In May and June, members of the public were invited to comment on a sketch of the painting when it was displayed at the Ha Noi Arts and Literature Union of Hanoi . And, despite negative feedback from some, the painter is determined to go ahead with his project.nguyen art gallery
“Ha Noi is the city where I grew up. It’s my second homeland and I want to do something for it,” says Son, who was born in Nghe An Province.
One of the images, set in 1946, features a girl selling flowers to Ha Noi residents whose love for the city overwhelms the need to evacuate. The girl meets a young soldier amidst the ruins of the city and offers him flowers of life and belief that victory will be theirs.
A second scene has a 12 year old boy carrying military correspondence across what’s left of the city. Other images include a statue of Buddha, 25 coins from 25 dynasties, French tanks and Long Bien bridge.
How it all began
In 2004, Son won third prize in that year’s Fine Arts Exhibition with the painting Hoan Kiem Lake (Return of the Sword Lake). The artwork recreates the famous story of King Le Loi returning his sacred sword to the magical turtle of Hoan Kiem Lake.
The success encouraged him to continue to paint historical scenes.
“After the idea of creating the country’s largest ever historical painting came to me, I began learning about how Ha Noi resisted enemies over the centuries. I read historical documents and talked with experts on the subject and people who had lived through the war,” Son said.
“The more I studied, the more I understood how significant such resistance was.”
Son read Song Mai Voi Thu Do (Living Forever with the City) by Nguyen Huy Tuong and Mau Thuong Ngan (Mountain Mother) by Nguyen Xuan Khanh. He also pored over museum documents, archaeological objects from the Thang Long Royal Citadel and the book Tien Co Viet Nam (Ancient Money of Viet Nam).
Son expects to finish the painting by August next year. It will be displayed at the Temple of Literature in Ha Noi on the occasion of the city’s 1,000th anniversary in 2010. — VNS
