Vietnamese countryside in paintings by artist Nguyen Van Cuong

(Baonghean.vn) -Painter Nguyen Van Cuong was born in 1962 in Hanoi. In 1989, he graduated from the Vietnam University of Fine Arts. From 1990 to 2002, he continuously participated in 17 individual and group exhibitions at home and abroad, winning many high awards. The two genres of fine art that Nguyen Van Cuong is passionate about are woodcuts and oil paintings, especially in recent years he has also been the author of many unique paintings using mixed materials.

Artist Nguyen Van Cuong

More than 40 years ago, when Nguyen Van Cuong was only 7 or 8 years old, he met his first art teacher. That was Mr. Tran Quang Van, a Thai man who had wandered to Vietnam. His works were picturesque landscapes and rivers that captivated the sensitive soul of the young Cuong. “So I eagerly searched for clay, then molded, dried, and colored it… Time passed until the Paris Agreement was signed, when my family returned to Hanoi and I was lucky enough to attend a drawing class at the children's club,” confided artist Nguyen Van Cuong. After that, he pursued and graduated from the graphic arts department of the Vietnam University of Fine Arts. He was first successful in the genre of woodcuts with rural themes. Later, he switched to painting, specializing in oil painting.

Narrow alley of Dai Mo village

Nguyen Van Cuong was once called "Cuong Buffalo" by his friends and the art world because he painted many successful images of the buffalo of the Vietnamese countryside. He shared: “I used to draw cats, because it is an animal close to humans, but it was not successful. That is not why I switched to drawing buffaloes. To be honest, I love buffaloes, love them very much, and have been attached to them since my childhood. Up to now, I have been drawing buffaloes for nearly 25 years. Many artists have exploited this theme. However, pursuing it to the end is quite rare. In the history of the nation, there was a buffalo herder who became a king. During my “Red Buffalo” exhibition, someone gave me a poem: “How many buffalo herders of those days / Still stand tall in the world today…”. Only then did I know how attached the buffalo is to humans. I chose the image of the buffalo for my solo exhibition because, from a creative perspective, the buffalo is the closest, most beautiful, most gentle, but also powerful animal. Children play with it, bathe it, ride it to school, even lean on it to sleep, to avoid the rain and sun. I I love buffalo so much that whenever I have the chance, I draw, film, and take pictures. I remember them as my friends. After each time I observe and look at them, I discover many strange things that need to be grasped and explored from the buffalo.”

Dawn



Childhood

In addition, the images of young girls, lotus flowers and especially the Vietnamese countryside in the paintings of this abstract artist are also very impressive.

Thuy Vinh