Vietnamese Artists | Pham Luan

Pham Luan was born in Hanoi in 1954 and graduated from Hanoi's Teachers Training College. Although he paints a variety of subjects, Pham Luan always returns to the subject of Hanoi, with its scenic location on the banks of the Red River, its lakes and ponds, the clarity of light, verdant greenery, elegant French architecture, and the wealth of its own culture. Engaging Pham Luan’s paintings is like reading a poem. At times, he chooses to remember Hanoi in its past beauty, devoid of the urbanization that is inevitably enveloping the city. His paintings are impressionistic in style - they also have a unique beauty to them, making apparent the artist’s compassion for the subjects he paints. In his pictures one senses not mere silhouettes of 36th street near Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi, the trees, the flowers, the tiled roofs, the windows, the busy life.....but also a sensitive heart which vibrates with a passionate affection for the very same subjects. In Pham Luan’s pictures, the commonplace sights become emotive through his gamut of colours, the glittering green, the various shades of yellow and red bring these works alive. He regularly exhibits in the USA (1999, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006) and Hong Kong (1994, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004) and had his first exhibition in Thailand in 2007.