Painting Exhibition “The colors of Time” of Ms. Nguyen Thi Hanh

Having graduated from Hanoi Law University in 1998 and was awarded a postgraduate program scholarship sponsored by Australian Government, she received the Master degree in International Law from the University of New South Wales in 2008. She came to fine art as a surprise, so unexpectedly as a fate. The love and passion for beauty, the desire to shrink the images, landscapes of places where she had set her foot on, the obsession with colors have compelled her to research and self- study painting in order to turn her dreams, images from her imagination into the vivid, lifeful and creative pictures.

Hanh is working as a legal consultant, but painting and writing novel in her free time are her real passion. She has said that someday she will devote all her time for painting, it’s an addictive “drug” and she is fully aware of its’ “danger”. She can never escape from that “trap”. She believes interpreting the law and her creative painting are two contrasting colors in her life, as black and white, day and night which give her the balance between the toughness, dryness of law and the romance, liberality of fine arts. However, she said, these two jobs have the common point. They require a very rich imagination. For the law, she needs imagination to predict the events, consequences which may happen in order to give out the solutions correspondingly. For the painting, she needs the imagination of the different colors, shapes, and images to create the creative and distinguished products.

Technically, her paintings are seemingly wider-ranging than abundant. Some tend to focus on Realism, some emphasize on Impressionism and some others belong to Abstract Art. It seems that Art is a mystical, miraculous land for her to explore. The themes of her pictures are mostly about landscapes, especially see views and mountainous outlooks which are her two most loving sceneries. There are quite a few occasions the humans appear in her paintings and whenever there is, she just put the trivial details about the existence of human since she is attracted to the wilderness of nature and the notion “Humans are the center of the universe” does not appeal to her. Hanh’s paintings are quite multidimensional which somewhat reflects her soul. Most of them are bright and vivid, express the aspiration of life, the fluctuation, and difference of nature’s lifetime. However, there are a few paintings are mysterious and abstract.

Hạnh’s works of art are influenced by different factors, both Oriental and Western culture, both Realism and Romanticism, both modern and traditional styles because Hanh has been to many places, not only in Vietnam but also in different countries in the world. She is lucky when she owns a very rich imagination. Her paintings are not simply imitating life, reality but using her creative mind and imagination, a heart full of emotion and skillful hands to create a variety of peaceful, simple but romantic and mysterious artworks.

On the occasion of President Barack Obama’s visit to Vietnam in May 2016, she presented him with her painting titled “Spratly Island Vietnam 2016” with a letter which expressed her love to her home country, Vietnam. Afterward, Hanh received an appreciation letter from Barack Obama where he expressed his appreciation for her meaningful gift and his belief in strengthening the relationship between Vietnamese and American people can bring greater prosperity to both countries. After the library of former President Barack Obama is inaugurated, the painting “Spratly Islands Vietnam 2016” will be displayed there.

Hanh is concerning that she could not spend more time for painting which she considers as her “last love”. Although she “engages” with this love quite late in her life, she desires to devote all her passion, love and left time for painting.

Ms. Hanh’s exhibition “The colors of Time” will be held with painter To Ngoc Thanh (son of late painter To Ngoc Van) from 10^th May 2017 to 20^th May 2017 in 2^nd floor Fine Arts Exhibition Gallery, 16 Ngo Quyen street, Hanoi is considered as the landmark of her love for fine arts.