A few things about the painting auctioned for 1 billion VND in Nghe An

Responding to the Appeal Letter of the Provincial Party Secretary, on the occasion of welcoming the Spring of At Ty 2025, Nghe An province organized the Program "Love of Lam River". The program aims to call on Party committees, authorities at all levels, organizations, individuals, and philanthropists at home and abroad to continue to care for, support, and take care of Tet for the poor, so that everyone can enjoy Tet, welcome Spring and "no one is left behind".

At the program, the painting “Nghia tinh dong Lam” by artist Bui Dinh Thang was auctioned for 1 billion VND and the entire amount was donated by the author to the Program “Nghia tinh dong Lam – Xuan At Ty 2025”. This contributes to helping the poor in the province enjoy Spring and celebrate Tet. It should be added that the name of the Program “Nghia tinh dong Lam” is named after the painting, further enhancing the humanistic value of the painting.

After the program “Nghia tinh lam”, the Standing Committee of the Fatherland Front Committee of Nghe An province held a meeting with the author and granted ownership of the painting “Nghia tinh lam”. At the meeting, artist Bui Dinh Thang shared about this special oil painting.

According to the author, the painting was created in a special situation, when Typhoon Yagi made landfall and devastated the northern provinces, including Nghe An. As a native of Nghe An living in Ho Chi Minh City, facing the pain and loss of his hometown people, artist Bui Dinh Thang wanted to do something meaningful to help people overcome difficulties and move towards a better life.

At the suggestion of businessman Nguyen Hong Hai, artist Bui Dinh Thang created the oil painting “Nghia tinh duong Lam” (Love of Lam River). The artist shared: “When creating this painting, I could not avoid the pressure, because Lam River is a symbol of Nghe An, which has been depicted in many famous works of poetry, music, and painting. But then, with my passionate love for my homeland, artistic inspiration, and treasure trove of childhood memories, I completed this work.”

Born and raised in Do Luong district, working in Ho Chi Minh City, whenever Bui Dinh Thang thinks about his hometown, his memories are always filled with memories of the Lam River. Here, he used to go fishing with his friends, herd buffalo, and harvest corn and potatoes on the beach. The times he took a boat across Cung ferry to visit his paternal hometown in Cat Van commune (Thanh Chuong), where there were corn fields and green rice fields, were deeply imprinted in his mind.

Therefore, the setting and space in the work “Nghia tinh dong Lam” is the Lam river flowing through Luong and Cat Van commune (Thanh Chuong). The painting is presented in two main tones: dark and light. The dark tone recreates the riverbank and surrounding scenery, evoking the nostalgic space of childhood, while conveying the meaning of the difficult, arduous life and the industrious, hard-working virtues of Nghe An farmers. The light tone represents the river and the dawn shining on the horizon.

Through the contrast of colors, the author wants to affirm the belief and hope in a better future. The painting also shows the contrast between the vast, endless space of the river, the sky, nature and the smallness and limitation of human beings. This is shown through the image of a small land protruding from the river, where small people are looking forward and waiting.

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Through the work "Nghia tinh dong Lam", I want to praise the majestic beauty of the homeland's landscape and the resilience of the people of Nghe An in life and production. This is the foundation and motivation for people to overcome difficulties and losses caused by natural disasters, specifically typhoon Yagi. It is even more meaningful when the painting is auctioned for a large sum of money, contributing to helping the poor celebrate Tet and enjoy Spring.

Painter Bui Dinh Thang

Cong Kien