Nghiep Nguyen: A Visual Biography

Nghiệp Nguyễn was fascinated by art and design since his childhood. His initial career choice was to become an architect and he worked for most of his life in that profession. Today, as a painter, his works carry the visual impact of years of design experience, combined with a sensitivity for life and a desire for peace.Nghiệp was born in the last months of French Indochina and grew up in Sàigòn during the Việtnam War. He left on the day his city fell to the North Việtnamese, with the hopes and dreams of building a new life as an American citizen.His paintings depict the shared human condition that transcends both cultural boundaries and geographical limitations. Nghiệp's experiences and memories from his past shape his artistic depiction of the human condition. Rather than focusing on merely the cultural and the sentimental, he focuses on the experiences we all have in life and to which we all can relate.His mostly abstract paintings are in a twentieth-century American style, yet also draw from the symbolism of Picasso. They are filled with metaphors of his reflections on life, especially in life's joys and struggles that form and define our individual lives.Mark Richard is a printmaker with a Bachelor's Degree in Visual Art from the University of Southwestern Louisiana. He has worked for decades as a digital designer and an information technology consultant. He and Nghiệp were students together in college where they became lifelong friends. Mark has a deep interest in history and archaeology and serves others as a Hindu priest.Chapters:HISTORYFrench Colonial RuleWorld War II and the August RevolutionThe First Indochina War: The War Over French Colonial RuleThe Second Indochina War: The American Việtnam WarThe South Việtnamese RefugeesLIFEARTNghiệp Nguyễn's Place in Art HistoryThe Paintings of Nghiệp Nguyễn Read more