Chu Thao
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Reading letters from home
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The series of watercolor and graphite sketches on paper by Chu Thao, housed in the Nguyễn Art Foundation collection, predominantly depicts the portraits of soldiers and civilians – from lowland plains to remote mountain regions – whom the artist encountered during his years working on the battlefield.
At times bold and assertive, at others gentle and restrained, his lines shift fluidly, capturing the essence and dignity of his subjects: soldiers with sun-darkened skin, strong features, and steadfast gazes brimming with determination; mothers and elders whose silvered hair and soft wrinkles evoke lives marked by hardship and quiet wisdom.
Chu Thao’s sketches move between careful detail and spontaneous gesture – sometimes rendered through controlled lines, other times through loose washes of color to indicate form and mass. Almost every drawing is accompanied by the artist’s handwritten notes – recording the sitter’s name, hometown, rank, and the year they met – transforming each portrait into an act of remembrance through which fragments of lived experience continue to exist within the larger current of history.