An exhibition entitled “Paintings of the Tale of Kieu” is underway at the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum, Hanoi to commemorate great poet Nguyen Du on the occasion of his 200th death anniversary (1820-2020). 

A work by painter Nguyen Tuan Son

The exhibition of painter Nguyen Tuan Son, whose nickname is ‘Son Kieu’, consists 96 oil paintings featuring themes on the Tale of Kieu- a masterpiece of Vietnamese poetry written by Nguyen Du.  

The exhibition is expected to bring a new perspective on human values of familiar characters appeared in the epic poem through their portraits. The author wishes to have a cultural space for Kieu and Ho Xuan Huong in the capital, contributing to the development of art education and to national culture.

These selectively artworks are considered achievements of more than 20 years of pursuing research, exploration and creation inspired on the Tale of Kieu by painter Nguyen Tuan Son. The abstract paintings are created in accordance with the artist's emotions, thus, visitors have to view them carefully many times and ‘read between brushstrokes’ to understand the hidden meaning in each painting. 

The exhibition will last until November 23, 2020.