Oil on canvas · 30 × 40 cm · $460 USD
Ru Em is an original oil painting inspired by a line from a Vietnamese song: “Ru mãi ngàn năm từng ngón xuân nồng.”
The painting depicts a young woman with her eyes gently closed. I wanted to capture a quiet moment, one that does not ask for attention or offer an obvious explanation. Her expression remains open to interpretation, allowing each viewer to bring their own thoughts and feelings to the work.
Colour and Atmosphere
The palette centres on warm yellows, greens, and moss greens. Together, these colours evoke the warmth of sunlight, giving the painting its particular atmosphere.
Colour plays an important role in how I approach a portrait. Here, I wanted the warmth to come through the colours themselves, rather than relying on strong contrasts or dramatic effects. The relationship between the yellows and greens is an essential part of the painting’s character.
My appreciation for the paintings of Lê Phổ has also informed my interest in warm, expressive colour. However, Ru Em is my own exploration of colour and the human figure through oil painting.
Working with Oil Paint
In painting Ru Em, I worked primarily with the oil colours themselves, using little additional painting medium. My approach was to focus on applying colour directly and on the relationships between colours on the canvas, rather than relying heavily on diluted paint or elaborate layering.
This way of working reflects my interest in letting colour carry much of the expression in a painting. The process is as much about finding the right relationships between colours as it is about depicting the subject.
Artwork Details
- Title: Ru Em
- Artist: An Duong
- Medium: Oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 30 × 40 cm (11.8 × 15.7 in)
- Price: $460 USD
- Authenticity: Original artwork, hand-signed by the artist and accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity.
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