Child painter stuns art lovers

04:04, 18/04/2012

A young painter has surprised art audiences in Hanoi with an artistic outlook that is amazingly mature for a nine-year-old boy.

A young painter has surprised art audiences in Hanoi with an artistic outlook that is amazingly mature for a nine-year-old boy.

Vu Tuan Kiet has already exhibited some of his paintings in the capital city, and audiences at his show titled Kiet-One Year Freedom have the chance to see 46 small-sized paintings drawn with traditional ink on white paper.

The child painter’s subject matter is unusually diverse, with the pictures exploring themes of rural urbanization, environmental pollution and co-existence between people and animals.

His works also feature many images of breasts, which according to Kiet symbolize the source of life.

Exhibition visitor Le Quang, a German literature translator, said he was startled by the art work because the painter’s thinking was unlike that of an ordinary child.

“It is normal if the painter was 20 years old,” Quang said, commenting about a painting exploring rural urbanization.

Some parents who visited the show said they had difficulty explaining the subject matter to their children, as some of the paintings examined adult issues such as jealousy and relations between men and women.

Kiet, who looks a little smaller than an average nine-year-old child, said he was more fond of playing around with his brother and his dog than speaking about his work.

Born in 2003 into a wealthy family, Kiet decided to stop going to school last year in order to focus on his own studies, centering on topics such as foreign languages, violin playing and painting. He also loves gardening and raising pets.

Kiet’s works are on show in front of the Luala fashion store at 61 Ly Thai To Street until April 25.

(Source: VNS/VOV)