‘Dien Bien Phu’ painting – oil painting 190x490cm by artist Mai Duy Minh
The fine art show “Dien Bien Phu” by artist Mai Duy Minh was held at the Museum of Vietnam University of Fine Arts, 42 Yet Kieu, Hanoi, from May 07 to May 20, 2022. It featured the artist’s large-format oil painting, 190x490cm, about the Dien Bien Phu triumph. Starting at the end of 2011, the artist put ten years of painstaking work into it. The theme of Mai Duy Minh’s subsequent great oil painting is the struggle to preserve national freedom, particularly the Dien Bien Phu Victory in 1954, which resounded throughout the five continents and was world-shaking. It was the largest oil painting created by a single artist at the time, 200 x 540 cm.
In order to have “Dien Bien Phu”, Mai Duy Minh went on a field trip to Dien Bien by motorbike, interacted with a number of veterans still being alive and vividly recalled the event of Dien Bien Phu victory, read documents related to the 9-year long resistance war against the French.
As a person who was born and raised in peace and reunification, Mai Duy Minh has been trying to find a personal answer about how generations of Vietnamese people endure all hardships to protect national independence.
The painting ‘General Vo Nguyen Giap’ – oil painting
In addition to the “Dien Bien Phu” painting, at this exhibition, Mai Duy Minh also displayed the work “General Vo Nguyen Giap” (oil painting, size 89x89cm) – a painting he painted within 4 years ( 2017-2021). Besides, there are 86 out of dozens of pencil sketches, ballpoint pens, iron pens and pencil sketches, oil paints in various sizes, showing part of the artist’s long journey when working solo on the big project.
Mai Duy Minh was born in 1976 in Hai Phong. In 1999, he graduated from Hanoi University of Fine Arts (now Vietnam University of Fine Arts), currently living and composing in Hai Phong city. He has created solo exhibitions such as: Space Complex (2002), Dust Life (2006) and a number of group exhibitions.
V.H