【nhận định mu tối nay】Telling stories about Hue heritage in painting

The young artist Nguyen Dinh Viet beside his work

The artist circle welcomed for the first time the young artist Nguyen Dinh Viet, who was still at school, when he took part in the group exhibition of the 13 young artists at Newspace Foundation in Hue in 2012. Since then, Viet has been present in art centers throughout the country such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hoi An, etc. 

Before 2017, Nguyen Dinh Viet had chosen themes about Hue to explore. At first he painted Hue pedicabs, bicycles, etc. Later, he focused on monuments and architecture in Hue, where ancient things and memories remain.

“I choose this line of painting because of my love for Hue. During the time I studied there, I often sketched in the Citadel and the royal mausoleums. My biggest impression of Hue was the two “specialities”: the rain and the mist. I have painted Hue landscapes since then,” replied Nguyen Dinh Viet when asked about why he chose to paint Hue heritage.

Khai Dinh Royal Mausoleum by Nguyen Dinh Viet

It seems that he is captivated by the dreamy and poetic beauty of the mist in Hue. The mist on moss-colored monuments and temples always evokes something covered and hidden. Mist and time become premises for his paintings. 

“I want to paint the mist because I feel that suits me. What I want to explore is images hidden behind the mist. I want to depict what I can’t see, what behind the painting.” Through the mist, he wants to tell the story of the heritage.

In his opinion, art is not necessarily “giant” works. Art must have an effect on viewers, stimulating their aesthetic reactions and move their senses. He doesn’t intend to create daring dramatic works, but aims to attract viewers aesthetically. He gives aesthetic signals and evokes feelings and concerns of the community in regards to the value of the heritage, the awareness of monument conservation and the compassion toward the heritage left by predecessors. 

He chooses symbolism to connect with the viewer about the empathy for the destruction of time, and to create sympathy by sharing his personal feelings, calling for preservation and promotion.

Nguyen Dinh Viet’s style is to combine modern techniques and materials with realism to raise awareness of the heritage, time and movement of life through details.

He uses neutral colors to create the illusion of the mist by making objects blend to express the oneness of nature and man, their close inseparable connection and the calmness of time. It is the mist that softens the architectural constructions and the scenery. His combination of soft colors give viewers calm comfortable feelings. 

As said by Nguyen Dinh Viet, he wants to bring not only experiences with colors but also the reflection on relics, the past and the liberation of feelings. Mist plays as a veil covering the entire reality of the scenery, leaving a gap for imagination. The viewer thus feels both surprised and regretted at the beauty of ruins.   

With unique paintings about the heritage in Hue covered in mist and his subjective approach to beauty, Nguyen Dinh Viet wants to revive the spirit of romantic symbolic art, emphasizing individual imagination, the relationship between individuals and nature and the endurance through time. Nguyen Dinh Viet paints ancient relics, but his paintings always look freshly new to the viewer.

Time creates oblivion. But the spectacular beauty of nature and people is eternal.