Portrait of A Misty Sun

This scene depicts a meeting where French colonizers in Indochina discuss the inevitable arrival of the Japanese. Having ruled Vietnam for generations, the French are not just foreign occupiers but ones with deep roots—now facing a superior force that will drive them out. The composition reflects this irony: figures are aligned with the horizon, symbolizing the palace’s weight over them. Though they hide in its grandeur, sunlight—like the advancing Japanese—pierces through, illuminating their looming downfall in the cold, dark palace.

Going along side the previous piece, this painting depicts the two main character going through the Hanoi Tet Market. In contrast to the rather dark, moody tone of the Palace, the Tet scene is meant to be lively, full of energy yet accurately depict the Lunar New Year of Hanoi nearly a century ago. Hanoi during the winter and spring is rather dark, and cloudy, which I have to balance that with the idea of the scene which is a sunny day, thus the sunlight are not really saturated and the shadows of the painting are rather blue and cold.