HCMC — An exhibition showcasing 42 oil paintings by painter Nguyen Than opened at Binh Minh Art Gallery in HCMC today, November 10, offering visitors a look at his 2025 works on the theme “A Woman Sitting in the Window.”
The exhibition centers on the recurring image of a woman seated within a window frame. Nguyen Than said the motif represents solitude, reflection, and personal contemplation rather than a specific individual. The figures are deliberately simplified, with minimal facial features, allowing the viewer to focus on light, color, and posture as expressions of inner life.
The theme reflects his own experiences and those of many people who carry unspoken concerns despite appearing cheerful.
“Every painter puts their feelings into their works,” Than said. “When I paint a woman sitting in a window, I paint my own solitude—and the solitude that everyone carries, even if they appear cheerful.”
Than said his inspiration develops from sudden emotional impulses, similar to the way other artists such as Picasso shifted themes during different creative periods.
The exhibition highlights the artist’s focus on quiet interior scenes, where light and shadow interact with the figure to suggest introspection and emotional depth. The window often serves as a symbolic frame between the inner world and the outside, reflecting the artist’s interest in moments of stillness and self-reflection.
The exhibition presents works created in 2025 at the artist’s residence in Dalat, Lam Dong Province. It is open daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Binh Minh Art Gallery, 29A Ngo Thoi Nhiem Street, Xuan Hoa Ward, HCMC and will run until November 20.
Nguyen Than, born in 1948 in Ninh Binh Province, studied philosophy, literature, music and martial arts before turning to painting. Although self-taught, he held several exhibitions before 1975 and won a bronze medal for painting in 1970 and a gold medal for sculpture in 1973 in southern Vietnam.
After 1975, financial difficulties limited his artistic work. He returned to painting in 1990 and has since held more than 60 exhibitions in Vietnam and overseas, earning awards in Italy and France. His works are part of collections in and outside the country. He is a member of the Vietnam Fine Arts Association and the HCMC Fine Arts Association.
