OrchidsGim Eung-won (1855-1921)
is hardly a household name,
or even a Google-able name
(with two hits -- one for the Art Institute -
and one for San Francisco Museum of Asian Arts)
But what an amazing 20th C. artist he was !
Gim was one of the original instructors
at the Academy of Painting and Calligraphy
founded in Seoul in 1911.
Does this feel uniquely 20th Century ?
Is there some intensity of thrill and anxiety (impending doom ?)
that might not be present in this 15th C. piece that was on display two years ago ?
Might painters from earlier eras
have felt that this came too close
to feeling like a big-black-ugly- blur ?
Lovely post Chris! Shoji Hamada and Kanjiro Kawai were two potters whose works I revered back in the 60s. There is a masterful manner they both had of making forms that were austerely beautiful, with glazes and decorations that seemed to be of such true spirit to the earthy nature of clay and fire. I guess this sort of dates me, but what the heck! G
ReplyDeleteThanks for the note !
ReplyDeleteWas that when you were still in Hungary, Suburban Life, or were you living in Canada by then ?
Did you collect this kind of work ?
Or make it ? Or both ?
Chris - this was when i was living in canada and going to art school during the 60s and taking art courses at university in the early 70s. I made pottery until the mid 80s and my ideal of form, finish and decoration was much influenced by these potters, also Bernard Leach. I do not collect pottery, but the few items I do have and have carted about with me all adhere to this earthy aesthetic - one which I find most satisfying.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy your posts - they are mini sculpture lessons, and you provide a look at what figurative sculptors are doing all over the world!
I absolutely love this artist and can't find anything about him on the internet. I have also been looking for posters that are available of his work (other than the one at the art institute which I can't really afford). Where did you find these images?
ReplyDeleteGood to hear from another Gim Eung-won fan, Kevin !
ReplyDeleteI took these pictures myself -- during the brief time that this piece was on display in the Korean painting case at the Art Institute.
The contents of this case changes every few months -- and it's quite likely this piece will not be shown again for a decade or two.