After hearing her name and viewing her paintings, most people are under the impression that Cao Thi Duoc is a member of the Cham ethnic group in Vietnam.

However, she was born in 1958 in Ben Tre, South Vietnam and is of the popular Kinh majority. Her birth name is Ho Thi Hiep.

Before engaging in painting, Cao Thi Duoc studied literature and graduated from the literature faculty at Tien Giang Teacher’s Training College and later worked as a teacher.

Some time later she had the fortune to meet painter Van Den, a lecturer at Ho Chi Minh City University of Fine Arts, who encouraged Duoc to get involved in the arts.

Since her graduation in 1990 she has worked as a lecturer at Ho Chi Minh City University of Fine Arts.

During the period of probation in Ninh Thuan Province, she was charmed by the Cham culture, such as the strokes of bass-relieves, colours of decorations, festivals and the Cham people.

Then she discovered that she had a forte in artistically illustrating the Cham theme and has pursued it for over 20 years with a great passion and energy rarely be seen in others.

In particular, the image of a Cham girl carrying a jar of water on her head and walking on the golden sand dunes always inspires her creativeness in each painting.

The distinctive feature in her painting is the harmonious combination of blazing colours, such as red, yellow, violet, etc., with a composition of decorative art.

Regardless of the subject, be it landscape or still-life, people or nudes, her paintings always feature her unconventional style.

VietNamNet/VNP