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LIFESTYLE
T
he oldest paintings to go on display date back to 1982
and the most recent was painted this year. Following
his lifetime of passion for mountainous lives, this time
Do Duc focuses on the role of the horse.
At odds with the large, sleek racing horses we often see, the
horses in his paintings look calm and quiet. They are always side
by side with their human friend, sharing their lives with them.
“During my first trips to the mountainous areas of north-
ern Vietnam, I noticed how important the role the horse is
there, as it is in many other remote regions. More surpris-
ingly, the mountainous dwellers treat their horses with love
and respect as much as any other family member. The horse
goes to the market with the man, carrying heavy goods, and
on the way back home, when everything is sold, the man still
walks beside his horse,” says Do Duc.
“I have been watching horses from many perspectives
and I chose the simplest way to depict them. I want the horse
to be depicted naturally in its own environment. In my paint-
ing you can find a worrisome horse, a young energetic horse,
a lonely horse, a horse in the market, a sweating horse in the
middle of the day and a patient horse who has physically and
emotionally shared all the ups and downs with its human
friend,” he adds.
For over a decade, Do Duc has focused on woodcuts, with
prints selected for the Vietnam National Art Museum and in-
ternational art events. He then moved on to explore another
material - rice paper.
He was known to be the top artist with rice paper, but
then fifteen years ago he made another move back to tradi-
tional oils and surprised audiences with his exhibit, Living on
the rock, an epic of colourful brushstrokes showcasing a land
of people who are born, live and die on rock. After almost five
decades working with different materials, his inspirational
pieces of work reflect a great love for mountainous people
and cultures.
Rock Mountain Horse will be displayed at the Art Associa-
tion exhibition hall, 19 Ngo Quyen, Hanoi from December 20,
2013 to January 5, 2014.
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ART SCREEN
EQUINE
ART
Fifty paintings by one of Vietnam’s
most respected living artists,
Do Duc
,
are to go on show in his Rock Moun-
tain Horse exhibition, bringing togeth-
er some of his key lifetime themes. By
Duc Hanh
.