The solo exhibition allows the audience to time travel to the world of the late painter Lưu Công Nhân. From watercolor sketches to large-scale paintings, old documents, and even a typewriter on display, the paintings will take us through different time periods of his artistic career.
“A Glimpse of Lưu Công Nhân” (Một thoáng Lưu Công Nhân) was curated by Hùng Nguyễn and Bùi Thị Phương Thảo (Lân Tinh Foundation) and organized by Annam Gallery. It features more than 35 watercolor works and oil paintings by renowned painter Lưu Công Nhân (1929–2007). The exhibition showcases his watercolor paintings from the 2000s, female portraits and nude paintings from the 1990s, scenes of Hội An Ancient Town from 1984 to 1985, western-influenced abstract paintings from the early 1970s, and wartime paintings of people and landscapes from the 1950s and 1960s.
Installation view of A Glimpse of Lưu Công Nhân.
In the Vietnamese modern art scene, Lưu Công Nhân is already a well-known name to art collectors and art enthusiasts. An alumnus of the Resistance Class (1950–1954) who taught in the Việt Bắc Resistance Zone at the Vietnam Fine Arts College, he was trained under the guidance of renowned painter Tô Ngọc Vân (1906–1954). During his early years as an art student, he already displayed drawing talents through his realistic sketches and achieved a high level of technical proficiency in the use of watercolor.
Watercolor paintings by Lưu Công Nhân from the 1990s until the early 2000s.
The exhibition starts with a series of watercolor works from the 1990s until his final days in Đà Lạt in the early 2000s when he faced challenges in creating large-scale paintings due to his declining health. The conventional subject matters in his paintings include nature, female portraits, and still lifes that feature flowers. Some may consider the paintings too simple or minimal. However, his expert use of colors and control over the brushstrokes are well reflected throughout his works, representing the passion and heartbeat of a true artist. There exists simultaneously a peaceful atmosphere, lively objects, and sceneries that coexist within the paintings.
Installation view of A Glimpse of Lưu Công Nhân.
Moving forward onto the inner exhibition space, we encounter Lưu Công Nhân’s large-scale oil paintings from the 1950s to 1970s. Despite the extreme difficulties of life during the war, as a state-sponsored artist, he had the privilege and freedom to access foreign art books and art supplies, engage in outdoor paintings, and travel across Vietnam. Hence, we see some variety in Nhân's painting styles and his own written records on the arts throughout his career. He consistently accumulated knowledge and experimented with different methods to master his own artistic language.
Portrait 02, unknown time. 70 x 50 cm. Oil on canvas.
Flower 13, early 2000s. 40 x 49 cm. Watercolor on paper.
During this time period, the main subject matters in his realistic paintings include people and landscapes during the war. It can be considered the peak of his career in portraying realistic subject matters: landscapes of towns, villages and nature, women in the resistance period, a military match, etc.
Abstract art is also another highlight of his career, which he researched and experimented with at his studio in Thác Bà Forest (around 1970–1972). Perhaps, the world of abstract art contains some kind of joy that an artist might not be able to find from realistic paintings, which encouraged him to explore and experiment with it. The mastery in his control of brushstrokes, colors, arrangements and forms are well reflected in his works from this peak period. Eventually, Lưu Công Nhân moved on from abstract paintings and shifted his focus back to what was “real” in his point of view.
Looking through the whole exhibition again, from his earliest works at the end to his final works, we see how Lưu Công Nhân started his artistic and life adventure with realistic paintings on different mediums, ventured into abstract painting, shifted his focus to the beauty of female portraits and nude paintings, and then returned to painting the real subjects around him in a calmer and more minimal style until his final days.
Installation view of Lưu Công Nhân’s typewriter.
Upon returning to the main exhibition space, we see a typewriter standing right in the middle of the room. The typewriter played a very important role in his life, where he composed missives and drafted letters for his friends and family. Other than painting, he was active in exchanging in-depth ideas and perspectives on arts and the must-have characteristics of an artist. This enriched his spiritual life and allowed space for self-expression and self-reflection through words and his own visual language. Both sides of the typewriter include two female portraits with Lưu Công Nhân’s signature on it. The standee is covered with his handwriting, and his words “Vẽ là sống” (“To paint is to live”) which sums up the essence of this exhibition.
“A Glimpse of Lưu Công Nhân” is now on view at Annam Gallery until August 4, 2024. More information can be found here in their Facebook page.
