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| Artist Nguyen Thuong Hien's tea spot |
From “Tuyet Tinh Coc”
Firstly, there's the corner of the garden featuring paintings by three brothers: Nguyen Thuong Hien, Nguyen Thuong Hai, and Nguyen Thuong Hy, hailing from the "Tuyet Tinh Coc" in Hue's Citadel. Nguyen Thuong Hien contributes 5 collage paintings, a rare material these days. His Hue garden paintings include both royal gardens and folk gardens.
The painting "Cung Nu" evokes the atmosphere of imperial gardens with phoenixes, lotus ponds, and shoes-shaped boat. "Lac Vien" features a girl in a green dress in a mansion garden with lotus ponds, smoky shadows, octagonal windows, dragon shadows, and bird silhouettes... as if from a fairy tale. The folk gardens in his paintings have a hint of playfulness. "Hoa Khiet Bong" (a play on rhyme shift of words, i.e., Khiet Bong --> Khong Biet, showing the meaning "Unknown Flower") is lively in the hands of children. "Sen Dau Mua" is pristine, like the pure silhouette of a young girl in a white dress. "Diem Tra" is a different space. A woman drinks tea alone by a stream, with hills and green flower bands swaying against the sky in the background. Her long hair flows back with her eyes gently closed, making the tea moment seem like a nostalgic pause.
Nguyen Thuong Hai's paintings predominantly feature shades of purple. "Hue in the Season of Vesak" depicts seven lotus blooms on the clear blue Perfume River, with the white Bach Ho Bridge silhouetted against the purple Kim Phung Mountain. "Huong Dong Noi" shows a girl with her hair down and bare back on a soft reed grass slope. A strip of ink-green grass transforms the scenery into a dreamlike fantasy, with clouds swirling overhead like a drifting dream...
Nguyen Thuong Hy brightens the garden with 7 works. "Sen" showcases pink lotus blossoms, dancing as if in a performance, with lotus petals and leaves swaying, making the water surface shimmer. The lotus appears to have a rustic charm and a Buddhist meditative quality, dynamic in stillness and still in dynamism. This essence is reflected in the Hue garden, which is both vibrant and serene amidst the lush flora in "Vuon Thieng". From this stillness-dynamism, one can see the Hue garden as a grand assembly of plants, like a rustic yet sophisticated mixed-vegetable soup. "Vuon Thieng" is filled with purple hues, yet adorned with the green of leaves, the yellow of flower stamens, fallen leaves, and the bright sunlight in the afternoon, along with the blue ink color reminiscent of school days. These are the abstractions of a garden filled with gentle breezes and movements that evoke nostalgic memories.
Other corners of the Hue garden
Female artist Hoang Thi Nhu Y brings fresh and vibrant images to the stroll, with clusters of colorful flowers. Daffodils, tulips, and ground orchids bloom on the canvases, spilling over into the Hue garden. These clusters of flowers tell stories of “Ruc ro mua xuan” (Brilliant spring), and “Mua thu da ve” (the Arrival of autumn) in the old garden... Interestingly, most flower vases are bright red, as if they aspire to fully embrace the beauty of the Hue garden’s owner...
Artist Vo Nhu Dieu (from Quang Nam) brings a meticulous elegance to the stroll, portraying Hue through graceful geometric strokes. "Dang xua" depicts a girl's vague form in Han Mac Tu's poem: "Your white dress is too white to see." "Bat chot mua" shows figures in conical hats amidst the blurred rain, capturing the purple hue of Hue, summer sparks, and the damp, rotting surface of the road in that moment. "Ben xua" is ablaze with red, filled with unforgettable memories.
Artist Phan Tien Dung (from Da Nang) brings maternal themes in his paintings. "Ngon den cua me" shows a mother holding her child in her arm in a garden, looking at the moonlight outside the window, waiting for the husband and father to return home on a clear moonlit night. The lamp in the garden spreads its light along with the shadow of trees and leaves, like an imprint of loving memories. A mother's love suddenly bursts forth in "Qua cua me," capturing the joy when children eagerly await their mother's return from the market with gifts in hand...
Finally, we encounter the talented artist Dang Mau Tuu. "Nang trong vuon" is vibrant with colors, featuring the fiery red of 40-degree heat during the peak summer heatwave, and a shrine at the entrance of the house. "Minh mai co nhau" is an abstract intertwining of summer flames. The red color of memories and desires envelops the figures and the warmth in the garden. "Cho xuan qua pho" is a surreal piece depicting a couple riding a two-wheeler through the spring garden, full of youthful excitement and mischief. Lastly, "Ve lai ngam khung troi nha minh" shows a young woman relaxing in the garden after a journey, watching the clouds in the sky. It embodies the notion that there's no place like home...
Thus, the exhibition "A Stroll through the Hue garden" will bring the public a multitude of emotions, like leaves and flowers in the Hue garden.