Written by HangSeoup Shin, an Art Critic

Art of Luna Hungsug Kim

“Aesthetic Combination of Asian art and  Western art” 

In many ways, there are big differences between traditional Asian painting and Western painting, especially in materials. Traditionally, Asian painting was created with water based medium while Western painting was primarily created with oil based medium. The differences of the two materials bring about different art work. In terms of methodology, combining Asian painting with Western painting brought about a new way of creation. 

For the past years, many artists made great efforts to unify the two methodologies. Some of them were successful in reaching their artistic purposes. Artist, Heungsook Kim , also has joined the movement. By using acrylic paints, she creates her landscape paintings which are similar to Asian watercolor painting. Instead of using traditional Asian watercolor paints, she uses a contemporary art material, acrylic paints. Both acrylic paints and Asian watercolor paints are water based, but they are different in execution of the paints. 

Traditionally, Asian painting is created on paper, but acrylic painting is on canvas. The two painting surfaces are different. Not like paper, canvas is water-resisted. Basically, Asian painting is transparent and its values, which are lightness and darkness, is controlled by using water, while acrylic painting can be done in either transparent or opaque by adding water or white paint. In color usages, acrylic paints are more versatile. Not only Heung Sook Kim, but many artists also have tried to break the materialistic wall between Asian art and Western art. With a combination of the two methodologies, she tries to create her own unique art. 

By adding diverse acrylic colors to the painting techniques of Asian painting, she was able to create her own unique painting which is reminiscent of traditional Asian painting. Some mountain images of her paintings remind me of a painting, “ Mountain Kumkang” done by Kyumjae, a famous landscape artist of the Choson dynasty. Like the artist, she portrayed mountains with crowded and sharp edged rock formations of the mountains. Even though she portrayed the mountains, she interpreted the accurate shapes and formations of the mountain as abstract images. One of her paintings, “ Beyond the border” is filled with similar rock mountains in size, which, in composition, also reminds me of , “ KumKang Mountain '' by Kyum Jae. In reality, the rock mountains are diverse in shape, form, and size. But she simplified and transformed the mountains into abstract images. She created a unique composition with breathing spaces of the rock mountains which make her painting more mysterious. In order to make the painting more spacious and spiritual, she positioned the mountains in the forefront, middle, and background on the canvas. She made her painting filled with a mysterious spirit. Instead of accurately recording the images of the mountains, she tried to pull the inner voices out of the mountains and made the painting as an image with beating hearts. She managed to visualize the rock mountains as images of living power and spirit. In terms of subject, she broke her painting into two. One of them is mountains, the other is water streams as if traditional Asian paintings were. Some of her paintings are crowded with mountain picks. Even though she created multiple mountain paintings, most of them look similar. Not only did she work on rock mountains, but she also consisted of water streams in her paintings. She painted them as if the rock mountains were standing in the water. 

In composition, the paintings are similar to the traditional Asian paintings. Even though her paintings of mountains and streams are reminiscent of Asian paintings, they are different in execution of the painting. Instead of using lines that Asian paintings were created with, she primarily used bold brush strokes of colors. While working, she concentrates on work in progress rather than looking forward to the final result. Even though she finalizes her paintings as ones which are reminiscent of Asian watercolor painting, she relies herself on her freedom of her intuition while working. Until she gets a painting done, she just relies herself on her artistic intuition and inspiration rather than expecting the final results of the painting. That’s when she could unintentionally bring up her own creative ideas from her work progress. She doesn’t portray the accurate shapes and forms of the mountains. She just follows her intuition when she works in progress. Instead of portraying the physically accurate images of the subjects, she interprets the mountains as compositional parts of a painting as if she goes through thick fog. She doesn’t confine herself to accurately portray the mountain images as representational images, but she just translates the images as her own unique voices. She relies herself on her intuition rather than reproducing the outer images of the mountains. In order to create unique textures, she made use of diverse painting techniques such as brushing, scraping, drifting, or splashing. Those painting techniques pile up numerous paint layers on the canvas, which make her paintings look more unique. Different from the textures in oil, the acrylic textures built up on the canvas create a new illusive image on the canvas. The layers of the textures create the depth of the expression which opens a door for viewers to look into her work. The door leads viewers to look into the beauty of her work. In the world of imagery, philosophical imagination could be brought up. She uses diverse painting techniques in order to describe the inner voice from the mountains. 

Nature hides their voices. The voices are invisible, but when we pay close attention to them, we are able to feel their voices and to listen to the voices of their beating hearts. By painting, she tries to listen to the voices. She just transforms the voice into images on the canvas. In order to transform the image of the voices, she tried to be honest depicting the images. Her paintings tell us that she didn’t go against the voices. In order to honestly interprete nature, she tries to rely herself on the order of nature. She might have been submissive to listen to the voice from nature. 

In the color schemes of her paintings, a blue monochromatic color tends to dominate most of her paintings which could identify the characteristics of her painting. In color theory, blue colors position in the cool color family. They are viewed as intelligent and abstract colors in some way. Just like black and white Asian paintings, her blue color’s paintings would prevent viewers from enjoying vivid colors in a painting. But, the blue colors tend to help viewers concentrate on seeing the painting. Our inner world, which is invisible, could be led by those blue colors. Even though blue dominates most of her paintings, but white and black colors are found in some paintings. Technically, her painting is close to Asian painting. Most of her paintings are dominated by blue colors as if they suggest us to be ascetic. The monochromatic color of her paintings guides viewers to listen to the inner voice rather than to appreciate the outer appearances. In order for her to give viewers an image beyond the actual images of the subject, she tries to lead viewers to look into the reality of nature. Not only the blue colors, light pinkish colors govern some of her paintings. They remind me of warm Spring and make me comfortable. 

The pink paintings remind me of utopia and of lyrical music. It is surprising to know that a color could drastically change an image of a painting. Some of her paintings were done with a series of red follower’s petals. She primarily works on semi-abstract painting, but she goes beyond the border between abstract and representational painting. She also paints representational images such as accurate red flowers’ petals in shapes and colors. Some of her paintings are filled with petals off the red flowers blown by the wind. The petals make her painting bright and warm as if Spring wind breezes. The petals seem to shake the serenity of the space. The petals blown by the wind visualize her imagination and intuition just like her inner feelings. The blowing petals stand for a lively image of movement as if they rattle and wake the mountains up. 

As she chases after the blowing petals, she could look into her consciousness and her voice out of her work. She applies the methodology of traditional Asian watercolor painting to her painting. In technique, her painting could be viewed as a combination of Aisan art and Western art. Utilizing the two methodologies, she made it by creating her own unique work of art. As an artist, she will never stop pursuing her artistic passion to go beyond another border.