[Reading level: B2 – Upper Intermediate]
A motorcycle carrying dozens of live ducks, a stall selling noodles, and vendor making fried fish balls, … all come to life through the drawings of French painter Fred Campana.
Campana’s drawings were widely shared on social media when they were posted on the Instagram account Theminimalisturbansketcher. Many people said that his works make them feel nostalgic and peaceful. One image depicts a family of four riding on a motorcycle in Ho Chi Minh City.
“These sketches are incredibly idyllic and only available in Vietnam,” the artist added, “which makes me really happy and I smile a lot when I see them.”
Campana was born in the southern French town of Aix-en-Provence in 1976. He is married to a Vietnamese woman and currently splits his time between HCMC and Hong Kong.
A crab noodle stand. Campana said that he is colorblind and therefore paints in monochrome on brown paper with ink.
“I work as an urban sketch artist,” he said. “I enjoy going out and drawing what I observe, as well as getting inspired.”
The above image depicts a man sleeping atop three motorcycles, with a newspaper covering his face to block the light. The artist said that he came across this moment while roaming through Hanoi’s Old Quarter. On the license plate, he drew “Only in Vietnam.”
He said once when he was walking around HCMC’s Chinatown that he saw a motorbike hauling dozens of ducks. The artist attempted to photograph the scene but was unable to do so because the motorbike was moving too quickly. Following that, he read documents, spoke with Vietnamese friends, and located some similar photos to serve as drawing materials.
“I am aware that ducks are raised on farms and that restaurants and cafes can purchase them while they are still living,” he said. “This kind of poultry transportation is common in Vietnam.”
Motorcycles selling fried fish balls are a common site in HCMC. The artist hopes to evoke emotions and bring viewers back to their childhood memories.
“I love the country and the people of Vietnam,” Campana said. “A lot of people send me messages thanking me and saying that the paintings remind them of good memories and make them grateful. This is really amazing and the reason I draw these subjects.”
The artist gave the drawing of bicycles selling ice cream to his wife for her birthday.
“She wanted a work of art that evoked memories of her childhood,” said Campana. “When the bell sounded in the afternoons, she would dash from her house to the ice cream bicycle and beg her parents to buy her one.”
Campana drew a massive sketch based on his wife’s shared memory, which is now having on the wall of their living room.
This piece of artwork depicts the work of a street cleaner.
On his personal page, Campana wrote: “I draw people no one looks at, no one notices. They work silently like invisible shadows, but we really need them.”
A man selling candies from the back of his bicycle. The artist said that he is learning Vietnamese so that he can better understand Vietnamese people and their culture.
A vendor sells snacks such as rice paper, peanut candy, and tofu. On average, the artist takes between two and eight hours to complete a piece of work, depending on the complexity of the sketch.
According to Campana, the image of people riding motorcycles with pets frequently emerges in his paintings.
“I frequently see dogs and cats perched in front of or behind people’s seats,” he said. “People here adore animals.”
The above drawing depicts the image of people returning to their hometown from HCMC during the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday. This is one of Campana’s favorite works.
Source: https://e.vnexpress.net/photo/culture/french-painter-depicts-vietnamese-life-4551856.html?fbclid=IwAR0P7q6jD1BAOaNw4YrnRlGZv8x15MYcgPQsqsahvoDs5T5pwbIlB00VUPY
WORD BANK:
nostalgic /nɑˈstæl·dʒɪk (adj): hoài niệm
depict /dɪˈpɪkt/ [C2] (v): mô tả
sketch /sketʃ/ [C1] (v): bức họa, bản vẽ
incredibly /ɪnˈkred.ə.bli/ [C1] (adv): vô cùng
idyllic /aɪˈdɪl.ɪk/ (adj): bình dị
stand /stænd/ [C1] (n): quầy hàng
colorblind /ˈkʌl.ə.blaɪnd/ (adj): mù màu
monochrome /ˈmɒn.ə.krəʊm/ (adj): đơn sắc
inspire /ɪnˈspaɪər/ [B2] (v): truyền cảm hứng
come across [B2] (v): tình cờ bắt gặp
roam /rəʊm/ (v): đi dạo
haul /hɔːl/ [C2] (v): kéo, lôi, chở
attempt to do sth /əˈtempt/ [B1] (v): cố gắng làm gì
poultry /ˈpəʊl.tri/ (n): gia cầm
evoke /ɪˈvəʊk/ (v): khuấy động, khơi dậy
emotion /ɪˈməʊ.ʃən/ [B2] (v): cảm xúc
grateful /ˈɡreɪt.fəl/ [B1] (adj): biết ơn
dash /dæʃ/ [B2] (v): lao tới, xông tới
massive /ˈmæs.ɪv/ [B2] (adj): lớn
invisible /ɪnˈvɪz.ə.bəl/ [B2] (adj): vô hình
vendor /ˈven.dər/ (n): người bán hàng rong
rice paper /ˈraɪs ˌpeɪ.pər/ (n): bánh tráng
complexity /kəmˈplek.sə.ti/ [C2] (n): sự phức tạp
perch /pɜːtʃ/ (v): đặt, để lên trên cái gì
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