Artist Tran Hoang Trung: A man yearning to find beauty.
(Baonghean.vn) - Tran Hoang Trung, pen name Hoang Trung, has his father's hometown in Phu Vang district, Thua Thien Hue province, and his mother's hometown in Quynh Luu district, Nghe An province. He belongs to the generation of veteran painters of Nghe Tinh, a talented artist who has made many contributions to his homeland. Perhaps the elegant spirit of a son of Hue and the gentle nature of a son of the coastal region of Nghe An have created a Hoang Trung whose paintings possess such depth, emotion, and strong intuition.
Tran Hoang Trung comes from a family with many artistic members. His older sister, Tran Thi Thu, is a painter known as the "sand painting wizard"; his younger sister, Tran Thu Ha, is a zither artist and poet. Therefore, it can be said that art is not only a passion but also a bloodline, a precious gene that he is fortunate to have inherited from his family.
Artist Tran Hoang Trung has been a member of the Vietnam Fine Arts Association since 1979. He has made many contributions to painting in Nghe Tinh province in general, and Nghe An province in particular. In 1967, Tran Hoang Trung graduated from the Graphic Design Department of the Industrial Fine Arts College. After graduation, he worked at the Information Department of Ha Tinh province. In 1978, Hoang Trung continued his advanced studies and graduated from the Yet Kieu University of Fine Arts (now the Hanoi University of Fine Arts). In 1979, he worked at the Department of Culture and Information of Nghe Tinh province. After 1991, when Nghe Tinh was divided into two provinces, Hoang Trung worked as a lecturer in Fine Arts at the Nghe An School of Culture and Arts, and as Head of the Exhibition Department of Vinh City. He retired in 2006.
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Self-portrait of artist Tran Hoang Trung. |
Artist Tran Hoang Trung left behind a considerable body of work, achieving great success with many outstanding and recognized paintings. His themes were closely tied to the life of the people and nature of Nghe An province, where he grew up and spent most of his life surrounded by rivers like the Mai and Lam, the Ben Thuy bridge, the Cua Lo wharf... and also the rural areas where he lived and worked, such as Ben Tam Soa, Cau Phu, Ru Nai, and Nga Ba Dong Loc... All of these elements were incorporated into his works as a story, a vivid snapshot of life.
Hoang Trung's paintings are imbued with conventional and symbolic elements, which is understandable given the inherent nature of art in general, and painting in particular. His works aren't groundbreaking, but they are enough to make viewers ponder, reflect, and feel the essence of each piece he wants to convey. Hoang Trung believed that conventional and symbolic brushstrokes were used to express the depth and core of reality. Painter Ho Thiet Trinh, however, believes that Tran Hoang Trung's works are free and unrestrained, sometimes even playfully frolicking on a "material" of real scenes of nature and human life. Notably, Hoang Trung was an extremely passionate artist; he lived and created until he could no longer hold a brush.
Hoang Trung achieved success in three main painting styles: landscapes, portraits, and still lifes, initially using oil paint, and later acrylic paint. This became his primary medium because it captured the essence of the scenery and people he wanted to depict. Some of Hoang Trung's representative works include: "Another High Layer" (oil painting, 1978, National Fine Arts Exhibition, 1980); "After the Practice Session" (oil painting, 1985, National Fine Arts Exhibition, 1985); "Boat on the Lam River" (oil painting, 1990, National Fine Arts Exhibition, 1990); "Border Patrol" (oil painting, 1999, Military Fine Arts Exhibition); "Headwaters" (acrylic, 1997, Regional Fine Arts Exhibition IV)...
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Some works by painter Tran Hoang Trung. |
Throughout his artistic career, Tran Hoang Trung has been recognized with many prestigious awards in literature and art, such as the Nguyen Du Award (Nghe Tinh Literature and Art Association); the 4th Ho Xuan Huong Award (Nghe An Literature and Art Association); the A Prize at the Spring Improvisation Exhibition (1994); the Award from the Vietnam Fine Arts Association (1997); the Medal for the Cause of Vietnamese Fine Arts (2003); the Medal for the Cause of Vietnamese Literature and Art (1999); the Medal for the Cause of Culture (1999)...
Hoang Trung spent his life in his mother's homeland, Nghe An province, with its harsh winds and scorching sun. It was here that his soul was nurtured, a man who throughout his life carried a yearning to find beauty. The beauty in his paintings is simple, familiar, and endearing; it captures the poverty of his homeland, the melancholic Lam River, the majestic Truong Son mountain range, and the image of his frail, kind-hearted mother... All of this manifests, all of this moves through warm, melancholic brushstrokes, reflecting the artist's deeply compassionate soul.
