About 5 or 6 years ago, a friend sent me an image of a silk painting with the theme of motherhood, signed “Hoang”. That was the first time I knew there was an artist named Hoang Hoanh. At a glance, it resembled Mai Trung Thu’s silk paintings. If you look closely, you could see the work was enhancing Southern regions specialties… from the smallest details. It appeared that the artist was very meticulous, careful, considering every detail on the painting’s surface. Brushwork, shaping, soft color combination, flexible and harmonious lines.
Later, when I had more direct contact with his works, I clearly felt his deep affection and gratitude for the good things that painting brought to him.
Artist Nguyen Hoang Hoanh was born in 1937 in the old Cho Lon (present-day Duc Hoa, Long An). In 1953, he attended Gia Dinh Fine Arts Practising School. In 1960, graduated from the National School of Saigon College of Fine Arts. He was classmate of Nguyen Van Thuong, Truong Van Y, Luu Tan Phuoc, Do Thi To Phuong, among which Van Y and To Phuong are two artists specializing in silk paintings, famous in Saigon before 1975.
He had two great teachers, artist Le Van De – a teacher of silk painting and artist Dai Ngoan Quan – a teacher of ink painting. He himself is both a painter, a teacher of painting and also spent time in the army.
Basically, Hoang Hoanh’s paintings are composed on two materials: silk and oil paint. The creative career is divided into three phases.
– During the 80s, he painted continuously to help his family overcome difficulties; because after 1975, he had no assets left. Painting is the means to support him and his small family.
He wrote: “In the 80s, I painted to serve the sentiments of many Vietnamese living far away and homesick.” The popular topic was the homeland, the country, the people of Vietnam. Occasionally, there were paintings (duplicate) that he sometimes reworked to “share” with Vietnamese people far from home who want to have a dear image of their hometown to enjoy in the foreign land.
– In the 90s, he didn’t have to worry about food, so he composed personal topics. He was “free with the feeling of seeing privately”. The requirements still existed but he was not very dependent. This was probably the most energetic and mature period in terms of artistic creation in the process of his composing.
– From the 2000s, he continued to paint, following the “emotions of life”, continuing to produce paintings with many themes that he has pursued for 50 years. Although he is old, he still works diligently every day. There are even oil painting works over 200cm in size, which he meticulously and carefully completed by the powerful pair of hands with many years of painting and mastering techniques.
Some experts think that Hoang Hoanh’s painting is too “gentle”, has not had a breakthrough in shaping thinking, has not yet dared to change his style, his brushwork… which makes his paintings less novel.
In fact, from a certain point of view, those opinions are reasonable. Because for an artist who is a creative person, during the course of his career, there must be changes at different periods. There are artists who, after finding a great way of shaping, a particular style, keep that “safety” for many reasons. Maybe they are afraid that when they go looking for “novelty”, they can’t overcome themselves even though that style is successful, loved and collected by art lovers. The impetus related to economic performance sometimes hinders the artist’s stylistic advancement. And finally, due to their gentle nature, their joy is sometimes simply “drawn every day”; don’t think about having to search for a complex or sublime visual language.
Artist Hoang Hoanh is probably in the category of people “when drawing is not only fun but also economic”; because after 1975, he was the main breadwinner in the family. In real life, he is a kind-hearted, deep, reserved person. Therefore, his paintings are very “silent, gentle, good-natured”.
He confided, “Nature, things, people and life. The creator has made it beautiful, charming and perfect, there is no substitute for it.” So the image of a charming village with customs, festivals, gentle and simple people, beautiful and elegant young women, warm loving mother and baby is what he sees and wants to be depicted in the picture.
“Meaning first, brush later” with such a soft poetic view, silk and oil paint probably suit his works best. It is difficult for him to choose lacquer or modern style such as expression, or abstraction to be trendy, to express a stronger ego and rather stick with the style of “realism, honesty, simplicity as the core”.
The most special is the “Southern specialty”, the regional identity is dense in Hoang Hoanh’s painting. From creating customs, architecture, character shaping, physical characteristics, costumes, objects to plants, trees…
Acquiring knowledge and foundation of visual arts from two teachers with two different art styles, Le Van De and Dai Ngoan Quan, therefore, Hoang Hoanh’s silk painting art blends culture from East to West. Methodical character shaping from the West; flexible in color expressing, thin, dense, strong and light to describe the oriental style.
The highlight of his career is the silk work “Uprising”, which won the gold medal of the Vietnam Literature and Art Prize in 1970. Personally, he considers it very coincidental as a chance but in fact, the painting was highly appreciated by the Jury Council for its national content, great and profound thought about “patriotism”, about “the strength of the whole people” when the country is in danger.
The work “Death before the time of release” is subtly integrated by him from the visual details: The young girl is kneeling and holding the (dead) bird in her hands; next to her was a cage with many birds waiting to be released; fresh pink lotus flowers waiting for the ceremony; relief “tiger” with “compassionate eyes”, mournfully looking at the dead bird. Those good and beautiful things are only worth while they are still alive. The little bird that was so close to freedom still couldn’t save his life. Two opposing scenes are pushed to the dramatic, when life and death are only a few inches apart…
The work “Death before the time of release”
Motherhood is one of the most enduring themes of the history of painting from East to West for thousands of years. Hoang Hoanh as well as other artists love this topic very much; and most importantly, it is suitable for his rustic, simple, emotional soul.
In the work “Waiting”, it is not only about the mother and the baby with both folk and classical beauty, but also contains the pain of separation, expectation, and reunion when the husband and father have been away for a long time, not returning home.
“Waiting”
With a huge career with hundreds of paintings he composed, there are many beautiful works of historical value as well as artistic value. In which, nationalism, humanism, love for people… are outstanding features; worthy to elevate Hoang Hoanh’s painting to a new position.
Looking closely at Hoang Hoanh’s paintings, you can truly discover profound philosophical thoughts such as strong love for the motherland, humanity, and profound philosophy that cannot be penetrated by just a glimpse. Because the works in the style of realism are simple, easy to perceive visually, so that the audiences can briefly go through without directly looking deeply into its own soul.
Compared to a group of young pioneer painters that influenced Saigon painting in the 1970s such as Trinh Cung (1938), Dinh Cuong (1939), Nguyen Trung (1940), Nguyen Lam (1941), Ho Huu Thu (1943) Hoang Hoanh’s painting was like a small stream, clear, cool, quiet, silently following the artistic flow down to the big sea, in harmony with the common art of the nation.
That is the success of an artist’s life.
Originally written by Viet Art View
