speed and technology, Dang Mau Tuu's paintings of Hue gardens are a message calling back - not to a specific homeland, but to the inner side of the soul. Hue gardens through his paintings are a symbol of memory, of a way of life in harmony with nature that once existed, still exists and will forever be preserved.

Ho Dang Thanh Ngoc

Source: https://huengaynay.vn/van-hoa-nghe-thuat/my-thuat-dieu-khac/vuon-hue-trong-tranh-dang-mau-tuu-156315.html