Artist Tran Vinh Thinh | Paintings & Career

Biography of Painter Trần Vĩnh Thịnh

Trần Vĩnh Thịnh (born 1976, Thuận An, Thừa Thiên-Huế, Vietnam) is a prominent Vietnamese abstract painter. He graduated in Fine Arts from the Khanh Hoa College of Culture and Arts and has devoted more than two decades to abstract painting.

His first solo exhibition was held in 1998 at the Cultural Center of Nha Trang City, marking the beginning of a career deeply committed to abstraction.

Philosophy and Creative Spirit

Trần Vĩnh Thịnh describes his artistic journey as one of constant renewal—“always beginning again.” He never feels fully satisfied with what has been achieved, always seeking further exploration and depth.

He emphasizes purity, honesty, and inner reflection in his work, painting from the core of his emotions with sincerity and discipline.

Artistic Style and Signature

• Nickname – “Thịnh vàng” (Golden Thịnh)
  He is often called “Thịnh vàng” because of his signature use of gold tones inspired by the royal palaces and temples of Huế, which he transformed into abstract compositions filled with Eastern sensibility.

• Materials and Techniques
  In his solo exhibition Hoàng hoa mộng (Dream of Yellow Flowers), he worked with mixed media such as paper pulp with glue, acrylic, and impasto techniques using brushes and palette knives, creating textured and multilayered surfaces.

• Three Distinct Creative Phases

  1. Early phase: vibrant gold palette, lyrical and nostalgic, blending Western abstraction with Eastern spirituality.

  2. Middle phase: deeper explorations with relief textures, reflecting Buddhist and Taoist concepts such as emptiness and non-action.

  3. Recent works: a shift to more muted tones—blue, black, and white—seen in his exhibition From the Infinite, evoking contemplation and freedom.

• Inspiration from Central Vietnam
  Many of his works are rooted in childhood memories of Central Vietnam—roads, villages, and train journeys—translated into misty, dreamlike landscapes that blend memory with abstraction.

Selected Exhibitions

• 1998 – First solo exhibition in Nha Trang.

• 2000s–2010s – A series of solo shows in Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City, including Life Gives Me, Central Nostalgia, and From the Infinite.

• 2022 – From the Infinite (Ho Chi Minh City), a turning point in his palette from gold to blue–black–white.

• 2024 – A Not-So-Distant Autumn, presenting 25–27 abstract paintings inspired by the poetic autumn of Huế, with a signature golden hue.