Hanoi Street, ND 

Editor: This is “Hanoi Street,” an oil painting by Bui Xuan Phai. It gives me a feeling of being in a place that’s both intimate and slightly overwhelming. The buildings seem to lean in. What do you see in this piece? Curator: I am immediately struck by the artist’s treatment of space. Observe how he uses a compressed perspective, almost collapsing the foreground and background. This technique flattens the picture plane and emphasizes the geometric forms of the buildings. Editor: Yes, the shapes are very interesting. How do you feel about the palette of colors? Curator: The limited color palette - primarily earth tones, blues, and greys – creates a sense of muted reality, almost as if the scene exists outside of vibrant, active life. Notice, however, the deliberate use of white to highlight edges and create spatial differentiation. Do you find that the subdued hues influence the overall emotional tone? Editor: I do; the subdued tones certainly contribute to a somber mood, yes. I can also see how the geometry helps. How would you categorize his painting style based on these techniques? Curator: While there are elements of realism in the subject matter, the painting leans toward abstraction due to the emphasis on formal elements like shape, color, and the deliberate distortion of perspective. We are invited to focus less on the scene’s literal depiction and more on how Phai structures the visual experience. It appears he simplifies the scenery. Editor: I see. Looking at how the artist reduced real elements down to shapes gives me a new appreciation for his interpretation of the landscape. Curator: Precisely. Focusing on how an artist like Phai manipulates formal elements reveals the intentionality behind what might initially seem a straightforward cityscape.