About the artwork
Notable for his large-scale lacquer and oil paintings, Van Tho combines traditional and modern painting aesthetics, employing crisp lines, bold contrasting colours and abstract forms. Alone yet dignified, Van’s figures are typically the focus of each work. Starting out as a social realist painter, Van positions his figures in ambiguous settings, further lending them an air of humble mystique.
About the artist
Van Tho was born in 1938 in Ha Nam Province, Vietnam. He graduated from the Hanoi Fine Arts University, and is a member of the Vietnamese Fine Arts Association and the Hanoi Arts Association. Notable for his large-scale lacquer and oil paintings, Van Tho combines traditional and modern painting styles, employing line, shape, bold contrasting colours and abstract forms. He foregoes brushes and instead uses a trowel to paint. Starting out as a social realist, his works retell tradition and often depict human figures in solemn places.