“Still Shadow and Image”: Memorial painting exhibition for late artist Le Thiet Cuong

“Still Shadows and Images” was inspired by an old but special exhibition in the creative career of the late painter Le Thiet Cuong, and is also an activity to commemorate and fuel the legacy he left for Vietnamese painting.

Painting "Remembering Le Thiet Cuong" by author Doan Hoang Lam.

In order to pay tribute to the late artist Le Thiet Cuong, his family, close friends and the G39 artist group organized the exhibition “Still Shadows and Images” from September 3-13 at Laca Cafe 24 Ly Quoc Su, Hoan Kiem Ward ( Hanoi ). This is also an activity to commemorate him on the 49th day of his death (July 17 - September 3).

The series of paintings was created by the group of authors G39 and many artists inspired by painter Le Thiet Cuong. The exhibition is also a place where many of his old friends meet and reminisce, remembering a talented, outspoken and individual artist who always encouraged artists to listen to themselves and from there, speak their own voice.

“When I was painting, the first person to call me a painter was Le Thiet Cuong, although to this day I still feel embarrassed to accept that title. He once told me not to learn from any painter, but to learn from my own life,” commented poet Nguyen Quang Thieu, Chairman of the Vietnam Writers Association .

Tribute painting by poet Nguyen Quang Thieu.

The President of the Vietnam Writers Association emotionally shared: "Cuong's passing is a great loss to me and everyone. He lived a full and proud life with the meaning of a human being and the legacy of an artist. In life, Le Thiet Cuong was a straightforward, principled, strong-willed person, full of self-respect but full of inspiration. He respected everyone's way of life but always refused anything that went beyond the beauty of humanity and art."

Journalist Nguyen Quynh Huong quoted a sharing of artist Le Thiet Cuong when interviewing him in 2013 for Dep magazine, at that time he said that true artists must be extremely disciplined people and have self-respect for discipline, not indulgent.

“Every day he had to sit down to work and even though he was faced with the uncertainty of how to begin, the gap was as terrible as a gallows, he had to bring his whole spirit and life to work first. Even though he started vaguely, even completely ‘limbly’ – he had to keep rolling that ‘rock’, then inspiration would come and would come,” she recounted.

Artist Dao Hai Phong was impressed by his close friend Le Thiet Cuong, who was interesting, straightforward, loyal and talented, and always made him admire him. “I think from today Cuong has gone to a new land. I only wish that every step Cuong takes is peaceful, and that he is truly happy in the new land.”

"Memory" by artist Dao Hai Phong.

“Still Shadow and Image” is the first exhibition of the G39 group without its spiritual leader Le Thiet Cuong. Inspired by the 2018 exhibition “Still Shadow and Image” - an event marking 30 years of pursuing the minimalist school, “Still Shadow and Image” is not only a tribute but also an extension of the legacy he has brought to contemporary Vietnamese painting.

Some works at the exhibition:

"Le Thiet Cuong" - Le Thu Huong.

Painting by Cao Linh.

"Remember" - Hoang Anh Tuan.

"Year of the Tiger" - Pham Tran Quan.

Lotus - Tran Gia Tung.

Artist Le Thiet Cuong (1962-2025), whose mother was a cameraman at the Vietnam Feature Film Studio (Feature Film Studio 1), and whose father was poet Le Nguyen. His paintings are collected by the Singapore Art Museum, the Royal de Mariemont Museum (Kingdom of Belgium) and the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum.

During his lifetime, besides painting, artist Le Thiet Cuong also worked in the fields of design, sculpture, architecture and art curation. He was wise and loved beauty, considering that artists practicing art was to find themselves, just like Buddhist monks.

The artist has designed book covers for works by writer Nguyen Huy Thiep, researcher Hoang Ngoc Hien, writer Nguyen Quang Lap, researcher Van Gia, critic Nguyen Thi Minh Thai, writer Nguyen Viet Ha, writer Trung Trung Dinh, poet Doan Ngoc Thu, writer Bui Ngoc Tan, writer Ta Duy Anh, poet Nguyen Quang Thieu...

(Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/van-bong-va-hinh-trien-lam-tranh-tuong-niem-co-hoa-sy-le-thiet-cuong-post1059852.vnp