Two precious paintings of Uncle Ho by Canadian artist

At the end of June 2017, with the enthusiastic help of colleagues at the Vietnam News Agency in Canada, we were fortunate to meet Dr. Nguyen Dai Trang - a famous overseas Vietnamese living and working in Toronto. The meeting and working session with Dr. Nguyen Dai Trang left many interesting and meaningful things about her work and that of many international friends for Vietnam, including two precious paintings by artist Jean-Maurice Gélinas (living in Montreal) about beloved Uncle Ho.

The first painting depicts Uncle Ho with a gentle smile and bright eyes, the second depicts Uncle discussing work with General Vo Nguyen Giap.

Two paintings by artist Jean-Maurice Gélinas about Uncle Ho.

Dr. Nguyen Dai Trang happily told us that, stemming from his sincere admiration for the life and career of President Ho Chi Minh, especially his thoughts on the working world; moreover, when he learned about Uncle Ho's friendship with the famous cubist painter Pablo Picasso, the artist was extremely excited and put all his effort into drawing a portrait of Uncle Ho on the background of the work "Joie de Vivre" (Joie de Vivre) by this world-famous Spanish painter.

Dr. Nguyen Dai Trang told us: “A few days ago, I met him in Montreal. He said he would continue to paint more pictures of Vietnamese leaders to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Canada and Vietnam (1973 - 2018).”

Indeed, the valuable documents from Dr. Nguyen Dai Trang about the artist Jean-Maurice Gélinas made us want to learn more about his thoughts and feelings. Luckily for us, Dr. Nguyen Dai Trang was always enthusiastic about "connecting" with his artist friend and he agreed to let us have a sincere and open exchange.

Artist Jean-Maurice Gélinas (wearing a red tie) at the book introduction and painting exhibition about Uncle Ho organized by the Canada - Vietnam Association.

Artist Jean-Maurice Gélinas said that during a two-month trip to Vietnam in 2010, he read a book about President Ho Chi Minh published by the Vietnam News Agency. The book showed Ho Chi Minh's great political qualities and the determination of the Vietnamese people to rise up and take control of their own destiny, which made him think deeply and eager to do something.

Then, through Dr. Dai Trang's books about President Ho Chi Minh (*), he continued to discover more about his noble humanity, broad cultural spirit and activities, especially on women's rights and the environment. He affirmed: "What impressed me most was the cause of liberation of an oppressed nation of my Vietnamese friends"!

The artist further explained that when creating paintings of Ho Chi Minh, he wanted to express his respect for the President in his own way. That is, by creating a background image reminiscent of the ancient festival of the city of Fayoum in Central Egypt, because the face as well as the background image often fades over time, he deliberately avoided dark spots on his face to highlight the eternity of President Ho Chi Minh.

The artist said that he will continue to paint about Vietnam and President Ho Chi Minh because he has found an endless and new source of creativity here; and he knows that his creative journey is always accompanied by many friends around the world.

(*) Dr. Nguyen Dai Trang's book series "Ho Chi Minh - The Heart and Talent of a Patriot" was introduced to readers in May 2010, "Ho Chi Minh: Humanity and Development" was published in Vietnamese, English and Spanish in June 2013, "Ho Chi Minh: Selected Works on Peace, Democracy and Gender Equality" was published in Vietnamese, English, French in 2018 and is currently being translated into Spanish.

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