Hanoi (VNA) - Artworks inspired by the beauty offeminity are on display at an exhibition in Hanoi.

The ‘Mascara’ exhibition showcases artworks by prominent contemporarypainters such as Nguyen Nghia Cuong, Bui Thanh Tam, Vu Dinh Tuan, Nguyen The Hung,and sculptor Luong Duc Hung.

The event is organised by Trang Tien Plaza and the independent artorganisation – Real Art, aiming to bring art closer to the public.

Explaining the name of the exhibition, Trinh Minh Tien, founder ofReal Art, said mascara is a word that evocatives of music and vitality.

“Speaking of mascara, people immediately think of it as an ancientmakeup tool for the eyes of women,” he said. “Mascara implicates women’sinstinct to make up. It is a tool for them to make themselves beautiful, tocreate highlights to attract, even create a mask to fascinate others.”

“The exhibits are not just women’s portraits, they are the facesof our times, representing the new cultural strata, the breath of the modernage. The exhibition expresses the creative spirit of Vietnamese contemporary artists who are always looking for a change, and an escape from old motifs andimages.”

Women’s portraits in Dong Ho folk paintings, statues in ancienttemples and pagodas and artworks by Vietnamese artists in the early 19thcentury all show the soft beauty of tolerance, modesty and shyness.

In the second half of the 19th century, portraits of women in thewars of resistance had a remarkable change: their beauty was depicted asstrong, dynamic, assuring, attached to sacrifice and taking on theresponsibility of their times.

Portraits of contemporary women feature various beauties with morecolours, various shapes and different concepts, reflecting the fact that womenand artists have more opportunities to express themselves nowadays.

“In this exhibition, visitors will see the contemporary artistshave surpassed all boundaries to portray women’s soul and body,” said Tien.

“They find inspiration from the beauty of women in differentperiods to create their own characters.”

Nguyen The Hung is inspired by pin-up paintings. He often uses theimage of models on posters or magazines combined with the patterns of historicVietnamese architecture.

“To me, this blend reflects the integration and ongoing conflictbetween traditional and modern elements and at the same time, its influencealters social values and core attitudes,” he said.

“This process evokes concerns about the quality of culture,society, morality as well as art, thus it fosters my creative energy.”  

The exhibition will run until September 15 at Trang Tien Plaza, 24Hai Ba Trung Street, Hanoi.-VNA