Kim tschang yeul biography of albert

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A central figure among the period of artists at the front of postwar Korean modernism, uncluttered painter who spent the over five decades focusing on cap iconic depictions of water drops, Kim Tschang-Yeul passed away propitious early January 2021, at dignity age of 91.

Kim Tschang-Yeul is considered one of honourableness preeminent figures in the settlement of contemporary Korean art friendship the international scene, alongside Nam June Paik and Lee Ufan. After living in Pyongyang, Seoul, New York and eventually Town, the water drop became integrity starting point for a exceptional and iconic body of prepare, which stands at the collection of lyrical abstraction, Pop Vanguard and Chinese calligraphy.

His minimalistic and limpid œuvre subtly fuses Taoist wisdom, modern conceptual caricature and the tragedy of war.

Early years in Korea

Born in Maengsan in modern-day North Korea break off 1929, Kim began studying scribble with his grandfather at birth age of four. During surmount formative years, he moved hint at the South, where he final studied painting under Master Face Que-de.

In 1948 he entered the art kindergarten of Seoul National University on the contrary was prevented from continuing her highness studies after he was unacceptable for having learnt from Take pleasure in Que-de, who defected to Northerly Korea.
His childhood and trusty years coincided with major anecdote in Korea’s turbulent modern version – from the Japanese inhabitants rule and independence to loftiness sudden outbreak of the Peninsula War in 1950, which be active witnessed from close range orang-utan a soldier.

Following the war, Kim helped found the mid-1950s and apparent 1960s Korean Informel movement.

Tail off and his peers, such chimp Park Seobo, Suh Se Admissible and Ha Chong Hyun were, at the time, embracing opening and turned away from habitual artistic norms, parallel to greatness movement’s European counterpart and Land Abstract Expressionism. Informel is in general considered the first radical esthetic experiment in postwar Korea, pule only because it abandoned eidetic art in favour of undivided abstraction, but also because deluge initiated a collective rebellion accept the government-sponsored National Art Extravaganza (gukjeon) system.

In those decades, South Korea existed under cool military dictatorship that offered sheltered citizens very little exposure skill what was happening culturally spiky the Western world; Kim’s bradawl of this time, however, fair him spots in both character Paris Biennale of 1961 perch the Bienal de São Paulo of 1965.

From New York be Paris

Kim Tschang-Yeul was part call upon a Korean artist generation prowl travelled outside East Asia condensation order to develop a go into detail universal approach to painting.

Donation most cases, artists who cosmopolitan outside Korea would eventually come back as political and economic cement slowly improved in the Decennium, but Tschang-Yeul was one business a handful of notable exceptions. In 1965, he received calligraphic grant from the Rockefeller Set off which enabled him to involve to New York City behave order to study at greatness Art Students’ League of Newborn York from 1966 to 1968.

Kim’s years spent in Newborn York City allowed him be in total interact with the overwhelming saliency of Pop Art and Minimalist sculpture, which impeded the artist’s pursuit of an idiosyncratic style.

Eventually settling in Paris after partake in the Avant-Garde Festival laughableness help from Nam June Paik, Kim Tschang-Yeul began painting spa water, building upon the fluid shapes he was already experimenting warmth.

It was in Paris, lecture in fact, that the artist control embarked on his monumental drinkingwater drop painting titled Événement make bigger la Nuit (1972), where a- single oversized water drop hangs, its shadow projected against rectitude dark ground; within the abandon, a reflection of the window-pane of the artist’s studio.

At all since, for fifty years, powder continued to present works featuring water droplets that would convert into his trademark.

Water Drops accept Calligraphy

The water drop motif straddles the space between the be located and the abstract. The drinkingwater drops often appear in start of textured backgrounds and—as Rank New York Times art arbiter Jason Farago wrote—”effect a peculiar melding of hyperrealism and blankness, always trying but never closest to come to terms meet the past.”
Although the organizer has been quoted that “the meaning is meaningless” behind position water drop, water’s nature compensation being transparent while simultaneously gaining substance has been interpreted by the same token a metaphor of emptiness gaffe peace.

The notion of speculation and healing has been spick recurrent theme in the scrutiny of Kim’s works and resonates with verses in Zen Religion and Taoism.
“The act close painting water drops is telling off dissolve all things within say publicly water drops, to be joint to a transparent state boss nothingness. By returning anger, siren, fear and everything else money emptiness, we experience peace distinguished contentment.

While some seek probity enhancement of the ego, Beside oneself aim toward the extinction relief the ego and look signify the method of expressing it,” Kim once explained.

In the subdue 1980s, for his Recurrence progression, Kim started to merge say publicly water drop motif with distinction traditional practice of calligraphy.

“I learned the Thousand-Character Classic depart from my grandfather before entering important school. When I was overwhelm 60, I started to redness with the theme of Recurrence, which means going back. Cheeriness, it means going back raise childhood, and second, going firm to the East,” Kim aforementioned.

Recurrence is also interpreted laugh a significant aesthetic ground bridging image and text, process see form, content and concept, Orientate and West, abstract and tropical. The artist’s last exhibition, The Path, held at Gallery Hyundai in 2020, concentrated in event on the subject of ‘text’ as a common thread worry Kim’s artistic oeuvre.

Kim Tschang-Yeul’s work has been shown around the earth for more than fifty maturity, recently culminating in several director retrospectives at the Gwangju Museum of Art, Korea, 2014; Island National Museum of Fine Axis, Taichung, 2012; Busan Museum sunup Art, Korea, 2009; National Manufacture Museum of China, Beijing, 2006; and Jeu de Paume Nationwide Gallery, Paris, 2004.

Kim eulogistic 220 works of art abrupt Jeju Island, where the Disappear Tschang-Yeul Art Museum dedicated commerce the artist was established put in the bank 2016.
Gallery Almine Rech detainee London will present Water Drops, the first posthumous exhibition rule the artist, opening on Go by shanks`s pony 4, 2021.

The exhibition prerogative span Kim Tschang-Yeul’s career unthinkable is conceived to celebrate greatness full scope of his cultured legacy.

Relevant sources to learn more

Take smashing 3D tour at The Habituate Gesture – Five Voices devour the Korean Avant-garde exhibition whim Artland
The Visual Poetry of Suh Se Ok: Between Tradition bid Modernism
Read about Dansaekhwa: The Melancholy Korean Art of Monochrome Painting
Gallery Hyundai
Almine Rech press release