{"id":2920,"date":"2005-02-15T13:44:00","date_gmt":"2005-02-15T13:44:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/boitran.com\/?p=2920"},"modified":"2026-04-02T13:48:20","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T13:48:20","slug":"youth-flowers-and-the-quiet-language-of-boi-trans-the-young-girl-and-the-flowers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/boitran.com\/vi\/youth-flowers-and-the-quiet-language-of-boi-trans-the-young-girl-and-the-flowers\/","title":{"rendered":"Tu\u1ed5i Tr\u1ebb, Hoa, v\u00e0 Ng\u00f4n Ng\u1eef Th\u1ea7m L\u1eb7ng trong Thi\u1ebfu N\u1eef v\u00e0 Hoa c\u1ee7a B\u1ed9i Tr\u00e2n"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\t\t\tYouth, Flowers, and the Quiet Language of Boi Tran’s The Young Girl and the Flowers\t<\/h2>\n

\n\t\t\tNguy\u1ec5n Tr\u1ecdng T\u1ea1o\t<\/h5>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\"Works\n\t\t
C\u00e1c t\u00e1c ph\u1ea9m c\u1ee7a B\u1ed9i Tr\u00e2n hi\u1ec7n tr\u01b0ng b\u00e0y t\u1ea1i Ph\u00f2ng Tranh Minh Ch\u00e2u, s\u1ed1 7 L\u00fd \u0110\u1ea1o Th\u00e0nh, H\u00e0 N\u1ed9i, Vi\u1ec7t Nam<\/figcaption>\n\t<\/figure>\n\t

B\u1ed9i Tr\u00e2n, Thi\u1ebfu N\u1eef v\u00e0 Hoa<\/p>\n\t

It was the waning days of the Year of the Monkey when I found myself once again at Minh Chau Gallery, tucked quietly at No. 7 Ly Dao Thanh, Hanoi. But this time, I wasn’t drawn there by the timeless allure of masterworks by Nguyen Phan Chanh, Bui Xuan Phai, Nguyen Tu Nghiem, or Nguyen Sang, whose canvases often grace these walls, nor simply to greet young Minh Chau, the gracious gallery owner and an old friend from Hue. I had come for something more tender: to witness the first unveiling of her mother’s paintings, freshly arrived from Hue, now breathing their quiet beauty before the discerning eyes of Hanoi’s art lovers.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\"Boi\n\t\t
Boi Tran (B. 1957), Lady with Lotus Flower, 2003, oil on canvas. 128 x 97.5 cm.<\/figcaption>\n\t<\/figure>\n\t

Nh\u1eefng l\u1eb5ng hoa m\u1eebng tri\u1ec3n l\u00e3m v\u1eabn c\u00f2n t\u01b0\u01a1i. Ng\u01b0\u1eddi \u0111\u1ebfn xem tranh v\u1eabn c\u00f2n \u0111\u00f4ng. Ng\u01b0\u1eddi ta v\u00e0 ng\u01b0\u1eddi n\u01b0\u1edbc ngo\u00e0i xem tranh v\u00e0 xem nhau. M\u00e1y \u1ea3nh v\u00e0 camera l\u01b0u gi\u1eef nh\u1eefng k\u1ef7 ni\u1ec7m. C\u1ea3 hai t\u1ea7ng nh\u00e0 tr\u00e0n ng\u1eadp s\u1eafc v\u00e0 h\u00ecnh. \u1ea4n t\u01b0\u1ee3ng m\u1ea1nh nh\u1ea5t gieo v\u00e0o ng\u01b0\u1eddi xem l\u00e0 thi\u1ebfu n\u1eef v\u00e0 hoa.<\/p>\n\t

I had known the author of these paintings for quite some time, from when I was still in Hu\u1ebf. At that time, B\u1ed9i Tr\u00e2n was among the few who had the courage to open one of the first private galleries, a large gallery located on the ground floor of the Morin Hotel by the poetic Perfume River. The opening of B\u1ed9i Tr\u00e2n Gallery was attended by artists from the North, Central, and South, and the poet Nguy\u1ec5n Khoa \u0110i\u1ec1m, then Minister of Culture and Information, cut the ribbon. I understood the respect of the Minister for this new event, for from it might open a market for painting in a city of tourism, one that carries within itself a world cultural heritage of palaces, pagodas, temples, and tombs under preservation. From that passion for painting, B\u1ed9i Tr\u00e2n began to paint. Her first teachers were the painters Nguy\u1ec5n Trung, Tr\u01b0\u01a1ng B\u00e9, and Tr\u1ecbnh C\u00f4ng S\u01a1n. These well-known figures painted alongside her, either at her residence or among the whispering pine hills by Th\u1ee7y Ti\u00ean Lake. She painted them, and they painted her. They painted figures and landscapes. They painted in oil and in lacquer. Perhaps for this reason, some of B\u1ed9i Tr\u00e2n’s early works bear traces of Nguy\u1ec5n Trung’s manner? Yet upon closer viewing, one already perceives the emergence of a distinctly feminine sensibility in her paintings. And there is another curious thing: one cannot quite explain why her paintings draw the viewer back toward the melancholic and refined bearing of imperial Hu\u1ebf…<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\"Hoang\n\t\t
Ho\u00e0ng Ph\u1ee7 Ng\u1ecdc T\u01b0\u1eddng, B\u1ed9i Tr\u00e2n, Nguy\u1ec5n Tr\u1ecdng T\u1ea1o, Nguy\u1ec5n Qu\u1ed1c Th\u1eafng, \u00f4ng Oanh, ch\u01b0a r\u00f5 danh t\u00ednh (t\u1eeb ph\u1ea3i sang tr\u00e1i), t\u1ea1i Ph\u00f2ng Tranh B\u1ed9i Tr\u00e2n, \u0111\u01b0\u1eddng Tr\u1ea7n H\u01b0ng \u0110\u1ea1o, Hu\u1ebf, kho\u1ea3ng n\u0103m 1995.<\/figcaption>\n\t<\/figure>\n\t

B\u1ed9i Tr\u00e2n told me that she had never painted as much as in the past two years. I knew she was referring to a grief so immense that it could never be overcome. It was the sudden passing of her most beloved son. A son so handsome, so gentle, so full of dreams, in his fourth year at university in the United States, who died while attempting to save a friend across the Pacific Ocean. She devoted the entire traditional wooden house, made of jackfruit wood, the most beautiful in her garden on Thi\u00ean An Hill, as a place of worship for him, while she herself lived in a stilt house nearby. Around the house hung photographs of her son with family, with nature, and with friends. On the day of the memorial rites in Hu\u1ebf, Hanoi seemed to run out of white roses, for they had all been sent to Hu\u1ebf for the grieving mother. “In those days, had I not painted, I would have died,” she said, her voice still heavy with a grief of two years, one that could hardly be shared. I looked at the paintings. The young women, their eyes wide open gazing into distance, lowered toward epiphyllum blossoms, or closed in prayer, resembled her own eyes. Twelve lacquer paintings measuring 60 \u00d7 120 cm depicted young women; not one bore brilliant colour, though gold was present, all subdued like the mossed walls of the imperial citadel or the fossilised earth of Thi\u00ean An Hill. Only when the figure of a young boy appeared in her arms did brightness emerge upon that sombre ground, and in her paintings one reads a maternal love that must swallow its own tears.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\"Nguyen\n\t\t
Nguyen Trong Tao\u00a0– Vietnamese Author, Art Critic, Musician; Doan Tuyen Chau – Journalist and Boi Tran at Boi Tran Art Gallery’s Grand Opening, Saigon Morin Hotel, 30 Le Loi, Hue, 1998.<\/figcaption>\n\t<\/figure>\n\t

T\u00f4i ch\u00fa \u00fd m\u1ed9t b\u1ee9c tranh \u2018Thi\u1ebfu N\u1eef B\u00ean M\u1ecfm \u0110\u00e1\u2019, c\u1eb1m t\u00ec tr\u00ean hai b\u00e0n tay \u0111\u1eb7t tr\u00ean hai g\u1ed1i ch\u00e2n kh\u00e9p l\u1ea1i, m\u1eaft m\u1edf to nh\u00ecn v\u1ec1 v\u00f4 \u0111\u1ecbnh. M\u1ed9t b\u1ee9c tranh c\u00f3 b\u1ed1 c\u1ee5c kh\u00e1 \u0111\u1ed9c \u0111\u00e1o, kh\u00e1c h\u1eb3n v\u1edbi c\u00e1c tranh thi\u1ebfu n\u1eef kh\u00e1c trong ph\u00f2ng tranh. V\u00e0 t\u00f4i \u0111\u01b0\u1ee3c bi\u1ebft \u0111\u1ea5y l\u00e0 b\u1ee9c tranh B\u1ed9i Tr\u00e2n v\u1ebd c\u00f4 con g\u00e1i Minh Ch\u00e2u \u0111ang ng\u1ed3i b\u00ean v\u1ee5ng bi\u1ec3n \u1edf M\u1ef9 \u0111\u1ee3i ch\u1edd ng\u01b0\u1eddi ta ki\u1ebfm t\u00ecm thi th\u1ec3 c\u1ee7a em trai \u0111ang ch\u00ecm d\u01b0\u1edbi bi\u1ec3n. Nh\u1eefng d\u1ed3n n\u00e9n nh\u01b0 v\u1eady \u0111\u00e3 \u0111\u01b0\u1ee3c B\u1ed9i Tr\u00e2n d\u1ed3n l\u00ean c\u00e2y c\u1ecd. V\u00e0i ch\u1ee5c b\u1ee9c tranh Hoa \u0111\u00e3 \u0111\u01b0\u1ee3c ra \u0111\u1eddi nh\u01b0 v\u1eady. Hoa qu\u1ef3nh v\u00e0 hoa sen l\u00e0 hai lo\u00e0i hoa \u0111\u01b0\u1ee3c B\u1ed9i Tr\u00e2n y\u00eau m\u1ebfn nh\u1ea5t. Ch\u1ecb v\u1ebd nh\u01b0 n\u00e2ng niu t\u1eebng kho\u1ea3nh kh\u1eafc n\u1edf v\u00e0 t\u00e0n ng\u1eafn ng\u1ee7i c\u1ee7a ph\u1eadn ki\u1ebfp qu\u1ef3nh hoa. \u00d0\u1ea5y l\u00e0 ch\u1ecb mu\u1ed1n n\u00edu gi\u1eef t\u1eebng kho\u1ea3nh kh\u1eafc c\u1ee7a c\u00e1i \u0111\u1eb9p, ch\u1ecb mu\u1ed1n c\u1ee9u c\u00e1i \u0111\u1eb9p. T\u00f4i nh\u00ecn nh\u1eefng b\u00f4ng sen trong tranh ch\u1ecb v\u00e0 th\u1ea5y nh\u1eefng b\u00f4ng hoa bi\u1ebfn ho\u00e1 l\u1ea1 l\u00f9ng. Khi th\u00ec sen nh\u01b0 n\u1ebfn th\u1eafp tr\u00ean m\u1eb7t h\u1ed3 \u0111\u00eam, khi th\u00ec sen \u0111\u01b0\u1ee3c b\u00f3 l\u1ea1i th\u00e0nh t\u1eebng b\u00f3 nh\u01b0 nh\u1eefng b\u00f3 nhang \u0111ang ch\u00e1y\u2026 C\u00f3 \u0111i\u1ec1u g\u00ec \u0111\u00f3 th\u1eadt thi\u00eang li\u00eang g\u1eedi g\u1eafm trong hoa.<\/p>\n\t

“An artist paints not to speak, but to be silent.” The art critic Th\u00e1i B\u00e1 V\u00e2n once said this, and added: “What we read in a work of art lies in the submerged part of the iceberg that Hemingway once awoke.” I agreed with him as I looked at B\u1ed9i Tr\u00e2n’s paintings, yet there are forms of beauty that strike directly at human intuition from the outset. The first thing I perceived in her paintings was Beauty. A clarity of colour, and an innocence of form. A beauty born of instinct, appearing before technique and experience. It is a capacity without which one cannot become an artist.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\"Nguyen\n\t\t
Nguyen Trong Tao\u00a0– Vietnamese Author, Art Critic, Musician having a speech at Boi Tran’s solo exhibition: Le R\u00eave Qui Veille, Boi Tran Garden, Thien An Hill, Hue, Vietnam, 26 October 2017.<\/figcaption>\n\t<\/figure>\n\t

In an earlier essay, I once called B\u1ed9i Tr\u00e2n a “Talent-Woman of Hu\u1ebf,” at a time when she had not yet exhibited her paintings. She is one who has surpassed circumstance to exist as a notable presence within the former imperial capital. Born in the Year of the Rooster, 1957, she came to Hu\u1ebf to study, married, and raised her children alone; alone she opened galleries in Hu\u1ebf and Hanoi; alone she built a cultural garden on Thi\u00ean An Hill; alone she established a handicraft enterprise; and even organised a rural fair for Christmas. And now, without formal academic training in painting, she nonetheless presents a gallery of confidence in the cultural capital. Though only mother and daughter remain, one in Hu\u1ebf, one in Hanoi, she still dreams that in a few years her garden in Hu\u1ebf will become a destination for visitors, with cultural services, artistic production, exhibitions, and symposia.<\/p>\n\tI asked: “You do so much, do you never feel tired?”
She smiled gently: “It is simply my nature… I have grown accustomed to finding joy in weariness.”\n

\n\t\t\t\t\"Works\n\t\t
C\u00e1c t\u00e1c ph\u1ea9m c\u1ee7a B\u1ed9i Tr\u00e2n hi\u1ec7n tr\u01b0ng b\u00e0y t\u1ea1i Ph\u00f2ng Tranh Minh Ch\u00e2u, s\u1ed1 7 L\u00fd \u0110\u1ea1o Th\u00e0nh, H\u00e0 N\u1ed9i, Vi\u1ec7t Nam<\/figcaption>\n\t<\/figure>\n\tI looked once more at the paintings of young women and flowers, and realised that B\u1ed9i Tr\u00e2n was right: through creative labour, one finds one’s own joy.\n\t

T\u1ea1p Ch\u00ed S\u00f4ng H\u01b0\u01a1ng, S\u1ed1 192, 02\/2005.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tB\u1ea1n c\u00f3 th\u1ec3 quan t\u00e2m\t<\/h2>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Trong th\u1ebf gi\u1edbi c\u1ee7a B\u1ed9i Tr\u00e2n, ng\u01b0\u1eddi ph\u1ee5 n\u1eef l\u00e0 n\u01a1i k\u00fd \u1ee9c tr\u1edf v\u1ec1, hoa mang n\u1ed7i bu\u1ed3n ri\u00eang, v\u00e0 m\u00e0u s\u1eafc d\u1ea7n tr\u1edf th\u00e0nh k\u00fd \u1ee9c. H\u1ed9i ho\u1ea1 c\u1ee7a b\u00e0 n\u1edf ra l\u1eb7ng l\u1ebd, c\u1eafm r\u1ec5 trong m\u1ea5t m\u00e1t, nh\u01b0ng v\u1eabn r\u1ea1ng ng\u1eddi b\u1edfi ph\u1ea9m c\u00e1ch.\n\u201cT\u00f4i \u0111\u00e3 quen t\u00ecm th\u1ea5y ni\u1ec1m vui gi\u1eefa nh\u1eefng m\u1ecfi m\u1ec7t,\u201d b\u00e0 t\u1eebng n\u00f3i.\nV\u00e0 t\u1eeb n\u1ed9i l\u1ef1c l\u1eb7ng th\u1ea7m \u1ea5y, v\u1ebb \u0111\u1eb9p v\u1eabn c\u00f2n \u1edf l\u1ea1i.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5551,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,25,27,32,26,9],"tags":[90,91,17,139],"class_list":["post-2920","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-art","category-culture","category-event","category-exhibition","category-interview","category-stories","tag-boi-tran","tag-boi-tran-art-gallery","tag-boi-tran-garden","tag-nguyen-trong-tao"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/boitran.com\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2920","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/boitran.com\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/boitran.com\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/boitran.com\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/boitran.com\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2920"}],"version-history":[{"count":94,"href":"https:\/\/boitran.com\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2920\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8017,"href":"https:\/\/boitran.com\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2920\/revisions\/8017"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/boitran.com\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5551"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/boitran.com\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2920"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/boitran.com\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2920"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/boitran.com\/vi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2920"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}