VietNamNet Bridge – In the midst of a fierce rainstorm, which turned several flooded Ha Noi streets into lakes, an exhibition by two female painters has opened at the Viet Art Centre. Despite the bad weather, visitors streamed through the doors.

Blessing, oil on canvas by Do Thu Thuy.

With this in mind, a viewer may have doubts about the talent of two fresh “painters”; the artists have proven their aptitude with the written word, but how can they be successful in a field which requires a distinct kind of creativity and a new set of skills?

However, the very success of the exhibition lies in the fact that the two writers never paid attention to such structures and criterion when they decided to trade in their pens for paintbrushes. Instead, they painted what they liked and translated their feelings and experience as women onto the canvas.

Unaffected and spontaneous, Hao’s free and natural style can be seen clearly in the 30 paintings on display. Her distinct use of colour, her keen powers of observation and her sensitive soul as a poet all leave an impression on her work, and, by extension, on the viewer.

Flames: Sky fire, oil on canvas by Vo Thi Hao.

“Her palette is difficult to use and it is complex to contemplate her paintings, but also, it’s difficult to forget them, as the colours she uses are opaque, deep and gloomy, which makes the viewer feel the coldness and dryness of the old bricks, the dead leaves, or a whisper,” remarks painter Cuong.

A departure from Hao’s theme, Thuy focuses on one subject: “Women”. Her first paintings lead the viewers into the inner lives of the gender which makes up nearly 51 per cent of the world’s population. If Hao’s paintings seems something of a puzzle, Thuy’s painting are gentle and romantic, painted in a more a classic style using bright colours.

Featured in different ages and styles, the women in Thuy’s painting share one thing in common, their inherent loneliness.

At first the female figures seem straightforward enough, but if one zooms in on the images more closely, there is often more than meets the eye: on the lips of an attractive girl, two tortoises are making love. Waves crashing on the shore can be seen on the crow’s feet of an old woman. If poet Hao always finds an idea and carefully plans before she starts a painting, Thuy allows the ideas to come to her during the process.

Despite their differences in theme and style, the two artists have one thing in common: the emotion which seems to overflow the white canvas.

Asked about her foray into painting, Hao confides, “I believe each person has not only one but several abilities, which they don’t always find out. Painting is my hobby, but also an opportunity for me to examine myself.”

Thuy has a different reason for exhibiting her work, “I don’t expect something specific in this exhibition. It is only a way to share my emotions with others.”

Although this is Hao and Thuy’s first exhibition, they have surprised viewers and critics with their individual styles. The display also provides viewers with an interesting answer to the question, how does the world look to the eyes of a writer?

The exhibition will run through Sunday at the Viet Art Centre on 42 Yet Kieu Street, Ha Noi.

(Source: Viet Nam News)