my timesThe Korea Times
Lifestyle

Arts & Theater

Van Gogh revisited (15)

This is the 15th in a series on Vincent van Gogh’s works that are featured in the exhibition titled “Van Gogh in Paris: a Dialogue with Modernism” at Seoul Arts Center. ― ED.Vincent van Gogh loved books and people reading books. "Piles of French Novels" (1887) from the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, is one of four paintings of books he did in Paris and a study for a slightly larger work which he named "Romans Parisiens” (Parisian novels).In 1887 autumn, Van Gogh experimented by moving beyond Realism or Post-Impressionism. This piece shows how he developed his style. The background is colored thinly with a light tone, while the tablecloth and the cover of the books are painted with thick strokes, giving depth to the picture.According to the Van Gogh Museum, the artist was an admirer of such French Naturalist writers as Emile Zola and Guy de Maupassant. In his opinion, these authors "paint" life "as we ourselves feel it."

Dec 4, 2012
Van Gogh revisited (15)

Van Gogh revisited (14)

This is the 14th in a series on Vincent van Gogh’s works that are featured at the exhibition titled “Van Gogh in Paris: a Dialogue with Modernism” at Seoul Arts Center. ― ED.Vincent van Gogh's "Bank of the Seine" (1887), from the Van Gogh Museum, is one of his landscape paintings of the Parisian suburbs. He captured the scenery of the river and bank with a fenced riverside road, a house and trees, in subdued colors. The exact whereabouts of the place in the picture is not identified, but it is estimated to be somewhere near the Island of La Grande Jatte, since Van Gogh did not leave the outskirts of Paris. Like other post-Impressionists, Van Gogh painted the scenery very quickly. The canvas was finely woven and had a thin ground of pure lead white. He used short strokes to paint the bank and leaves, while longer strokes for the river to portray its flow. To emphasize the airy texture of clouds, Van Gogh used his fingers instead of a brush.

Dec 3, 2012
Van Gogh revisited (14)

Yuko Shiraishi explores color and space

Yuko Shiraishi’s 2009 work “Space Elevator Tea House” is on display at Kukje Gallery in central Seoul.                                    / Courtesy of Kukje GalleryBy Kwon Mee-yooThe world of Yuko Shiraishi, a Japanese artist based in London, is of color and space. She unravels it at a solo exhibition going on at Kukje Gallery in Samcheong-dong, central Seoul.Titled “Space Space,” the exhibit sheds light on the 56-year-old artist’s endless pursuit of color and space, combined with architectural experiments and intuition. Her works “emphasizes the resonan­ ce between bodies of color and the relationship of the work to its surrounding space,” according to Kukje Gallery.Shiraishi built a tea house in the gallery, named “Space Elevator Tea House.” The house does not have walls or pillars, but is composed of stainless steel poles. A column of light penetrates the center of the house, coming from the floor of the gallery to beyond the ro

Dec 3, 2012By Kwon Mee-yoo
Yuko Shiraishi explores color and space

Chanel's black jacket captured by Lagerfeld

Actress Song Hye-kyo is the only Korean model in the project by French fashion house Chanel, “The Little Black Jacket: Chanel's Classic Revisited by Karl Lagerfeld and Carine Roitfeld.” The exhibition runs through Dec.12 at at Beyond Museum in Cheongdam-dong, southern Seoul. / Coutesy of Chanel Actress Sarah Jessica Parker wearing Chanel’s classic black jacketBy Kwon Mee-yoo“The Little Black Jacket: Chanel’s Classic Revisited by Karl Lagerfeld and Carine Roitfeld,” an exhibition featuring worldwide A-listers wearing the well-tailored, collarless tweed Chanel jacket, has come to Korea at Beyond Museum in Cheongdam-dong, southern Seoul.Some 110 black and white photographs on display are Lagerfeld and Roitfeld’s ode to the timeless fashion icon. Lagerfeld, creative director for Chanel, took the photos and Roitfeld, chief of CR Fashion Book and former editor-in-chief of Vogue Paris, styled the celebrities.First in Tokyo in April, the exhibition has toured New York, Taipei, Hong Kong, London, Moscow, Sydney and Paris befor

Dec 2, 2012
Chanel's black jacket captured by Lagerfeld

Van Gogh revisited (13)

This is the 13th in a series on Vincent van Gogh’s works that are featured at the exhibition titled “Van Gogh in Paris: a Dialogue with Modernism” at Seoul Arts Center. ― ED.Vincent van Gogh’s “Path in the Woods” (1887) is one of the six forest-themed paintings he did in Asnieres, a suburb of Paris.This painting depicts a small path in a forest, presumed to be somewhere near the southern part of the Seine River, which is densely packed with trees with sunlight bouncing off the leaves. He captured the beauty of nature with rich textures in this painting.Van Gogh studied and experimented with changes in light in this picture. Analysis on the painting revealed that he drew a detailed sketch and colored it quickly, painting over before a coat of oil paint was dried. He mainly used blue, green and yellow and created a sense of space from the contrast between the trees and the sunlit path.

Nov 29, 2012
Van Gogh revisited (13)

Around Town

ClubsThe OctagonNonhyeon-dongNear the New Hilltop Hotel in Nonhyeon-dong this club is notable for its stylish interior and elite clientele. The venue offers a club stage, lounge bar and dining area to satisfy any night out after work or on the weekend. Near exit 4 of Hakdong Station on subway line 7. For more information, call (02) 516-8847.Club VolumeItaewon-dongOffering a venue for specially-themed weekly events and world-class DJs, Club Volume is located in the Crown Hotel near Noksapyeong Station. Club Volume was listed by Time magazine among the “10 things to do in 24 hours in Seoul.” For more information, call 1544-2635.Once in a Blue MoonApgujeong-dongOnce in a Blue Moon is one of the best known and well established jazz clubs in the city. It features live jazz sets from two different bands every night, usually starting at 7:30 p.m. It is located between the Hakdong intersection and the Galleria department stores in the posh district of Apgujeong-dong. For more information, call (02) 549-5490 or visit www.onceinabluemoon.co.kr.Club AnswerCheongdam-dongClub Answer,

Nov 29, 2012

Around Town

Classical Concerts‘Die Fledermaus’Seoul Arts Center*Through Dec. 1The Korea National Opera will perform Johann Strauss’comic operetta, “Die Fledermaus” or “The Bat” to celebrate its 50th anniversary under the direction of Britain’s Stephen Lawless. The operetta’s setting has been changed to the 1920s and the 1930s when the Great Depression hit the world. Tickets cost 10,000 to 150,000 won. For more information, call (02)586-5282 or visit sac.or.kr.David FormisanoSeoul Arts Center*Dec. 1Italian flutist David Formisano will hold a concert in Korea. As a soloist, he has performed with such orchestras as the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Prague Chamber Orchestra, the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Tokyo Ensemble. In his concert, he will play Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Partita for Flute Solo,” Sergey Prokofiev’s “Sonata in D,” Albert Roussel’s “Joueurs de Flute” and Paul Taffanel’s “Grande Fantasie sur Mignon.”Tickets cost 30,000 to 50,000 wo

Nov 29, 2012

Van Gogh revisited (12)

This is the 12th in a series on Vincent van Gogh’s works that are featured as part of the works on display at the exhibition titled “Van Gogh in Paris: a Dialogue with Modernism” at Seoul Arts Center. ― ED.Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh experimented in the Post-Impressionist style influenced by Paul Signac in "Interior of a Restaurant" (1887), coming from the collection of the Kroller-Muller Museum in the Netherlands.The painting is in a Pointillism style, though Van Gogh refused to be categorized as a Pointillist and used short strokes instead of dots. The piece is estimated to have been painted around the early summer of 1887, judging by the flowers on the tables.Van Gogh drew perspective frames with pencil in the background and painted gradients to express shade, which is common for a realist painter. His bold use of color and strokes shows how he developed a unique artistic style during his stay in Paris.

Nov 28, 2012
Van Gogh revisited (12)

Van Gogh revisited (11)

This is the 11th in a series on Vincent van Gogh’s works that are featured as part of the works on display at the exhibition titled “Van Gogh in Paris: a Dialogue with Modernism” at Seoul Arts Center. ― ED.From the winter of 1886, Vincent van Gogh's painting adopted thin strokes, a change evident in Van Gogh’s 1987 oil painting "Portrait of Leonie Rose Davy-Charbuy," also known as "Mother by a Cradle."Van Gogh used light, pastel-hued colors in this portrait, creating unique, thin strokes with viscous oil paints. The woman is sitting in front of a fireplace with orange and red flames. Van Gogh also employed a lot of complementary colors ― a pink face and green scarf; and yellow and blue on a grayish purple dress ― but white added to the colors produces a soft mood overall. The woman in the picture, Leonie Rose Davy-Charbuy, was the niece of art dealer Pierre Firmin-Martin. According to the Van Gogh Museum, Van Gogh's brother Theo wrote to his mother, "Vincent has painted a number of singular portraits which have turned out well, but he alway

Nov 27, 2012
Van Gogh revisited (11)

'Bojagi' bridges Korea, Japan

A table wrapping cloth used in the 19th century on display at the Museum of Korean Embroidery in southern Seoulthrough Dec. 31./ Courtesy of Museum of Korean EmbroideryBy Chung Ah-youngClose in geography but distant in sentiment because of history is the usual summary of Korea and Japan. But the two neighbors undeniably share cultural traits. The tradition of “bojagi,” or wrapping cloth, has existed in Korea, Japan and China throughout history. Now only Korea and Japan have maintained the tradition, mostly as gift covers on special occasions. Furoshiki, a Japanese wrapping cloth of the 19th century, has patterns of a pine tree, apricot flowers and bambooThe Museum of Korean Embroidery is currently holding an exhibition titled “AStory on 500 Years of Korean and Japanese Bojagi” to showcase the differences and similarities in style and usage.“It is the first of its kind to introduce various Japanese wrapping cloths in Korea. It’s a rare opportunity to compare the bojagi cultures of the two nations,” museum curator Lee Hye-ky

Nov 27, 2012
'Bojagi' bridges Korea, Japan
previous page
285286287288289
next page

Most Read in Lifestyle