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 1947) joined the army while still a university student. “I followed Uncle Ho’s call,” Le Duy Ung recounted. Unfortunately for him, in a fierce battle at the gateway to Saigon, he was seriously injured and lost his eyes. 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 used his own blood to draw a picture which, according to the artist, was “a creative work created 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, in 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 with blood from his own injured eyes. A picture of Uncle Ho, with the words: “The light of faith! I dedicate my youth to you. April 28, 1975”. This is a rather strange coincidence, when 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 with his own blood and eyes by artist Le Duy Ung.

Recalling that moment, Le Duy Ung still felt as emotional as ever. He said that early that morning, anti-tank gunfire had seriously injured him and he fainted. When he woke up, the sharp sound of bombs and bullets made him realize that his comrades were still fighting the enemy around him, 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 the countless familiar images that flashed through his mind, the image of Uncle Ho suddenly appeared most clearly. Even when the enemy's bombs and bullets had just robbed the light from Le Duy Ung's 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 hands seek out each stroke, each color. The color of blood. The color of the blood flowing in 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 North and South were reunited. Le Duy Ung was taken 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 closed. 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 revolutionary war. “I can’t remember how many paintings I’ve painted of 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 paintings 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 happy that some of them, when I met them again later, have all become people with a position in society, they recalled the memories of receiving paintings from me with a lot of emotion.”

Continue drawing 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 on 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 was supporting me. I burned incense on the grave, suddenly the fire burst out 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 the opportunity for him to convey his thoughts and feelings for Uncle Ho to the younger generation, to foster 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 people because he is still alive. Many of his comrades remained on the battlefield, many returned with psychological trauma, with wounds more painful than his, some were exposed to Agent Orange and left behind after-effects for future generations... Pitying and expressing gratitude to them, Le Duy Ung once wrote these 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 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 radiating 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 unwell 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 to.

In his heart, he always longed for 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 scorching wind of Nghe An filled with love. Then, when he returned, he would paint pictures, carve new statues and find 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 First, Second and Third Class Liberation Feat Medals, 1 Third Class Resistance War Medal against America for National Salvation, 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.