"A Pair of Cats" - Painting by Le Vo Tuan
Like every year, Song Nhu Art gallery opens to the public the Zodiac gallery, introducing 27 works by artist Dang Mau Tuu and 13 other painters. This year, the Zodiac gallery is displayed in a larger space at the Culture, Information and Sports Center of Hue City (25 Le Loi).
According to Dang Mau Tuu, cats are familiar animals, attached to human life, intelligent and agile,and are loved by many people. Cats are also considered spirit animals that bring auspiciousness and prosperity. In terms of form, this is also an easy-to-draw animal that conveys positive messages about a peaceful and happy new year.
Not only painted in a realistic or abstract way, this year's zodiac is also expressed through folk drawings to tell people the new year's stories. "Each person has a different style. The painters present the zodiac animal and use that image to convey a lot of things that they want to say, so that everyone can enjoy the subtlety, desire and wit when coming to the gallery," the painter Dang Mau Tuu shared.
"The cat and the yellow apricot” - Nguyen Thien Duc
As the artist who painted the most pictures of the zodiac animal in Hue, artist Dang Mau Tuu not only conveyed his wishes for happiness but also included hot issues of society in his paintings. In the piece"Can't have free time", he humorously mentioned the fight against corruption through the image of a cat holding binoculars, a mirror to show evils and a sword, with an incinerator in the background.
His paintings also exploit many folk stories about the legend of the cat. The piece "Come play, oh mice " is inspired by the story of a cat climbing an areca tree, showing the animal's harmony with the people around it, and making friends with everyone.
Other works exploit the characteristics of the cat to express reunion, affection, and love on Tet holiday. The painting "Cat’s wedding" by artist Tran Xuan Minh is about the love and union of a cat couple on their wedding day. That is also his way of conveying the message that everyone will be happy and peaceful in the new year.
"Happy Cats" - Dang Mau Tuu
In addition to the Zodiac gallery of Song Nhu Art gallery, art lovers can also enjoy animal paintings at the "Spring and Zodiac" gallery organized by the Fine Arts Association at Song Huong Magazine. The image of a very familiar cat is shown by the authors through a mischievous, funny, and joyful look.
In the work "Last day of winter" by artist Nguyen Thi Lan, the cat is a pet lying under a beautiful warm blanket, or innocently playing with butterflies in the painting "Innocent" by the painter Le Hoa. Cats also roam the peach garden eagerly waiting for spring to come in "Welcome Spring" by Phan Thi Na.
"Welcome Spring" - Phan Thi Na
This year, another spring gallery of Flamink ArtSpace at 50 Nguyen Chi Dieu is also displaying many beautiful paintings of cats. The lacquer painting "Get together" by artist Le Ba Cang shows the image of a happy cat family. Using bright colors, the painting shows the color of sunshine and spring plants to convey hope and reunion in the new year. The work "By the Green Door" by artist Nam Thanh Trung exploits the image of a cat with piercing eyes in a mysterious space, giving viewers an impressive feeling.
The work "The cat and the yellow apricot" by artist Nguyen Thien Duc refers to the first YellowApricot Festival held in Hue. The combination of the zodiac with a new festival is his way of honoring Hue's cultural values, as well as sending wishes for good luck in the new year.
The attraction of each painting is not only because the animal portraits are vividly depicted with all poses and colors, but also because they are very personal, close to life, and give a breath of spring. By anthropomorphizing animals, the painters convey wishes and messages in the new year, bringing about gentle but profound aesthetic feelings. From there, viewers can find many satisfying details to ponder, or simply feel the bustling atmosphere of the approaching spring.
Story and photos: Trang Hien