“CAPTURING THE MOMENT” Exhibition: Paintings by artist Ngo Manh Lan

November 2, 2019 – “CAPTURING THE MOMENT” exhibition by artist Ngo Manh Lan was held at the Vietnam Fine Arts University.

‘Socialist Realism” was introduced into Vietnam in the first half of the twentieth century, instantly became the overarching creative method of the revolutionary era in all art areas, including sketch paintings. Vietnamese artists, embracing this art movement, are the engineers of souls who take a main part in depicting the symbolism of communist values, and the realism and transformation of national contemporary socio-political conditions. The type of sketch not only dominates in the form of recognition and expression, but also effectively satisfies the national historical requirements that were deficient in art supplies, preservation and storage, as well as were suitable for nomadic lifestyle during the war.

“Capturing the Moment” features more than 250 sketch works that Ngo Manh Lan, the most famous artist in Vietnam with sketch and animation paintings, has composed during the past 70 years. The exhibition is held to celebrate the Russian October Revolution of 1917 and the 75th Anniversary of the Founding of the Vietnam Army.

“CAPTURING THE MOMENT” exhibition by artist Ngo Manh Lan

“These are the original works I have been drawing and collecting from the 1950s until now. The exhibition is divided into four sections that are closely related to my real-life experience: Early life; Dien Bien Phu: Army Life - War and Conflict; Soviet Union: University Life; and Hung Yen Rural Landscapes: Past vs. Present. My life is embedded in my work and crushed into all my paintings. Particularly, I have always been “painting” Hung Yen Province in the past to capture the memorable moment in time that stirred my creative spirit and connected me to my happy home. This is also my way to maintain the sentimental and aesthetic value of Hung Yen province that we can recognize in a once-in-a-lifetime moment.”- shared by Ngo Manh Lan.

Looking at the paintings, audiences find it easy to contemplate that Ngo Manh Lan travels a lot, lives fully, treasures every moment, and always tries to capture all artistic and historic moments of life. His styles used in creating art are the combination of Realism and Impressionism. Seeking romance in the natural habitat, he put landscape paintings into a position of being the highest art form. His paintings, in addition, not only used light in dramatic ways, but it was evolved to be a means of conveying his sentimental implicit message.

Looking at the paintings, audiences find it easy to contemplate that Ngo Manh Lan travels a lot, lives fully, treasures every moment, and always tries to capture all artistic and historic moments of life.

Sketching is an incredibly important part in Ngo Manh Lan's artistic career. “He is an animator, so the way he is drawing, and sketching is so different from that of other artists. The exhibition concentrates on Ngo Manh Lan's works during the past half- century. This convincingly demonstrates that Ngo Manh Lan is a gifted artist who has been making a great invaluable contribution to Vietnamese art” – commented by artist Mai Long.

The exhibition continues till November 10, 2019 at 42 Yet Kieu Street. Ngo Manh Lan is also one of the most influential animation artists in Vietnam. His most famous work, namely, “God Giong”, was awarded the Golden Dove at the International Film Festival in Leipzig (1971) and the Golden Lotus at the Vietnam Film Festival (1973).