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Lot Essay
Kim Whan-Ki's life, spanning across Japan, France and America, is an epitome of Korean diaspora characterizing a part of Korean Modern Art history. He was one of many Korean artists who shared one artistic mission: accept modernist abstract art from the West and transform it into an indigenous Korean style. He was, however, the first one who actually converted the mission into reality through his art. Like many other contemporary Korean artists, Kim first encountered Western abstract art through an indirect route, from Japan, thus choosing it as the first destination of his nomadic life. He studied in Nihon University School of Arts, Tokyo, from 1933 to 1936, and remained as a researcher at the school until 1937. He was artistically mature for his age, judging from his vibrant activities with a few innovative avant-garde groups and consistent participation in the exhibits that sprouted new art movements in Japan, such as 'Free Artist Association Exhibition.' During this period, he vigorously explored diverse styles of European abstract art from Cubism to Neo Plasticism. As London (1938), one of his representative works from this period, shows his premature, yet innovative experiments with organic forms and curves, and tells us that he had already begun his own reinterpretation of Western abstraction.
It was 1947 when he took the lead in the movement of "New Realist", the first indigenized modern art group in Korea, that he approached in a more serious and mature manner, merging two apparently incompatible elements: accommodation of Western styles and establishment of subjectivity. Highly motivated in developing and establishing his own style, he began his artistic experiments with varied Korean motifs, especially summoning the significance of the stark splendor of baekja, Chosen Dynasty ceramics, constantly acquiring inspiration from its austere and regal beauty. In 1956, Kim departed for Paris with an ambition for direct exposure to Western art and resided three constructive years that later became the advent of his flourishing artistic ingenuity. His affection for indigenous motifs ironically grew even more after arriving in Paris. In this period, Kim continued to explore in depth varied typical Korean motifs and landscapes and eventually schematizing them with simplified outlines and vibrant color-fields. What he tried to do in Paris was to build himself an independent, cultural subject by creating an entirely genuine style of his own. He understood well that it could not be realized simply by either resisting Western style or fully accepting it. His intuition told him that innate convergence was the only solution, and he followed it: express the core soul of the Koreans with Western materials and styles.
Kim's artistic achievements can be more justly weighed, when compared with those of Zao Wou-Ki. Both of these key figures of modern Asian art shared a genuine native consciousness and parallel personal trajectory. Starting from their artistic practices influenced by European modern art, they both reached ultimate level of originality with a unique style of pure abstraction that still contains traces of landscapes and nature of their mother lands. Kim did the same as Zao reached thin surface in the 1970s through thick matiere in the 1950s (Lot 1003). Without any exchange between them, interestingly both thinning their oils into a softer wash parallel to ink, they reinforced their Eastern derivation to impress the subtle grace that stirs meditative opuses. They both also had a nomadic life from Paris to New York, and imparted harmony of East and West to modern Asian art, keeping rich cultural implication from their origins, nevertheless breaking through the linguistic barriers and the cultural chasm between East and West, which consequently bestowed deeper insight of their identity. Sharing similar aesthetic poetry as Zao, Kim emphasized in harmony of the color and pattern, imbuing the flowing charm of Eastern ink paintings. Painting a nature of his own, Kim's oeuvres subtracted representation fully after his move to America in 1963. During 1960s, Kim's images were simplified into large color grids that recited the logical aesthetics of Piet Mondrian.
Composition (Lot 1021) was produced in his late New York period (1963-1974). Discarding his secure life as a professor in Korea, Kim permanently left his motherland and settled in New York, in order to break free of his familiar environment and to continue his avant-garde experiments. During this period, he explored as many materials and techniques as he could such as gouache, sand mixed oil, oil on newspaper, college, and papier-mache. Composition is a result of these artistic experiments and one of best examples employed a technique of sand and oil mixture. In this painting, we can observe that he simplified his schematized patterns of Korean landscape even more by employing O Bang Saek, five traditional Korean colors, only with a slight change from white to pale blue. He seemingly tries to convey a message of new hope to a postwar generation, by locating a vibrant yellow round upper center that evokes within the viewer the image of a rising sun. While the colourful patterns successfully imbued the painting with dynamic energy, overall it also reminds us a beautiful stained-glass window of the medieval cathedral, evoking peaceful serenity. Our eyes are seized by breathtakingly vibrant colours of the patterns at first, then, with a close contact, we are even more amazed by maturity of his brushstrokes. Kim managed them naturally powerful and strong without making any contrived efforts, which reflects that he pursued and indeed reached an utmost level of a Korean traditional philosophical value of naturalness. Employing O Bang Saek and furthering a final output with the modernity of the era proves he understood well how to vitalize a Korean sensibility of refinement to his contemporary era. The maturity of his brushstrokes is very touching, evoking within us his painful struggle to reach that perfect naturalness. The painting also gains historical importance, explicitly presenting a transition to his next stage of unique lyrical pure abstraction with a horizontal line composed with several dots upper part of the painting.
Through his constant effort to deconstruct and simplify forms during the late 1960, as we just witnessed huge masses and dots in the painting above, so-called 'pointillism' technique according to the artist' s idiom, began to appear in the 1970s. At first glance, we can easily mistake them with Western geometric abstraction. It reveals, however, with closer examination, that the origin of all lines and dots is the outlines of common shapes of mountains, trees, or little islands which can be found anywhere in Korea. It is crucial to understand that his lyrical abstraction, starting from nature, aims to return to nature. In his own words, "art is not an aesthetic, philosophical, or literary theory. It just exists like sky, mountain, and stone," Kim took his artistic origin from Korean landscape and he tried to, and indeed did go back to his motherland and nature itself through his art. He passed away in New York far away from Korea, but his abstract paintings reached an utmost level to present quintessential Korean lyricism and the core soul of the Koreans. It is why we pay our sincere respect to him as a pioneer of Korean abstract art.
It was 1947 when he took the lead in the movement of "New Realist", the first indigenized modern art group in Korea, that he approached in a more serious and mature manner, merging two apparently incompatible elements: accommodation of Western styles and establishment of subjectivity. Highly motivated in developing and establishing his own style, he began his artistic experiments with varied Korean motifs, especially summoning the significance of the stark splendor of baekja, Chosen Dynasty ceramics, constantly acquiring inspiration from its austere and regal beauty. In 1956, Kim departed for Paris with an ambition for direct exposure to Western art and resided three constructive years that later became the advent of his flourishing artistic ingenuity. His affection for indigenous motifs ironically grew even more after arriving in Paris. In this period, Kim continued to explore in depth varied typical Korean motifs and landscapes and eventually schematizing them with simplified outlines and vibrant color-fields. What he tried to do in Paris was to build himself an independent, cultural subject by creating an entirely genuine style of his own. He understood well that it could not be realized simply by either resisting Western style or fully accepting it. His intuition told him that innate convergence was the only solution, and he followed it: express the core soul of the Koreans with Western materials and styles.
Kim's artistic achievements can be more justly weighed, when compared with those of Zao Wou-Ki. Both of these key figures of modern Asian art shared a genuine native consciousness and parallel personal trajectory. Starting from their artistic practices influenced by European modern art, they both reached ultimate level of originality with a unique style of pure abstraction that still contains traces of landscapes and nature of their mother lands. Kim did the same as Zao reached thin surface in the 1970s through thick matiere in the 1950s (Lot 1003). Without any exchange between them, interestingly both thinning their oils into a softer wash parallel to ink, they reinforced their Eastern derivation to impress the subtle grace that stirs meditative opuses. They both also had a nomadic life from Paris to New York, and imparted harmony of East and West to modern Asian art, keeping rich cultural implication from their origins, nevertheless breaking through the linguistic barriers and the cultural chasm between East and West, which consequently bestowed deeper insight of their identity. Sharing similar aesthetic poetry as Zao, Kim emphasized in harmony of the color and pattern, imbuing the flowing charm of Eastern ink paintings. Painting a nature of his own, Kim's oeuvres subtracted representation fully after his move to America in 1963. During 1960s, Kim's images were simplified into large color grids that recited the logical aesthetics of Piet Mondrian.
Composition (Lot 1021) was produced in his late New York period (1963-1974). Discarding his secure life as a professor in Korea, Kim permanently left his motherland and settled in New York, in order to break free of his familiar environment and to continue his avant-garde experiments. During this period, he explored as many materials and techniques as he could such as gouache, sand mixed oil, oil on newspaper, college, and papier-mache. Composition is a result of these artistic experiments and one of best examples employed a technique of sand and oil mixture. In this painting, we can observe that he simplified his schematized patterns of Korean landscape even more by employing O Bang Saek, five traditional Korean colors, only with a slight change from white to pale blue. He seemingly tries to convey a message of new hope to a postwar generation, by locating a vibrant yellow round upper center that evokes within the viewer the image of a rising sun. While the colourful patterns successfully imbued the painting with dynamic energy, overall it also reminds us a beautiful stained-glass window of the medieval cathedral, evoking peaceful serenity. Our eyes are seized by breathtakingly vibrant colours of the patterns at first, then, with a close contact, we are even more amazed by maturity of his brushstrokes. Kim managed them naturally powerful and strong without making any contrived efforts, which reflects that he pursued and indeed reached an utmost level of a Korean traditional philosophical value of naturalness. Employing O Bang Saek and furthering a final output with the modernity of the era proves he understood well how to vitalize a Korean sensibility of refinement to his contemporary era. The maturity of his brushstrokes is very touching, evoking within us his painful struggle to reach that perfect naturalness. The painting also gains historical importance, explicitly presenting a transition to his next stage of unique lyrical pure abstraction with a horizontal line composed with several dots upper part of the painting.
Through his constant effort to deconstruct and simplify forms during the late 1960, as we just witnessed huge masses and dots in the painting above, so-called 'pointillism' technique according to the artist' s idiom, began to appear in the 1970s. At first glance, we can easily mistake them with Western geometric abstraction. It reveals, however, with closer examination, that the origin of all lines and dots is the outlines of common shapes of mountains, trees, or little islands which can be found anywhere in Korea. It is crucial to understand that his lyrical abstraction, starting from nature, aims to return to nature. In his own words, "art is not an aesthetic, philosophical, or literary theory. It just exists like sky, mountain, and stone," Kim took his artistic origin from Korean landscape and he tried to, and indeed did go back to his motherland and nature itself through his art. He passed away in New York far away from Korea, but his abstract paintings reached an utmost level to present quintessential Korean lyricism and the core soul of the Koreans. It is why we pay our sincere respect to him as a pioneer of Korean abstract art.