Canadian artist paints portrait of Uncle Ho: 'Fascinated by his humanistic spirit'
"I found the portrait to represent the humanistic philosophy of President Ho Chi Minh. I was attracted by this Leader as well as by his humanistic spirit. He has an expressive face, both intelligent and friendly" - said artist Gélinas.
To celebrate the 129th anniversary of Uncle Ho's birthday, the Canada-Vietnam Association organized an exhibition of paintings by two artists Jean-Maurice Gélinas and Guy Lapierre in Toronto, Canada.
Painter Guy Lapierre said he was very moved to learn that President Ho Chi Minh was not only a great historical figure, but also a poet, an outstanding intellectual and lover of art.
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| Two Canadian artists painted pictures of Uncle Ho and Dr. Nguyen Dai Trang. Photo: Vu Quang Thinh/VNA in Canada |
Also at this event, Dr. Nguyen Dai Trang, Director of CVS, signed the book "Ho Chi Minh: Selected works on peace, democracy and gender equality" for readers. Dr. Nguyen Dai Trang has cherished the idea of introducing this book for nearly 10 years.
Two artists Jean-Maurice Gélinas and Guy Lapierre brought to this exhibition 14 paintings of Uncle Ho's portraits and Vietnamese landscapes, on the background of many materials: dry pigment, oil paint,...
After a two-month visit to Vietnam in 2010, artist Jean-Maurice Gélinas read books about the life and career of President Ho Chi Minh and decided to paint a portrait of him.
Artist Jean-Maurice Gélinas shares his decision to paint a portrait of Uncle Ho on the background of the work "Joy of Life" (Joie de Vivre) by famous artist Pablo Picasso.
Artist Gélinas said: "I found the portrait to represent the humanistic philosophy of President Ho Chi Minh. I was attracted by this Leader as well as by his humanistic spirit. He has an expressive face, both intelligent and friendly."
Artist Jean-Maurice Gélinas said that in the future he wants to paint a large painting of President Ho Chi Minh, along with the beauty of Vietnamese landscapes. When painting President Ho Chi Minh, artist Jean-Maurice Gélinas said "I feel like I am paying homage to an extraordinary person who is very close to the people".
Painter Guy Lapierre said he was very moved to learn that President Ho Chi Minh was not only a great historical figure, but also a poet, an outstanding intellectual and an art lover. Painter Guy Lapierre expressed his desire to paint a larger painting... The painting will feature President Ho Chi Minh but also the main images representing Vietnamese traditions and literature. Painter Guy Lapierre shared: "I want to pay my sincere respect to him by painting a beautiful painting."
Dr. Nguyen Dai Trang has devoted much effort to publishing three books about Uncle Ho: "Ho Chi Minh: The Heart and Talent of a Patriot" (2010); "Ho Chi Minh: Humanity and Development" (2013) and "Ho Chi Minh: Selected Works on Peace, Democracy and Gender Equality" (2018).
The book “Ho Chi Minh: Selected Works on Peace, Democracy and Gender Equality” is introduced in three languages: Vietnamese, English, French and is currently being translated into Spanish. Dr. Nguyen Dai Trang emotionally shared: "I want to introduce this book to friends around the world as well as to Vietnamese people at home and abroad, because I feel we need to know more clearly and more realistically about Uncle Ho's humanity through three topics: peace, democracy and gender equality.
There have been many books written about President Ho Chi Minh at home and abroad, but in my opinion, we should read documents written by Uncle Ho himself to gain an objective view of this great leader as well as history in that context. Documents written by Uncle Ho himself will help us understand better why he is admired by the world and honored by UNESCO as an outstanding cultural figure."
At this event, many attendees asked Dr. Nguyen Dai Trang questions to learn about Ho Chi Minh's thoughts on economic development and integration.
President Ho Chi Minh – one of the figures who made modern history, has become a name admired and respected by Canadian friends. There will be many more paintings and books written about President Ho Chi Minh because he embodies the quintessence of the Vietnamese people and his thoughts always have profound contemporary values.