See Dang Mau Tuu's painting, “Ah! “Once upon a time” is here...

DNHN - On Mid-Autumn Festival 2022, Song Huong magazine's editorial office has emerged as a new rendezvous for art lovers in Hue, because this address opens the exhibition of artist Dang Mau Tuu's personal gallery, with a “very childish” theme: A! Once upon a time... A gallery with 30 silk paintings, as a separate collection of images of childhood games in the past, made many people reminisce.

Painter Mau Tuu is a witty person. That, anyone who met him immediately recognized. He admits that this personality is probably ingrained in him, because most of his life has passed, he is associated with the activities of childhood and adolescence. Reviewing most of his life, since leaving Fine Arts school, taking on many positions and roles in society, he concludes that the years working with “children” are the longest and full of memories in him. Thanks to that, he is always energetic, cheerful, has an optimistic and humorous outlook. His brush strokes, therefore, are also innocent and fresh, “always as vigorous as a boy”. His gallery, choosing a very witty name, also follows this pattern.

The point the artist wants to show in this gallery, according to him, is a thank you to childhood, to “little friends” for generations. Mr. Tuu has been the pen holder and colourist for many generations of Hue children, young people who love painting, grown up and become famous. After all, he is still an innocent and spontaneous “teacher”, drawing very enthusiastically, talking very enthusiastically, and living very enthusiastically.

For nearly 30 years, he has quietly cherished, the dream of having a gallery, describing the scenes, games, and emotions of generations of Vietnamese people in the countryside, in each urban alley, according to chasing folk games, games that are “equal” with each other, everyone is equally passionate and interested. The “bang om”, “hide and seek”, “tick tick”, “buzz” always resounds in the hearts of listeners full of sobbing and raging emotions, about the carefree and naughty childhood days.

Now, those efforts and thoughts of painter Mau Tuu have taken shape and become a gallery. He said that he did not stop here, because he still wanted to draw more, a lot, about children's stories, about children's topics that “I can't describe in my whole life”. Standing in front of his paintings, he still seems to be an old “boy Tuu”, blinking mischievously and laughing. After that “boy”, there is a lot of past, there are many memories that come flooding back to viewers, making anyone's feet, with grey heads, become heavy with love when entering “A! Once upon a time”.

Painter Tuu thinks, he knows many people also draw about children, but drawing about games of a past time, creating a re-introduction list for today's children, has not been done yet. So, he, with his self-proclaimed mission, must be able to do it. Children of today must be allowed to relive their father's past, to know his father's inspiration, with games that are now only names, only memories. Is that, helping to preserve the traditional past, is it also a very important part of the ancient communication culture, in the Vietnamese community, that should be cherished and preserved?

For the art world, the children's-themed gallery of painter Mau Tuu was noticed because he chose to show his works on silk, a material that is not simple, even difficult for many young artists. He shared, his luck is that he has experienced many types of materials in his career as a painter, but silk is a material that Dang Mau Tuu has been familiar with since he was a student. So he was very comfortable composing with silk, despite the rigorous and delicate demands when the brushstrokes began to stain on the pure white fabric. To have a silk picture, the artist must fully shape the lines on the canvas, absorb each color that he wants to express in his mind, and dare to put a pen because he has to draw very quickly before the color dries.

“Ah! My old days, so I hope everyone can enjoy their childhood feelings, regain some memories in their hearts, and for me, it's also the story of a past time, composing in a difficult situation. From finding a bottle of color, to getting a piece of silk, in those difficult times, it was an indelible memory. I hope to be able to bring joy and a bit of rejoicing in the hearts of viewers, so that people can better understand the past, understand themselves better, and be lucky to understand a little more Tu in it,” painter Dang Mau Tuu confided so.

His gallery, which will be open until the end of September 2022, is on a small street in Hue. A very small road, but there is a space of the past that is not small, so that when people step on it, they will realize: Ah! The old days are here!

Thuy Bui Nhi