In the 1990s, Le Thiet Cuong began to abandon his early practices of painting in the Western styles of the Post Impressionists and Fauvists in favour of a minimalist style showing figures and landscapes with only a few contours. The reason for the change in part traces to the influence of Tay Tang Buddhism, an esoteric sect of Buddhism that focuses on harmony and the balance of elements, on the artist. The resulting works offer a sense of serenity which distinguish them from the dense imagery found in modern Vietnamese painting.
The paintings presented in this catalogue, published in conjunction with Le Thiet Cuong's debut solo exhibition at Plum Blossoms in Hong Kong and Singapore, were completed during 1993-1994. Essays on the art of Cuong and an artist biography are included in this catalogue. With a foreword by Stephen McGuinness.