Vietnamese Artist Creates Unique Portraits From Lotus Leaves

65-year-old Le Van Nghia, who lives in Hung Loi Dong hamlet, Long Hung B commune, Lap Vo district, Dong Thap, has made vivid and wonderful portrait paintings from lotus leaves with his talent for painting and creative ideas. His works follow many topics, but his favorite subject is the portraits of the heads of the states and other famous people.

Le Van Nghia and his portrait of Uncle Ho were made from lotus leaves. Photo: T.LUY

In 2016, Nghia decided to experience his skills and art styles with a traditional ingredient from his hometown, which is lotus leaves. His works soon went viral on social media for their creativity and uniqueness.

Since then, hundreds of paintings, from portraits to landscapes, have been made by the talented hands of the Dong Thap artist.

Nghia's paintings are created with materials entirely from lotus leaves that are cut into pieces and put together to create a complete picture. Besides, there are also drawings made from leaf fragments, dust, and veins.

Portrait of former coach Park Hang Seo - Photo: Courtesy of the character

Recently, during the visit of Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee, President Vo Van Thuong and his wife presented two portraits made of leaves lotus for two distinguished guests.

These masterpieces are made by the hands of the talented Vietnamese artist , Le Van Nghia.

"Hearing information from a local request that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs needs to design a portrait of President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife, I am very happy because I was chosen to make a gift like this, using the natural material from my hometown, " he said with a proud smile.

Portrait of Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol made from lotus leaves. Photo: Courtesy of the character

He carefully studied the image of the President of the Republic of Korea and his wife, from the facial structures to facial expressions, sketched out his ideas, then selected lotus leaf materials with suitable colors.

"I like the cheerful expression of the president and his wife, so I chose to show them in the style of portraits of two people with bright smiles," Nghia shared about his work.

According to Nghia, it is impossible to sketch out the portraits with pencils first, because it will disappear when you glue the leaves on the paper, so he has to rely mainly on his imagination during the process. He also needs to be extra careful with the details, since it is very difficult to correct the mistakes.

Photo: Dan Viet

The lotus leaves are directly selected and processed by the artist. During three days and nights, he both prepared the materials and finished the portraits of the Korean President and his wife, then sent the completed gift to the guests.

The lotus leaves were dried, then cut and pasted onto the papers. The selected ones must be old, which have turned a dark green color with the veins still visible on the surface. They will be easier to use and handle, and will not be torn like young leaves.

Portrait of musician Trinh Cong Son - Photo: Courtesy of the character

He also shared that what makes the portraits unique is the effort he put into each work to create a lively painting that captures the beauty of the people's expressions and faces. This is the core value of the arts.

Le Van Nghia also made many other portraits of significant people such as President Ho Chi Minh, General Vo Nguyen Giap, musician Van Cao, musician Trinh Cong Son, Park Hang Seo, and landscape paintings.

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