Vietnam Artist Dang Xuan Hoa

Vietnamese art history will record Dang Xuan Hoa as one of its most important artists of the late 20th century. Not simply because of his extraordinary talent but equally as important because f his leadership and openness to change. Hoa’s paintings show both his undeniable roots in Vietnam as his exposure to and absorption of the art from many other countries and periods. In Hoa’s style one can see the influence of artists from Nguyen Tu Nghiem and Nguyen Sang to Pablo Picasso and Jackson Pollock yet he always remains uniquely himself. In spite of his early success Hoa has continued to take risks in his work and seems never satisfied with just staying in the same place. As must as I like his earlier paintings I always look forward to seeing the next one .


C. David Thomas


Painter


Dang Xuan Hoa is a world-wide respected contemporary Vietnamese artist. He is one of the “Gang of Five” who are known to have changed the direction of art in the early 1990’s in Vietnam which coincided with the destruction of the subsidized economy. This is known as Doi Moi or “The Renovation”, which began the free market economy. As Phan Can Thuong explains in his book on Dang Xuan Hoa, “This event emancipated the spirit of painting, casting off simplistic art to a common expression -abstractionist orientation combined with traditional humanistic ideas. Hoa’s paintings are a process of spiritual development in which love and respect of life serve as a way to better understand himself”.Dang Xuan Hoa expresses emotions through figures and shapes as his compositions appear to be perfect in themselves. His harmony of colors has instant appeal with subtle aesthetics. Common subjects include his wife, daughter and granddaughter and depict a harmonious and loving familial atmosphere


"The flower painting: only when the spring comes & the lunar new year comes each year, this kind of special flowers bloom & being enjoyed & appreciated by the people in the Northern provinces. It is for the happiness, healthy & luck for the whole new year, with green rich leaves & branches and red flowers but pure simple touching each Vietnamese soul.The self portraits: it is the thoughts & look about our lives & society that we are living in. It is also the most truthful vision of ourselves, each person's feelings which differs from one to another.  This is also a respect to one's ego, each individual, each society & nature."


Dang Xuan Hoa