'Storm and flood - The haunting'

HAUNTED BY THE WORK

For me, when I laid eyes on this work, I couldn’t leave. The work only has two colors, black and white, which are typical colors of woodcuts, with scenes, objects, and people tightly arranged in a vertical rectangular frame, gathering all the pain of the storm and flood.

The work “Storm and Flood - Obsession”, more specifically interpreted, is a recreation of a mountainous region devastated by storms and floods. The scenery in the painting has mountains, rivers, trees, village houses, livestock... But everything is displaced, tilted, broken, submerged, and swept away. Also in the painting, it clearly depicts people and activities that only take place when there is a natural disaster. These are activities that show mutual love, adults leading, hugging, and protecting children, images of soldiers and civilians protecting each other... But appearing on each face of the elderly and young people is fear, or anxiety to the point of being absent-minded. All of this is to show that the storm and flood disaster has become an obsession.

Artist Ho Thiet Trinh with his work “Storm and Flood – Obsession”. Photo: Nhat Lan

I told my thoughts about the work “Storm and Flood - Obsession” to my colleague. He did not believe me and thought that it was because I was obsessed with the floods and storms of 2018 that happened to the people in the highlands of Nghe An. What you said was true.

Because in August and September 2018, when the flood and storm disasters and hydroelectric dam discharges occurred in Ky Son, Tuong Duong and Con Cuong districts, I visited Muong Ai, Muong Tip, Ta Ca and My Ly in Ky Son district; Luong Minh, Yen Na, Xa Luong, Tam Quang, Tam Thai and Thach Giam in Tuong Duong district; and Lang Khe, Chi Khe and Bong Khe in Con Cuong district. These places are truly places of tears. Because the aftermath of the storm and flood is so catastrophic. After the storm and flood passed, along with the devastation and destruction, there was panic and anxiety among all the old and young people.

But then my friend also said that he had to stand next to the work "Storm - Flood - Obsession" when coming to the exhibition. And he confided: For a long time, I thought that only photography could depict the most realistic and vivid activities taking place in life. I didn't expect that with Fine Arts, when the artist is interested in current events, he can do even more. With creativity, in just one work "Storm - Flood - Obsession", people can fully and concisely describe the storm and flood disasters that took place in 2018 in the highlands. This work touches people's hearts and raises the need to warn about climate change, so that society can pay more attention to protecting nature and the environment...

Painter Ho Thiet Trinh receives award at the North Central Region Fine Arts Exhibition. Photo: NVCC

AUTHOR - THE SILENT MAN

The artist who created the work “Storm and Flood - Obsession” is Ho Thiet Trinh. In the Nghe An Fine Arts community, the name Ho Thiet Trinh is familiar. And the fact that he was named by the Jury at the 2019 North Central Fine Arts Exhibition is not surprising. Because he is one of the artists in Nghe An who is always serious in his professional work, always devotes all his heart to each creation, often winning awards every time he participates in exhibitions at the provincial, regional, or central levels.

"The creative themes of artist Ho Thiet Trinh are close to everyday life but have great depth, creating a unique feature...".

Bui Ngoc - Director of Nghe An Publishing House

However, outside the cultural and artistic community, not many people know him. Because artist Ho Thiet Trinh is a man of few words, and rarely has lively exchange activities like most people living and working in the cultural and artistic field. As Ms. Bui Ngoc - Director of Nghe An Publishing House (where artist Ho Thiet Trinh has been attached to for 30 years with the work of book cover design and illustration) commented: "He is a gentle person, not having a "cool" appearance like some other artists. His way of life and speech is also very simple. Regarding the subject of his works, it is close to everyday life. But it has a lot of depth, creating its own unique features...".

Artist Ho Thiet Trinh and his work "New Citizens in Truong Sa". Photo: Nhat Lan

Perhaps because of that personality, although he has created many works of art, in his house on the small street of Hoang Van Tam (Truong Thi ward, Vinh city), there is not a single work hung. And in that neighborhood, not many people know that he is a famous painter in Nghe An.

Talking with him in that house, I expressed my thoughts about “Storms and Floods - Obsession”, hoping to find something that is still hidden, or not fully understood. But he, gentle and simple, said simply that for many years, he saw people in the highlands of Nghe An often encounter tragic scenes due to storms and floods. Because of storms and floods, many houses and properties were swept away and lost; many people had accidents and died tragically. So he thought deeply about this topic, trying to depict the disasters so that when looking at them, people would be more vigilant and prepared every time the storm and flood season comes. Also through this work, he wanted to convey a message to society, that it is necessary to pay attention to protecting nature, the environment, and combating deforestation...

“I can use many materials to express my work. But after thinking for a long time, I finally chose to express my work with wood carving, because that is my personal forte. Moreover, with this topic, wood carving is very suitable to convey the ideas I want to convey...”.

Artist Ho Thiet Trinh

The work "The Campaign Road" and the work "The Epic of the 12 Truong Bon Girls".

"ART SHOULD FOLLOW CLOSELY TO SOCIAL LIFE"

During our conversation, I mentioned many issues other than the author and his work. But being a cautious person in speaking, he said he would give me time to think. It took him a few days to respond.

Commenting on the trends and topics that need to be chosen to create Fine Arts works, according to artist Ho Thiet Trinh, Fine Arts is similar to other cultural and artistic fields, it needs to closely follow social life. To contribute to spreading good things, to fight against wrong things, to forecast and warn about potential risks... "This was evident right at the Fine Arts Exhibition of the North Central region. There were many good Fine Arts works. But the Jury selected from them the works that were relevant to award prizes..." - he shared.

Assessing Nghe An Fine Arts at the present time, according to artist Ho Thiet Trinh, it has not flourished and flourished like the previous generation a few decades ago. The reason, according to him, is because the current environment for Fine Arts activities has limitations. Meanwhile, those who are working in the Fine Arts field are too influenced by everyday life. Therefore, he believes that he hopes that people in the field, especially young people, will be aware of the profession, love the profession, and respect the profession.

For those in charge of the province, the industry, the Provincial Literature and Arts Association..., please pay more attention to cultural and artistic activities in general, and the Fine Arts sector in particular. From there, it is possible to organize creative activities on applied art products. Because currently, Vinh City is in great need of applied art works with the unique characteristics of Nghe An to decorate and beautify the streets... Or organize creative camps for artists to exchange and broaden their vision of the regions, so that they can create good works to serve social life. Or research on a Fine Arts Museum, an Art space to preserve high-quality Fine Arts works, both helping the province to have a unique cultural space and leaving them for future generations...

Artist Ho Thiet Trinh in the process of completing his work. Photo: Nhat Lan

Painter Ho Thiet Trinh was born in 1955, his hometown is Hung Linh commune, Hung Nguyen district. He is a member of the Vietnam Fine Arts Association and the Nghe An Literature and Arts Association. Painter Ho Thiet Trinh has received many prestigious awards in Fine Arts: In 1998, he was awarded the C Prize by the Vietnam Literature and Arts Association for his work "White Day"; in 2000, he was awarded the C Prize by the Vietnam Fine Arts Association for his work "Rest"; in 2004, at the National Fine Arts Exhibition, the Vietnam - Sweden Cultural Development Fund awarded the C Prize for his woodcut work "Campaign Road"... This year, at the North Central Fine Arts Exhibition, the work "Storm and Flood - Obsession" was awarded the B Prize.