Le Duy Ung: The artist used blood from his injured eyes to paint a portrait of Uncle Ho

Born into a poor farming family in the Central region, painter Le Duy Ung (born in 1947) joined the army while still a university student. “I followed Uncle Ho’s call,” Le Duy Ung recalled. Unfortunately for him, in a fierce battle at the gateway to Saigon, he was seriously injured and lost his eyesight. But fortunately for him, in the extremely precarious moment of clinging to life, the image of Uncle Ho appeared clearly and brightly, like a hope for him to continue living.

Painter Le Duy Ung next to the statue of Uncle Ho that he carved himself. Photo: Trinh Phu Son

Drawing Uncle Ho's portrait in blood

Previously, Diep Minh Chau had drawn blood from his own arm to paint a picture that, according to the artist, was “a creative work in the most passionate moments” of his life. It was a picture of Uncle Ho with three children representing the people of the three regions of the North, Central and South, as if to convey the spirit of national solidarity, respectfully offering to the Party and Uncle Ho.

Later, in 1975, during the final days of the campaign to liberate the South and unify the country, artist Le Duy Ung painted another picture in blood, this time from his own injured eyes. A picture of Uncle Ho, on which was written: “The light of faith! I wish to dedicate my youth to you. April 28, 1975”. This is a rather strange coincidence, as Diep Minh Chau - Le Duy Ung's art teacher, painted a picture of Uncle Ho in blood when the artist was 28 years old. And more than 30 years later, Le Duy Ung himself painted this picture when he was also 28 years old.

The painting was made right in the fierce battle at the gateway to Saigon, in the last conscious moments before Le Duy Ung fainted due to severe injuries. He stopped breathing twice after that, and was even taken to the morgue, but for some unknown reason his heart recovered. In his breast pocket, he kept that blood-drawn painting. To him, it was like a lucky charm. At least in the life-and-death moments of his life, Le Duy Ung clung to that belief, that ideal to overcome everything.

The painting of Uncle Ho drawn with his own blood and eyes by artist Le Duy Ung.

Recalling that moment, Le Duy Ung was still as moved as ever. He said that early that morning, anti-tank gun fire had seriously injured him and he fainted. When he woke up, the piercing sound of bombs and bullets made him realize that around him, his comrades were still fighting the enemy, but he could not see anything and his eye sockets were aching all the way to his brain. Feeling the blood flowing from the corner of his eye, he took the paper in the drawing bag next to him, dabbed the blood from his eye to draw a portrait of Uncle Ho on the background of the Party flag and the national flag.

At this moment, among countless familiar images flashing through his mind, the image of Uncle Ho suddenly appeared most clearly. Even when the enemy's bombs and bullets had just robbed Le Duy Ung of the light in his eyes, it was the light from the image of the beloved leader that helped the artist find his way. It was that immortal light that made Le Duy Ung's hand seek out each stroke, each patch of color. The color of blood. The color of the blood flowing through his own body. The color of the blood that the enemy had just taken from his eyes. It was also the color of the national flag, the color of ideals, faith and glorious victory.

Just a few days later, the struggle for national liberation was completely victorious, and the North and the South were reunited. Le Duy Ung was admitted to military hospitals in the South and the North for treatment. There were periods when his eyes regained their sight, but after two eye transplants, his chance of seeing was also over. However, whether his eyes could see or not, he continued to paint diligently.

Uncle Ho with children. Watercolor painting by artist Le Duy Ung

Le Duy Ung’s familiar subject is still Uncle Ho and the revolutionary war. “I can’t remember how many paintings I’ve painted about Uncle Ho, probably thousands,” the artist shared.

“I have given many paintings to the Ho Chi Minh Museum and many other organizations. I also gave them to many people who were not familiar with me, such as students at schools where I spoke, some people who visited Uncle Ho’s mausoleum and wanted a portrait of Uncle Ho… It is also fun that some of them, when I met them again later, have become people with a position in society, they recalled the memories of receiving paintings from me with a lot of emotion.”

Continue to draw with memory and respect for Uncle Ho

Painter Le Duy Ung recounted that he had many occasions to visit Uncle Ho's hometown and each time he was moved. After each occasion, when he returned, he painted the scene of Uncle Ho's house. The most memorable was the time he went to burn incense at the grave of Mrs. Hoang Thi Loan. "That day was at noon, around 2013, when my eyesight was getting worse, I had to use a cane and someone supported me. I burned incense at the grave, suddenly the fire flared up in the incense bowl. A staff member of the relic site smiled and said that perhaps Mrs. Hoang Thi Loan had come to witness the sincerity of a disabled person like me. At that time, I was very moved," painter Le Duy Ung confided.

In recent years, schools and many other units have frequently invited artist Le Duy Ung to talk about the war and about drawing Uncle Ho. He is very enthusiastic and open to such requests, because this is an opportunity for him to convey his thoughts and feelings for Uncle Ho to the younger generation, fostering their trust and love for Uncle Ho and the Party; it is also an opportunity for him to recall memories and remember his comrades.

He believes that he is luckier than many others because he is still alive. Many of his comrades remained on the battlefield, many returned with psychological trauma, with more painful wounds than him, some were exposed to Agent Orange and the consequences were left for future generations... Pitying and expressing gratitude to them, Le Duy Ung once wrote verses on the occasion of being awarded the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces: "So many comrades sacrificed/ To build up the achievements for me today".

Painter Le Duy Ung. Photo: Trinh Phu Son

He still spends a lot of time drawing and making statues. His eyes can now only dimly perceive the light of day and the darkness of night, but Le Duy Ung continues to draw Uncle Ho from memory, with all his complete love and respect for him.

“Fortunately, I can still rely on my left hand a lot, I use it as a reference,” he said, “this left hand helps me estimate the proportions on the painting and the statue. As for the colors, I also have to rely on the help of the people around me, they will arrange the colors in order right next to me, sometimes they give me the colors when I ask.”

As he once confided, the light emanating from the beloved leader illuminated his heart. Thanks to that light, Le Duy Ung never gave up hope. He continued his work, alongside his beloved wife, who did not mind the hardships to come to him even when he returned from the battlefield with an unhealthy body, with a disability rate of up to 91%.

He continued to draw and sculpt Uncle Ho as an endless source of inspiration. And every time the weather changed, the wound in his eye socket ached, Le Duy Ung still felt so lucky to have an ideal to pursue, a belief to turn towards.

In his heart, he always looked forward to the day he could return to Nam Dan to visit Uncle Ho's old house. Even though his eyes could no longer see anything, he still wanted to go there, set foot on the sacred land, feel the hot wind of Nghe An filled with love. Then when he returned, he would paint pictures, carve new statues and see that even though many years had passed, that belief was always complete, that blood painting was always in his mind because it was painted with all the power of love and faith, which had brought to his life strange but also miraculous experiences.

Painter Le Duy Ung has created thousands of paintings and sculptures; organized 44 art exhibitions; won 9 domestic and international fine arts awards. He was awarded 3 Liberation Feat Medals, First, Second, Third Class, 1 Resistance War Medal against America for National Salvation, Third Class, 3 Glorious Soldier Medals, Victory Flag Medal and many other noble awards; was awarded the title of Hero of the People's Armed Forces by the President on October 30, 2013.