Beautiful modern colored pictures containing inspiration of Korean beauty

  Chang Junseok (Art Critic & Head of the Korean Art Criticism Research Institute)

 A few days ago, I met artist Seo Gyeongae at a traditional tea house located in Insa-dong. I was impressed by her eyes full of artist’s passion as she talked about her own world of art as well as Korean painting. As she is an artist, her glass frame decorated with various colors seemed also like a sort of little work of art. Not only her pretty glasses with genial colors but her affectionate smile coming from a Korean did comfort me.

 The colored pictures drawn by the artist intending to put into them Korean’s emotion are noticeable enough in terms of their vivid color division and mix and also picture composition. In the expressive methods employed as well, they show transparency like Korean’s nature. Thus, in the artist’s works, either the subtleness of colored pictures or the colors having passion stronger than any other color and also genial colors are positioned gently as well as beautifully. We can say that her sense of beauty has become manifested after the long and repeated trial and error.

 The artist has mediated a lot to express the meaning of life or harmony of nature from the aspects of ours through coloring that is genial and affectionate like Korean’s attachment. She has attempted to show through her meditation the true aspects of calm and beautiful colors that can be seen from the nature of Korea and also Korean’s sense of color in which their own temperament flows. And also, she has meant to express through Korean’s life and sensitivity the changes of colors variously unfold on rice paper or cloth according to the environment or situation. Like this, she has intended to show the being of Korean beauty with colors by appreciating the essence of color. This color is the subtle but vivid Korean color that not only includes types of silk coloring but absorbs ink-type colors as well.

 Because of this reason, Seo Gyeongae’s coloring is with distinct calmness, profoundness, and vividness, which well shows the sensitivity of Korean beauty. The artist’s works embodied with Korean’s great humanity and inspiration from genial colors let us feel not only the genial sense of beauty of Korea but also Korean’s emotion as well. That is how the artist’s pictures created by her restless meditation and endeavoring internalize the features of Korea. Thus, even if they are modern in terms of the expressive methods or workability, they still show the taste of colors seemingly containing the traces of time and also secure formativity of painting with ease.

 These tendencies seem more distinctive in her latest works created after 2010. Although in the mid-2000’s, she quite tended to contain a lot of things in her works being very experimental about colors, composition, or forms, or use strong colors to show the images she meant to express clearly as well as impressively, she adds to her work her mild, delicate, and feminine tendencies lately, so the works naturally expose the images in which Korean beauty seems to be reflected into the flow of time. As if they were the flower bed full of splendid spring flowers, they look lovely, clear, and vivid.

 Like this, in Korean painter Seo Gyeongae’s works drawing Korean’s simple and beautiful life as well as the dream of nature, the things from the boudoir intermittently appear such as butterflies, norigae, and square cloths. And as the cases of formatizing delicacy as a female artist, she also draws butterflies symbolizing Korean women’s soaring from the unseen sacrifice or deep resentment.

 The artist started to draw pictures before entering elementary school. Attending arts middle and high schools regarded prominent in Korea, she won the first prize at the national art contest for middle and high school students. Like this, her artistic talent was superior to others’ from the beginning. Also, she had not only affection and confidence in Korean beauty but formative pride as well. And she is also absolutely sure that what is the most Korean-style can be the most international art. Based on that confidence, the artist has pursued the formative world of Korean painting robustly and consistently.