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| Artist Kim Tschang-yeul in his studio during the 1990s / Courtesy of the artist and Gallery Hyundai |
By Kwon Mee-yoo
Korean artist Kim Tschang-yeul, best known for his "water drop" paintings, passed away Tuesday at the age of 91.
Kim was one of the most influential artists who shaped modern Korean art. His hyperrealistic portrayal of water drops embodies eastern and western values.
"Painting water drops is to heal all memories, all anguishes, anxieties by water," the artist once said.
Born in 1929 in Maengsan, South Pyongan Province, now North Korea, Kim moved to the South at the age of 16. He entered the Seoul National University Art School via a qualification exam in 1948, but could not continue his studies after he was ostracized for studying Lee Que-de, who defected to North Korea.
The 1950 outbreak of the Korean War further interrupted his academic career. He spent a year-and-a-half on Jeju Island as member of the Police Force during the war, which later led him to donate works to the island and open the Kim Tschang-yeul Art Museum there in 2016.
Kim began his artist career as part of the Art Informel movement in Korea and founded the Modern Artists' Association in 1958 with other avant-garde artists Park Seo-bo and Chung Sang-Hwa.
After participating in international exhibitions including the Paris Biennale in 1961 and Sao Paulo Biennale in 1965, Kim moved to New York in 1965 to study at the Art Students League of New York. Influenced by new international art styles such as Pop Art and Minimalism, Kim's experiment of painting abstract bulbous forms began while he was in New York.
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| Kim Tschang-Yeul's "Evenement de la nuit" (1972) / Courtesy of the artist and Tina Kim Gallery |
He relocated to Paris in 1969, where his signature "water drop" painting was born with "Evenement de la Nuit," a single over-sized drop of water against the backdrop of dark night sky, in 1972.
Since then, the artist dedicated his life to exploring the transparent drops through light and shadow over about five decades. He experimented with various mediums such as oil paint, acrylic, watercolor and traditional Korean ink, "meok," on linen canvas, burlap sack and wood.
In addition to the pure water drop paintings, Kim developed his "Recurrence" series, in which he painted water drops on Eastern philosophy books such as "Thousand-Character Classic" and "Tao Te Ching" by Lao Tzu.
"Whereas an actual drop of water will eventually be absorbed into the surface of the material and fade away, Kim's carpet of dew remains in place forever, inviting his audience to contemplate the ethereality of existence and the endurance of art," art critic and journalist Barbara Pollack wrote.
In 2017, he was awarded the Officier Medal, the highest honor of the Ordre des Arts et des Letters, bestowed by the Embassy of France in Seoul.
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| Kim Tschang-Yeul's "Recurrence NSI91001-91" (1991) / Courtesy of the artist and Gallery Hyundai |
"His legacy extends to that of a stringent individualist with a willingness to learn from others, a cross-cultural bridge harmonizing eastern and western values, and lastly a scholar, whose brilliance and wisdom shone through the understated complexity of his work. We thank him for his valuable contributions to the art world and especially for the doors he has opened for Korean artists and enthusiasts alike," New York-based Tina Kim Gallery said in a statement expressing condolences to Kim's passing, Tuesday.
The gallery held an exhibition of Kim's works in New York in 2019, titled "New York to Paris," giving a glimpse into how the artist's style evolved into his signature water drops from nonfigurative forms and featured his first such painting, "Evenement de la Nuit."
The late artist's last exhibition was "The Path" at Gallery Hyundai in October 2020, centering on his works combining water drops and texts.
Meanwhile, Kim's house in Jongno-gu will be turned into a district museum showing 100 of his works.
Kim is survived by his wife Martine Jillion, two sons, Korea University French Language and Literature professor Simon and photographer Oan, and daughter Eun-hi.
