In recent years, there has been a generation of young artists who have succeed in asserting their positions, gradually forming their own identity on the journey of artistic creation, and being loved by a large public. Among them are Le Ngan Thuy, Nguyen Thi Dao and Nguyen Viet Tien.

Personality ego about emotions and beauty

There is a fundamental change in the artistic thinking of young artists who dare to uphold the spirit of innovation based on learning and researching traditional art methods.

The painting world of typical young artists clearly shows their free personality when boldly applying new painting methods in terms of colours and techniques. As a result, their works of art are filled with breath and inspiration from daily life and nature.

Artist Nguyen Tien Viet who is the Head of Graphics Fundamentals Department, Faculty of Applied Fine Arts, the Duy Tan University, and a member of the city’s Fine Arts Association, chooses woodcut printmaking, a printing technique in the art of graphic printing using woodblock printing and embossing. This is a difficult genre that few young artists in Da Nang choose because it requires skill, meticulousness and sophistication to create masterpieces on the wooden surface.

Nguyen Tien Viet's woodcut printing paintings always show strength and sharpness in each drawing line. The colours used are quite diverse, including bright red, navy blue, dark black or green, bringing high aesthetics.

His work themed "Fate" won the C prizes of the Viet Nam Literature and Arts Awards 2018, and the Da Nang Literature and Arts Awards 2018.

Meanwhile, his work of "Ask Life" has been selected to display at the ongoing "April Sunshine" exhibition 2024 at the Da Nang Fine Arts Museum.

Perhaps it would not be an exaggeration to say that Nguyen Tien Viet’s woodcut prints are bold in creation and artistic intent. The 33-year-old artist shared: "For more than a decade of pursuing woodcut printing, I think that is my own stubbornness towards arts. However, my achieved results are commensurate with the effort I have put in."

Consistent with the realist school of painting, the artistic creations in the paintings made by young artist Le Ngan Thuy, 31, a member of the city’s Fine Arts Association, are shown through ways she explores and creates new, realistic compositions.

Focusing on the strength of private emotions about the lives of people, the rural areas of Quang Ngai or the image of a family reunion, artist Le Ngan Thuy breathes life into his works by not hesitating to express his feelings with difficult materials.

His paintings have been displayed at many large and small-scale exhibitions inside and outside the city. Notable among them are ‘Lam Lu’ (Ragged), ‘Mien Dat Nho’ (Land of Memories), ‘Gia Dinh Nho’ (Small Family), and ‘Doi’ (Waiting).

The work "Summer Lotus" with the delicate and luxurious use of colour by young artist Nguyen Thi Dao.

"Exaggeration in the use of colours"

It can be said that in recent years, Nguyen Thi Dao, a member of the Da Nang Fine Arts Association, is one of the few young female artists who has been recognised by the public for her talent and professionalism.

Graduated from the University of Arts under the Hue University, Nguyen Thi Dao, 33, is among a group of young artists who are striving to express their own individuality in the journey of asserting style, aesthetics and creativity through each work.

What makes Nguyen Thi Dao's paintings attractive and unique is her strength in painting with acrylic colours on canvas, paper, and wood.

Dao considers herself a passionate person and is always proactive in thinking when playing with colours and regularly updates with new trends.

Dao confided that she is a woman, so she often brings images of women into her paintings. Perhaps for that reason, in her paintings, the image of a woman always appears with a fresh, colourful appearance, full of vitality but no less delicate, individual and luxurious.

Sometimes it is the image of a modern yet traditional woman, metaphorised through the images of lotus, cactus, etc. Also, images about childhood and peaceful countryside also often appear in Dao’s paintings.

Her paintings’ receive many compliments in terms of colours, aesthetics and fresh vitality from other artists.

Penetrating deeper into life

The "touching point" clearly seen in the artworks of young artists is still the human image, expressed in multi-dimensional perspectives, depending on the individual concept of each artist.

In Nguyen Tien Viet’s artworks, the human image is stylised and hidden under the artistic cover of a buffalo head, a sparrow or the scene of dust flying at the feet of a herd of buffaloes chasing each other in the late afternoon.

Not full of metaphors like Nguyen Tien Viet's artworks, the human images in the works of artists Le Ngan Thuy and Nguyen Thi Dao are more direct and simple with images that are familiar to anyone. They are images of hard-working fathers, mothers, and grandmothers with wrinkles clearly visible on their austere faces in contrast to images of the children's soft, smooth skin and immature expressions.

This pioneering in trying different artistic approaches, as well as the steadfastness in artistic creativity of the outstanding young artists, have made an important contribution to improve intelligence and increase applicability, so that art can penetrate more deeply into life.

Reporting by KHANH HOA - Translating by M.DUNG