Phan Ke An also produced a number of famous paintings such as 'Nho Mot Chieu Tay Bac' (Remembering an Afternoon in Northwest), 'Gat o Viet Bac' (Harvesting in Vietnam Northernmost), 'Nhung Doi Co' (Palm Hills), 'Bac Ho Lam Viec O Nan Na Lua' (Uncle Ho working in his hut in Na Lua', 'Ha Noi Thang 12-1972' (Hanoi, December 1972), and 'Canh Dong Ban Bac' (Field in a Northern Hamlet'), as well as a series of political cartoons under the pen name Phan Kich.
Talking about the first portrait that President Ho Chi Minh personally selected to publish in The Truth, Phan Ke An says: “It was a late autumn day in 1948; I was asked to draw a portrait of President Ho Chi Minh. The next day, I rode a horse to Khuon Tat, in Dinh Hoa, Thai Nguyen province, where Uncle Ho was living and working. About halfway there, I was deeply moved to see Uncle Ho coming to receive me, wearing the simple brown clothing that was his usual attire at that time. He shook my hand and asked me how hard the trip was. Then he led me to a large hut and introduced me to everyone there. In his workroom, there was only some bamboo furniture, a typewriter, a thermos hanging on a pole and a few other small things. He told me, 'An stay here with me as long as you want. You do your work, I'll do mine.' His friendly manner bridged the gap between a leader and a young person and dispelled any anxiety I may have felt.”
An worked on his sketches and ate his meals with Uncle Ho for three weeks. Closely observing the way the President moved and worked, Phan Ke An always tried to express the essence of Uncle Ho when drawing his portraits. During his time in Khuon Tat, he made over 20 sketches and a finished portrait of Uncle Ho. Before returning home, he showed all of his work to Uncle Ho and the President chose a simple portrait drawn with an ink pen 'because it is simple but lively.'
Despite his short stay with Uncle Ho, Phan Ke An felt the President's empathy and recalls it with great affection. He remembers joining a volleyball match with Uncle Ho and some others. As the ball started to roll down the hill, he intended to run after it but was stopped by Uncle Ho who said, 'Don't run, there are a lot of jagged bamboo trees. It's dangerous!'
'The President's kindness, like fatherly love, really moved me and I am unable to forget it,” said An.
Though 60 years have gone by, everything is still fresh in the artist's memory and Uncle Ho has been a never-ending stream of inspiration for him. Many sketches of Uncle Ho in a variety of media are scattered around his studio, most of them drawn from his heart and his feelings for the beloved President. He recently presented some of his cherished works he kept through the decades of two wars to the Ho Chi Minh Museum.
