빛과 색채의 화가 이현, 지중해의 빛
아티스트s
아티스트s

 >  MEDIA  >  REVIEW

  




제목 Lee Hyun: The Painting of Color and Life - Kyu Hyon Rhee 등록일 2013-10-29 00:00:00
작성자 운영3 파일명

Lee Hyun: The Painting of Color and Life

- Kyu Hyon Rhee, CEO, enart.kr, former reporter for the Chosunilbo Daily


I often encounter with someone who makes me think “This person is different. I am meeting with a real artist.” Lee Hyun is one of them. She is the one, who has firm belief that art can save discolored world, and it is worth dying for it. If you encounter with someone who only knows how to paint, Lee Hyun is also one of them.
Lee’s painting resembles her. Her paintings purely depict the scenes that may easily be seen from other places, but not everyone can acknowledge it. If there is a question to match painting to its author, Lee and her paintings will be the easiest one to answer.

Lee Hyun majored in painting at the Rome National Art School. Since then, she has been working in Rome over thirty years, and now became one of few Korean artists building career in major league of Italian art world.
She is also ‘a brave artist’, who does traditional oil painting on canvas, using brushes and oil colors. It is hard to follow and do well in most basic and tradition method especially in a field of painting, but Lee does not question this and dedicated entire life for it. The line and plane in her painting are simple and lucid, only using a limited number of colors, so the first expression comes with clean and pure feeling.
This solo exhibition composed of about 60 works that are well representing ‘the essence of painting’, which Lee Hyun puts great emphasis on.
From the distance, the picture is just filled with colors. Indigo of night sky or soft white herd of sheep takes up the most space of canvas. But as you get a step closer, it reveals some trace of life. The human figure under dark and blue night sky that falls upon the ground makes you moan for its surprising existence. Calm and serene scene of night ocean unveiling the moon and its shadow also presents a hint of life that is about to blow small twirl on its quiet surface. There are numerous flower pictures out there, but somehow a ‘lively’ appearance emits out from the flowers that went through touches of Lee’s eyes and hands.
Lee says that everything she paints is the scenes that “I will miss when I leave this world.” These are the scenes that we usually pass by, but unlike others, Lee turns around and changes her direction to reach out to the nature and tell them “I know you are here, and I’m going to remember.”
One of noticeable technical character of her style is great color contrast. Pure white color for a herd of sheep contrasts to fresh green grass. Red flower pedals covers a half of the canvas and green leaves covers other half. It makes you think she may wants to show just playful expression of colors instead of depicting night sky, ocean, flower, and a herd of sheep. Even the choice of color is limited and remains in basics with primary colors, such as red, blue, yellow, green, white, and black. This color use distinguishes her painting, showing its strong ability to present ‘joy of painting’ using sole contrast of primary colors. Therefore, she is known as ‘an artist of light and color’. She said “the color contrast of white and green makes my heart pounds” hinting that actual figures and shapes of subject are not the most important part in her works. And this is why I consider the basis of Lee’s painting is build upon an abstract painting, even though it includes more subject oriented expressions.

Contemporary art has been under various experiments with new method and creating of genres over 100 years. It has long been passed the stage of conceptual art over simple visual art. However, Lee goes against this ‘joy of conceptual based art’.
The artist was in fond of literature and music, has been surrounded by walls of philosophical ideas ever since her childhood. She was weak and delicate, so stayed home most of times with books, music, and paintings. Her studio in Seongbuk-gu is still filled with literature, philosophy, and music. She always listens to classical music and reads poetries. She also plays cello, drum, and piano. She is armed with many thoughts, ideas, and philosophies, but her work departs from a simple expression. She said “there remains a simple work after breaking all the walls that has been built high with intelligence.” It explains why a plain and clean painting only gets remained by the artist with rather complicated nature. She always had fear and shade in her heart, making her to draw more painting filled with light and joy. She is full of contrasts just like her art.

Lee said, “Photography draws a reality and philosophy expresses ideas and concepts. I just want to do art.” She simply ‘paints’. It is an art of painting, where an artist uses brush and oil colors to paint on canvas. She draws the scenes that everyone will miss after leaving this world, appreciates moments of our lives, delicately takes these moments, and responds to it through the painting.
Lee Hyun is quiet and lonely. She only speaks to others through painting that serves as a ‘window’. And this window, offered by the artist, gives us a chance to rest our heart in peace by taking steps away from competitive and complicated lives of contemporary.

댓글등록
이름 패스워드
 
이전글 행복한 사람, 이 현 - 강금실
다음글 이현: 색과 생명의 회화 - 이규현