Kim Seokyeong

▲곡신

▲곡신

▲곡신

▲곡신

▲곡신

▲곡신

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Paintings of Kim Seok-yeong

Surface of painting and its back, its form and meaning



Kho, Chung-Hwan art criticism

Between Expressionism and Abstract Expressionism. Paintings of Kim Seok-yeong are located between Expressionism and Abstract Expressionism. As known, Expressionism generally put weight on subject rather than object. As object is closely linked with subject, object is incorporated to inside subject and is spitted out again or without referring to object, certain image is made with pure imagination. Most of cases, there are objects but object itself is not a purpose, object plays a role for the artist to express one’s own emotion only. Sometimes objects are distorted, disassembled, or reorganized very differently from sensuous similar shapes of an object. This is because emotion of an artist is empathized and reflected into the object.

Except for special case, every painting has empathy of an artist but especially, in Expressionism, degree and strength of empathy seems to be clear. So an artist empathized into object is seen rather than object itself from works. For example, there appear landscape, flower, horse, a merry-go-round, and Buddha which are common in paintings. But the results are far away from sensuous similar shapes which are unique in material because object itself plays a role for the artist to express one’s own emotion only rather than a purpose. Accordingly, paintings are distorted, disassembled, or reorganized by artist’s own things such as pathos, improvisation, contingency, traces of activity which is scattered about(intense?), and sensuous imagination rather than unique object aspect or thingness of material.

It says that paintings of the artist are located between Expressionism and Abstract Expressionism. If the level approaches near Expressionism, distortion becomes noticeable. If the level approaches near Abstract Expressionism, tendency of dismantlement becomes clear.(compared to this, distortion tends to pursue organic lump) Though common material, noticeable distorted shapes (or rather, shapes resulted from picking up thing’s structure at once?), but the paintings are open for the possibility of dismantlement. Therefore, through the paintings, viewers seem to see spouting or explosion of immediate, contingent, and sensuous pathos.

There are two kinds in Expressionism. One has tendency to turn inward and another has tendency to direct outwards. Works of the artist are near the latter. The works seem to pour out forms and colors in raw state which are not refined. While form is extant as a minimum cue by sinking down under water with dazzling original colors, colorful colors are widely placed in front part of the painting. Colors are naturally (?) not related to one’s own unique color. According to artist’s emotion, or sometimes, design principle of painting itself, colors are selected, added, scribbled, and crushed. The works of the artist are near a kind of color drawing where painting is drawn with color only ? this painting is different from most of paintings where colors are partially used. The paintings are worth being called Na?ve art in new style reinterpreted in contemporary or after version of Fauvists.

Boundary of painting. Boundary of painting is theme of the artist’s original works but in fact, this includes both original works and recent works, and is a proposition penetrating the base of the artist’s paintings. Paintings of the artist focus on disclosing nature of paintings secretly. The artist marks with side dots on embodiment and reorganization of process for painting. To embody? To disclose nature of painting with whole body? Paintings of the artist are somatic and sensible. The artist closes in upon canvas, makes wild brush strokes, and shouts colors. The intense field with so raw things discloses nature of painting and makes known vivid moment of existence(moment when existence becomes perfect) which was closely interacted with painting.

There is principle of painting in the paintings while there is principle of reality in the reality. Principle of painting and principle of reality have something in common but also are different from each other. Principle of painting without principle of reality cannot exist( in any form, material should be provided from reality). On the other hand, because painting has autonomy, painting without principle of reality is possible in some case. For example, Jean-Francois Lyotard says that all the paintings are one time sprouting and event(this means that paintings are not stereotype of reality as it is). Maurice Denis says that paintings are horse(specific material) and at the same time, plane colored in yellow and blue. Henri Matisse says that paintings are colors in the end. These words of painters should be understood from above meaning related to principle of painting.

Horse in the painting cannot be same as horse in the real world. Paintings refer to reality, intervene in reality, stir reality, and reinterpret reality rather than to bring reality as it is. Through such process, paintings have a relationship with reality. Through such close interaction, paintings bring another reality in completely different dimension. That is, the artist grips structure of horse at once by making several brush strokes. As if the artist comes to blows with a person, or he worries if image of vivid moment scatters or is discolored, the artist makes wild brush strokes and throws colors unconsciously so that horse in the midst of reality is swallowed. Thus, the artist opens vision, world different from reality which is seemingly similar as reality ? maybe the vision does not have any relationship with reality. The artist’s paintings disclose nature of painting drawing such a horse; he embodies process of painting drawing Buddha.

Sound of silence. As in above, forms shown in the artist’s paintings have been investigated, now meaning included in the form is explored. The artist touched several motifs in recent paintings but main things seem to be merry-go-round(in his works, horse and merry-go-round are not distinguished and such a division has no meaning) and Buddha. Sound of silence is the theme for his recent works. It sounds as spell asking for careful listening to sound of silence from merry-go-round and Buddha.

At first, let’s see merry-go-round. Our life looks like merry-go-round. It rotates in a same place at a fixed speed. It cannot go to other places and cannot get off or transfer. It cannot catch up someone while it cannot be caught up by someone. But it looks like that we play a tight match with potential enemy. This parable is not same but this is requoted writing from the artist’s note which quoted Haruki Murakami. We always go somewhere but always hover around same place. We do not reach other place different from this place. However, we believe that we are going somewhere. This may be delusion. To catch up or to be caught up may be all delusion. There is no way or method to identify if it is delusion. In fact, all the concepts originated from human head are open for possibility of delusion. That is, the world and concept of world are different from each other. And the world itself may be not related to concept of the world. Whatever concept names and calls world, this would not be related to world. It is not important if life is delusion. There would be no problem, if one recognizes delusion as part of life and embraces it. Is it too convenient conclusion? Such a conclusion without concept(?) is connected to Buddha. Form is emptiness and the very emptiness is form. All beings are empty and nothing is all beings. Form is form and emptiness is emptiness. All these are only phenomena (delusion?) of mind. Furthermore, the artist’s Buddha painting is tempting us with every dazzling color.

When we see the themes, the artist seems to ask us to read other side of paintings. But regretfully, it is not easy to reach inside paintings because forms of paintings are too dazzling. So it is guessed that the artist would use dazzling outer decoration as device for paradox.



Kim Seok-young

1990 Graduated from Dept., of Western Painting, Hongik University

1991 Kim Seok-young Solo Exhibition : Batanggol Gallery, Seoul
Kim Seok-young Solo Exhibition: Kyoungnam Provincial Culture and Art Hall, Jinju

1990~2009 Participated in numerous art competitions and group exhibitions

2010 “Boundary of Painting” (Kim Seok-young 2nd Solo Exhibition):
United Gallery, Seoul

2011 Invited to ‘Seoul Open Art Fair’(SOAF): COEX, Seoul

2011 Invited to Koeln Art Fair: Koeln, Germany

2011 Invited to Daegu Art Fair : EXCO, Daegu

2011 “Sounds of Silence” (Kim Seok-young 3rd Solo Exhibition): Gallery Doo, Seoul

2011 Invited to Miami Art Fair “Art Asia” Exhibition: Miami, U. S. A.

2012 Invited to ‘Seoul Open Art Fair’(SOAF): COEX, Seoul

2012 Invited to ‘Busan Alternative Market of Art’ (BAMA): Hotel Centum, Busan

2012 Invited to ‘Dance with Nature’ Exhibition, Gallery Doo, Seoul

2012 Invited to ‘Way’ Exhibition, Gallery Jajaknamu. Seoul

2012 Solo Exhibition ‘Light of Taoism,’ Gallery Doo, Seoul


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