‘I do not try to follow any trends, I am just searching for beauty as I see it, a beauty for everyone. The structure in my paintings tells the viewer many things beyond the surface. The aim in my work is to condense the narrative. There are never a lot of people in my paintings. I like minimal subject and a maximum idea just like Japanese Haiku or Tang dynasty poetry.’

Thanh Binh’s primary subjects are female figures wearing traditional white ao dai dress. He also draws his inspiration from music and from his daughter, who is a ballerina. ‘Fine Art is not about philosophy or literature, but about music’.

His use of colour is minimalist – browns, beiges and greys form simple but effective backgrounds against which brilliant whites and lustrous blacks and reds are used to highlight his female subjects. Unnecessary details, such as hands and eyes, are often omitted, focussing the viewer on the whole composition and giving the scene movement. Open and empty space is as important as the figures and objects that are in the composition. The result is one of simplicity and profundity, serenity and beauty.