Koo Myung Bon’s fascination with old objects has been evident from his earliest works. 

When we visit his studio we can clearly see his patterns with well-organized old stuff and the mood of the studio. 

His deep respect for the writers of the past and his self-confidence, acquired over time, are evident.  

He used to paint very classic objects with a classical art style. It is thus natural that he is now focusing on pine trees as a motif.  

As we know, pine trees are easily found in the Korean mountains and have a long history with Korea. 

As an artistic object, pine trees have a rougher, tougher and harder image than other plants, especially flowers. 

It is a masculine image and, since it has longevity genes, this tree has become part of Korean life since time immemorial. 

It is a symbol of strength and luxury with its evergreen leaves.

Koo Myung Bon gives us the feeling that he arrives at the pine tree as an object of all the above motifs with few pictorial clues. 

Pine trees originally existed with nature as a background. With this background, there could be dawn, daytime, or the pitch of the night. 

There could also be the temperature and humidity that four seasons create. 

But instead of using a nature background he uses hanji because he might want to focus more on the pine tree rather than the background. 

He also painted a few pine trees that look as if they were collected from the woods. From this painting style he gives the audience a special feeling. 

Those few connected pine trees became an object. 

In the end, the painter wants to put his own emotion into the art which is always the purpose of artists with this kind of artistic motif. 

As a poet sings with modified words, he depicts family, friends, or lovers as pine trees. 

The existence of pine trees, which have the destiny to be with human beings for a long time, can be his expression of his inner self and an epic symbol and personification.

It is true that the symbol and meaning of pine trees and their use and beauty is being forgotten as old things. 

If we look into the distance the lines between human beings and pine trees become clearer and further from each other. 

We must think about what the artist wants to tell us with his soft and low voice regarding the duty not to forget some valuable things, which include more than just pine trees.

  Kim Jeong Dae (owner of Semi Gallery)

Art elements such as dots, lines, space and an artists’ attitude towards colors show you the artist’s unique style. 

It is no surprise that artists focus more on how to draw than on what they draw. An artist’s fingertips give influence to the formative elements of pattern. 

They face the problem of choosing the type of material such as thin, thick, big, small, long, short, heavy, and light are in a world of sensory description. 

Since it is very sensitive I think that one’s experience of the aesthetic starts from a microscopic world.

The fingertipsof Koo Myung Bon, an artist of moderate fame, still grope for fine layers. 

His aesthetic journey was influenced by the years spent on the pine tree series of still life paintings and objet d’art. 

He has already passed an archaic period and has matured. His art sense has become more subtle and consistent and his work has gradually become more polished.

“Koo Myung Bon remarked, I work like a farmer who toils the year round for a harvest.” 

This remark gives us a glimpse into his artistic attitude.  We can also guess why he is so keen on pine trees he is attracted to the ecological conditions of pine trees.

Pine trees are long-lived and become more beautiful as they age. 

The detail of a pine tree is time and Koo Myung Bon’s fingertips groping for this detail can be the expression of his inner self’s yearning to be like a pine tree. 

So he might want to be an artist who produces gradually better artistic beauty as time goes by.

Beauty can only be realized by the human mind when it is kept unchanged and enduring. 

The same applies to an artist in that according to the conditions of an artist’s life, it is necessary to be sincere and patient with time.

Koo Myung Bon’s exhibition will be proof of his artistic expression and the beginning of another journey.  

Kim Jeong Dae (owner of Semi Gallery)

We couldn't see things in the dark, but from opened window, if sunlight lights things on table which is covered with white cloth into the room, 

we can see color of things and we can find round shape and angulate shape of things and this is realistic. 

And we may see winkled fabric and other things' curve with shadow against bright side by slope of the light.  

Artist Gu Myeong Bon has drawn pieces about like harmonious things by traditional way of drawing, 

but he stopped traditional drawing and relationship of harmonious things. 

He was originally a still-life painter, but he changed his way of drawing when he was really popular from his still-lifes, 

and because of this, many people missed his previous pieces but he completely changed his way of drawing.

1996, After fourth art exhibition, he didn't stay way of recreation, he showed ‘Characteristic style of drawing’with including his own mind.

Collage, Objet, juxtaposition of different elements, and so on, he applied many modern art techniques, 

and he showed ‘Will and Imagination’ as active attitude to artistic core.

Therefore, he can showed not only objective sense of beauty, but also his own artistic expression. 

By this change of his attitude, I guess he can show many informal change. 

Time after time, old things can have own feature by time. Some barely feel beauty of colors from things, 

but others can feel gorgeous beauty from things and preserve them, 

and descendants will see them and feel them beautiful and gorgeous and artistic. 

Artist Gu Myeong Bon concentrates antique things and graft his own style with old paintings and he wants to show his own pieces and transcendentalize them. 

These antique things are yellow and like touching antique book mark, he arranged and spreaded touches of writing brush, this isreally harmonious and romantic. 

Because of aesthetic value of artist, dropping india ink, dripping, allusive sign, grafting woodenware were possible. and he formed his own aesthetic world freewheelingly. 

And old things which appear center of screen are motive of whole screen and these are monumental and draw attention compared to whole screen, 

these are realistic and because of this, piece can be impressive.

Current pieces are called ‘Sang - another scenery’ and these pieces are series of long continuance, 

and these pieces borrow symbolic icons and twelve earthly branches which have been harmonized with life and custom of Korean, 

some criticize that these become extinct and these are corny and like strange relics, but this artist tries to find folksy atmosphere and tradition, 

and find and suggest emotion and inherent sense of beauty of Korean. This is era of reproduction with developing high-tech field, 

but this artist tries to experience origin which shows practical thing about modern people and sense of beauty, 

and we can see experience of this artist by allusive and concrete things and artistic and formative elements. 

Therefore, his screen shows dual structure by abstract background and exist and elaborate motive and these are contrasted each other. 

But this isn't dynamic dual structure from strong opposition, this is complementary and this responds organically by settling yellow or deep and achromatic color screen.

Consequently, he changed forms of pieces, but his pieces are still like still-life paintings and these are harmonious. 

Now, he opened his fifth art exhibition, I comprehended Gu Myeong Bon's art world with providing new life force by harmonizing his sense of beauty than damaging aesthetic value of things. 

And style of his pieces is really polite and if he tries to show experimental and artistic endeavor, his style of painting will not be changed easily. 

And I sincerely anticipate harmony of things and spaces and times by his eye for beauty.

 Kim Jeong Dae(Art history °§Representative of Gallery 'Indipress')