Masterpiece of sculpture on solid oil base weighing more than 10 tons

The Nhat Long Giang sculpture is owned by Mr. Son Kieu Phong (45 years old, living in Ward 8, Tra Vinh City, Tra Vinh). Wishing to share his passion with everyone, he displayed it at his family's coffee shop for visitors to admire.

The clock face of the work shows 11:30, symbolizing the historic moment of victory on April 30, 1975.

Find ideas to create a "lifetime" sculpture

Mr. Phong said that because he loved wood sculptures, he often traveled around the region to find and buy them, then hired skilled craftsmen to create them for display. In 2019, he accidentally discovered a giant oil tree stump that had been cut down in a garden in Tra Vinh. He went to find out more and asked to buy it. It was an oil tree about 300 years old, with a trunk diameter of about 2 meters.

Images of 70 animal species vividly sculpted by the artist behind the work

After agreeing on a price, Mr. Phong hired workers to dig up the base of the tree and hired a truck to transport it back. The transportation took a lot of time and money because the base of the tree was long and heavy.

Having obtained the precious tree root, Mr. Phong began to study the technique and find inspiration for the sculpture. The theme he chose was about Vietnamese culture, history, and nature.

Vivid sculpture of monkeys

Through Mr. Phong's unique and creative design, combined with the talented hands of Meritorious Artist Son Soc at Hang Pagoda (Tra Vinh), the work named Nhat Long Giang was completed in 14 months, from December 2020 to February 2022.

Images of animals sculpted on the work

"Sculpting" love for the homeland

When completed, the work weighs nearly 9 tons, is 6 meters long and 4 meters high. The special thing is that the artisans carved two faces on a solid eucalyptus tree. The front has 12 zodiac animals, surrounded by 12 doves symbolizing peace , prosperity and freedom.

Animals sculpted on the work

In the center of the front is a large clock with a map of Vietnam , the symbol of Ba Dinh Square and the image of Tra Vinh welcome gate... Around the clock are images of 12 Lac birds, symbolizing Vietnamese cultural traditions.

Mr. Kieu Phong and his work " Nhat Long Giang"

The back is carved with 70 animals living in 3 areas: land, water and space, symbolizing the richness of nature, as well as reminding people of the awareness of preserving natural resources and rare animals.

Crocodile and tiger images

"The image of the clock hand pointing to 11:30 symbolizes the historic moment of victory on April 30, 1975, when the revolutionary flag flew over the Independence Palace, marking the complete victory of the Ho Chi Minh campaign, unifying the country," said Mr. Phong.

Images of animals are vividly sculpted on the work

Through his work, Mr. Phong hopes that viewers will have more love for their homeland, national culture and history, love for peace and a sense of responsibility to protect nature.

Meritorious artist Son Soc said that in his decades of working as a sculptor, this is the largest, most valuable, and highly aesthetic work he has ever made. He and the artists at Hang Pagoda spent a lot of time and effort to complete it.

Image of a school of fish

The work Nhat Long Giang has just been released and dozens of people have expressed interest in buying it, including a person in Hai Phong City who offered 16 billion VND, but Mr. Phong refused to sell.

After completion, Nhat Long Giang was recognized by the Vietnam Records Institute as the "Largest two-sided sculpture on a monolithic eucalyptus tree with themes of culture, history, and nature in Vietnam".

Dove image

On June 30, Nhat Long Giang continued to be recognized by the Asia Record Organization (ABR) as "A two-sided sculpture on a monolithic eucalyptus tree root, with the theme of culture, history, and nature, achieving a unique record value in Asia".

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/tuyet-pham-dieu-khac-tren-goc-dau-nguyen-khoi-nang-hon-10-tan-185241229090544798.htm