In the beginning of the year of the Pig, see the exhibition "12 Zodiac Animals"

Drawing a picture of the zodiac is always a big challenge for artists. It seems easy but it is actually difficult! Drawing an animal that is both real and imaginary, both familiar and legendary... Drawing is not just for the sake of making it look real. Many people believe that when drawing a picture of the zodiac, the animals must become symbolic mascots of the year - a symbol of the good aspirations that people entrust.

But artist Nguyen The Hung does not think so. He shared: "I do not think of the 12 zodiac animals as 12 sacred animals, representing divine spiritual elements. Thinking of the 12 zodiac animals, I think of animals that are close to me every day. From dogs, cats, buffalos, chickens to horses, pigs, goats, rats, ... are all animals that we easily encounter in daily life. Only the dragon, which is not real, but to me, is not strange, because it exists everywhere in relics, temples, pillars".

The 12 Zodiacs displayed in this exhibition are 12 60x105cm paintings painted in lacquer on canvas - a medium that Nguyen The Hung has recently pursued. It is easy to recognize Nguyen The Hung through his familiar and spontaneous writing style, through the use of colors and beauty that is both real and unreal, through the layers of images that are superimposed on each other in an extremely delicate way that makes it difficult for viewers to see through the message that the work conveys...

For artist Vu Dinh Tuan, it took him more than 10 years to complete a set of 12 zodiac paintings. He believes: "When an artist draws a zodiac, he is drawing his own image, his own life, to talk about a harmonious human life in the Five Elements of Metal - Wood - Water - Fire - Earth! The Zodiac is drawn according to the person! And no matter how the Zodiac is shaped, it still needs to carry the traditional message of congratulations about a full life, complete happiness. The set of 12 Zodiac paintings released on the occasion of the spring of Ky Hoi is a wish for everyone, every family, a peaceful new year!".

Indeed, it is easy to see the beauty of complete happiness and family reunion in the woodcut paintings of the 12 zodiac animals by artist Vu Dinh Tuan. The mascots in this painting do not appear alone but in pairs or as a whole family with children, with strong, fertile and vibrant expressions.

The exhibition "12 Zodiac Animals" is open until March 3, 2019 at Hanoi Studio Gallery - 13 Trang Tien, Hanoi.

Quynh Le