Artist Nguyen Hung: The Silent Pioneer Finding His Own Path

Portrait of the Teacher-Artist Nguyen Hung

The teacher-artist Nguyen Hung grew up in the countryside of Kim Doi village, Quang Thanh commune, Quang Dien district. With his love for his homeland and the country, and appreciation for ancestral cultural values, combined with his passion for painting since childhood, Nguyen Hung diligently explored and researched before choosing art education as his career path. Right from his graduation and the beginning of his teaching career, the artist dedicated time to rediscovering ancient values that were buried by war and time, which always remain present in the artist’s heart.

As an artist who paints on diverse materials, Hung creates different works inspired by the themes of culture and history. His unique artistic process draws inspiration from Tới cards, royal court figures, and traditional Hue folk games, which serve as the main conceptual elements in his creative expression. He combines these with strong lines and warm color tones, creating works that deeply reflect the rich folk culture and connect with the simple life of Hue people.

The artwork “Chứng tích” (Remnants)

In his work with students of all ages, this teacher has been deeply inspired by their innocent, pure gazes. This motivation has led him to create artwork imbued with ancient cultural imagery and a national identity, while using contemporary lines and color techniques. The result is a unique artistic novel style among canvas painters.

The artist researched the images from Hue royal court motifs, folk cultural games, images of lime pots and Tới cards, royal court theater arts, and ancestral artifacts lost to war... All are expressed through simple, strong compositional blocks, combined with geometric line combinations and cool background color schemes that attract viewers, creating a gentle feeling through simultaneous space painting and cubic imagery. This is a familiar artistic technique used by many artists in their creations, but combining these methods with relief texture creates a novel difference in the works.

The artwork “Festival Journey”

Nguyen Hung’s new contemporary art style can be considered successful. His color technique combines various sketching methods, and his folk-inspired works often have a warm, mysterious atmosphere. This gives viewers nostalgic emotions and bright aspirations through the harmonious combination of multiple layers of pure colors as the foundation, along with the softness of delicately accented brushstrokes.

Although retired, this teacher still explores, researches, and nurtures traditional cultural values daily. We can sense the vibrancy in his works, which have become a treasury of Hue culture in memory, preserving the aesthetic values and thoughts of previous generations. Given the specific nature of art education, for years, students only get 45 minutes per week and only study this subject until the 9th grade. This limited time for a subject that trains skills, thinking, and visual perception is a disadvantage for all students.

Therefore, the artist opened extra classes for passionate and talented students and provided career guidance for many students. Among them, some have now become excellent teachers, architects, artists, designers, talented art critics, leaders of state agencies, and successful entrepreneurs.