VIETNAM: Pham Anh's Viral Oil Paintings Portray Hanoi's Inimitable Serenity

Living in the same neighborhood for an extended period of time can lead one to take it for granted. But it only requires the perspective of an artistically inclined outsider to make you fall in love with the everyday scenery again.

Recently, a set of oil paintings have been making the rounds on Facebook in Vietnam for their amazing technique and hyper-realistic portrayals of local alleys. These are the works of veteran artist Pham Anh, who immortalized scenes of northern Vietnam’s alleys and cul-de-sacs in intricate oil paintings.

Anh used to be a resident artist for the old Ministry of Information and Communications and has been painting over four decades. In recent years, he’s better known for his work in photography, even though both painting and photography have been Anh’s interests, the two complementing each other.

Born and raised in Hanoi, Pham Anh’s paintings give viewers a gander into the capital’s rarely seen corners: the back alleys, the rickety houses enveloped by sprawling vines, the bundles of electric wires nesting atop buildings, etc.

Anh’s works have earned high praise online since the post was up for its impressive ultra-realistic technique. Many even posed the question if these images were just actual photographs modified by mobile apps.

Immerse in the rustic and tranquil charm of Hanoi in the artwork by Pham Anh (images via Facebook user Mai-Agnetha Pham):

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The News Lens has been authorized to republish this article from Saigoneer, an English-language digital platform covering urban development, history, food, culture and the arts in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) and throughout Vietnam. The original can be found here.

TNL Editor: Nick Aspinwall (@Nick1Aspinwall)

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