Lim Wan-kyu Retrospective Held at Insa Art
By Han Sang-hee
Staff Reporter
Insa Art Center is presenting a retrospective on the late Lim Wan-kyu, one of Korea's first abstract artists.
Born in Seoul in 1918, Lim graduated from the Imperial School of Fine Arts in Tokyo, majoring in Western painting, and soon stood in the forefront of ``free abstraction'' which deviated from mainstream artists.
The exhibition will display some 80 works by Lim, ranging from 1950s to the 1990s. As many other artists did during their careers, Lim showed diversity in his work, which differed depending on the era, and visitors will be able to observe his change in technique and artistic perspective through the gallery's display.
In the 1950s, Lim shifted from formative to abstract. In his 1952 ``Butterfly,'' one can see the form of a butterfly within the piece, but still find elements of abstraction with rectangular and irregular shapes dominating the whole painting.
Following his experiments of expressing irregularity, the 1960s was a time when Lim's artistic world of deconstruction flourished. Many of his works included irregular shapes and sizes, which accentuated the deconstruction and flat features, characterized by his work ``Yellow'' (1961).
As the 1970s neared, Lim started to appreciate natural forms. While many other artists depicted the external appearances of natural objects such as the moon or sun, Lim tried to represent his perspectives through the objects. He eventually found his passion in circles and ovals, and continued to embrace them in his work until the late 70s.
Up to the 1990s, the artist made new attempts to create new variations of the ovals by emphasizing irregular shapes and lines. He used rough strokes and expressionism within his pieces and these symbolic expressions were seen as representing the artist's unconscious and unintentional spirit.
Although many artists tend to change their style or genre throughout their career, Lim kept his and built his own restrained world as an independent artist. Although his holding of a personal exhibition was canceled due to illness in 1994, he continued to work for 10 more years before passing away in 2003. This special event will give visitors the chance to learn a bit more about his artistic world, which rejected cookie-cutter symbolism, and consistently constructed a distinctive style on the local abstract art scene.
The exhibition will be held at the Insa Art Center through Oct. 21. For more information, visit www.ganaart.com or call (02) 736-1020.