Nguyen Hong Linh was devoted to his silk paintings and enigmatic style of Chinese calligraphy, which translates his Chinese influence with a trace of modernity. Specifically during this period, subjects of nudity were considered avant-garde in Vietnam. The fine ink outlines the fairness of the woman’s body, revealing the beauty of the woman’s anatomy.

 

Holding a peach as a symbolic element of the full moon, she kneels against a translucent veil – conveying the joyous and blessed sensation of becoming a mother. Her long black hair over the sheet of silk captures characteristics of graduates from the École des Beaux Arts de Hanoi, particularly, Le Van De and To Ngoc Van’s brush strokes. This commissioned work represents the sophistication and subdued palettes of Nguyen Hong Linh’s silk paintings.

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In the beginning of the 20th century, was the start of a dynamic and influential period of the art history in Vietnam.

 

Honored by the Emperor for his artistic contribution to the Imperial Court, Nguyen Hong Linh was one of the many who shaped the Modern Painting movement in his region. Along with Nguyen Van Nhan, Ton That Sa, Ton That Dao, Maria Mong Hoa, Phi Hung and his brothers.

 

The painting presented in this exhibition was executed in 1943, is an excellent example of Nguyen Hong Linh paintings. A delicate ink on gouache work rendered on silk, Nguyen Hong Linh’s Praying for Blessings is one of the rarities of the artist’s repertoire.