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Kim Bong-Tae

It is frequently believed that it is psychologically impossible for an artist who has already established his style and had a long period of creative activity to cast off his familiar shell and make any sort of radical change. To do so is to return again to the beginning. One might expect such boldness of a true artist, but in reality it is rarely found. For this reason, I was quite impressed at the state of Kim Whanki's studio when I first visited him in New York about ten years ago. Since his arrival in the United States seven years before, he had generated a tremendous amount of work — much of it in styles that were entirely new for him. That he made such a radical change while in his late fifties, is some indication of the courage, energy, and enthusiasm that is apparent in many of the paintings of Kim Whanki. Since Kim's death in 1974 his wife, Hyang Ahn, has worked tirelessly to promote his work. A writer herself, she understands the sacrifices of the artist, and the no-compromise approach that Kim Whanki had toward his work.

Kim Whanki was one of the first artists to be active in the avant garde art movements of Korea. Respected as both artist and teacher, he frequently encouraged even those who were not his students. Kim was born in 1913 on the island of Sin Ahn, in the Province of South Cholla. He grew up as rather a free soul, disliking formality and authority. After finishing elementary school in town, he studied in Japan until his eventual return to Korea in 1937. While at Nippon University, Kim became active in the avant garde movement then flourishing in Tokyo. In the 1930s, Japanese art was moving away from impressionism, and toward fauvism, futurism, surrealism, and cubism. Kim's chief influence seems to have come largely as a result of his contact with the late synthetic cubist element among these new movements. The influence of this style can be seen in his works "House" (1936), and "Rondo" (1938), both of which are now preserved at the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Korea. In "Rondo," for instance, Kim's figures became abstract and began to merge with geometric shapes (pl. 1).* The canvas surface is composed asymmetrically, with small concentrated human forms occupying the righthand side, and a larger form occupying the lefthand side; white shapes are used to create negative space. This painting also demonstrates Kim's use of bright and warm colors in contrast to cool and dark colors, in order to create a feeling of vitality. While taking part in group exhibitions, he also held his first one-man exhibition, in 1936 at the Agami Gallery. Kim's willingness to explore new directions during this period was to be important throughout his career.

Plate 1. Kim Whanki, "Rondo" (1938), oil on canvas, 60 x 72 cm. This painting demonstrates Kim's use of European styles that had influenced him during his studies in Tokyo. Collection of the National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul.

Plate 2. Kim Whanki, "Moon Night in Kijua Island" (1959), oil on canvas, 37 x 57 inches. Painted shortly after his return to Seoul from Paris, this painting shows Kim's use of heavy texture and symbolic elements. Collection of the Whanki Foundation, New York.

Plate 3. Kim Whanki, "Sun and Moon" (1959), oil on canvas, 99 x 64.8 cm. Collection of Mr. Hyung Kun Yoon.

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After returning to Korea, Kim formed and participated in avant garde group exhibitions. Around him, he gathered a circle of friends that included writers and poets, as well as artists. By 1945 Kim was well on his way toward developing his Korean sensitivity and taste, and these came to be the dominant emotional elements in his work. His love of antiques, for instance, reflects his appreciation of the ancient elegance characteristic of scholars of the Yi dynasty During these years, Kim began also to develop motifs based upon Korean scenery and objects. These paintings were not drawn from nature, but from the stylized motifs of other art objects. In them one sees an increasing formalization and stylization of Kim's own work, expressing the emotions of Korea as cultivated throughout the long history of that nation. Kim's ability to capture these emotions is perhaps the single most important and characteristic element in his work.

From 1956 to 1959, Kim worked in Paris. During this time he held a number of one-man shows, but his work displayed no major changes. When he returned to Korea, Kim continued to use the same motifs, and his work became much more decorative and rich. Occasionally symbolic elements appeared, and the texture of his paintings became very heavy and thick, as can be seen in "Sky" (1955-1957), "Flying Bird" (1958), and "Moon Night in Kijua Island" (1959; pl. 2). "Sun and Moon" (1959), which was painted shortly after Kim's return to Seoul, demonstrates the effect of Kim's stay in Paris (pl. 3). Here, the rich, heavy texture of Kim's style during this period is apparent, as is the thorough decoration of the entire canvas. The abstract symbolism of Kim's subject matter is also apparent here: the upper, full circle represents the sun, while the dark arc at the bottom symbolizes the eclipse of the moon; the greenish 'L-shape' seems to be an abstracted mountain; black and red spots look like a bird's-eye view of rooftops; and the blue-green color of the negative space is reminiscent of the sky.

Plate 4. Kim Whanki, "Echo of Morning" (1966), oil on linen, 70 x 50 inches. One of the early works painted by Kim in New York, this painting shows the increasing abstraction of his composition, and his use of a lighter texture than in previous paintings. Collection of the Whanki Foundation, New York.

In 1965, Kim left Korea again, and travelled by way of Brazil to New York. Here he was to work for the remainder of his life. During this period Kim's artistic style changed a great deal. He eliminated all the figurative motifs, purified the colors, and deepened and expanded his sense of space. These changes are apparent in "Echo of Morning" (1966), which was painted soon after Kim arrived in New York (pl. 4). Kim's composition is simpler here than previously, and the heavy texture of his earlier paintings is gone; instead, like oriental ink painting, the texture of the canvas is allowed to show through the thin application of paint diluted with turpentine. Although the blue half-circle in this painting seems like the reflection of a mountain, it is apparent that Kim was beginning to move away from objective elements in his subject matter; here, colored dots are displayed against a background of vivid, jewel-like blue and blue-grey colors. The further development of Kim's style may be seen in "10-II-70 no. (3-3, p. 23) 145" (1970), in which Kim's use of negative space — created by applications of very thin paint, or by leaving spaces of raw canvas — has become increasingly important see cover. Kim's technique in creating these spaces was similar to that of Oriental ink and brush paintings — with the canvas used as though it were paper, and the paint as though it were ink. This painting also demonstrates Kim's use of horizontal and vertical lines to divide the canvas into squares of space — a style which Kim was to explore further in his later paintings.

Plate 5. Kim Whanki, "What Shall I Be When I Meet You Again Someplace" (1970), oil on canvas, 233 x 172 cm. First prize winner of the 1970 Hankook Grand Prix Fine Art Exhibition, sponsored by the Korea Times in Seoul. The monochromatic and completely abstract character of this painting is typical of the late works of Kim. Collection of Mr. Hyung Kun Yoon.

Plate 6. Kim Whanki, "5-IV-71" (1971), oil on canvas. 100 x 100 inches. Further experimentation with the use of squares and dots, as begun in "What ,Shall l Be When I Meet You Again Someplace." Private collection, New York.

In 1970 Kim's painting, "What Shall I Be When I Meet You Again Someplace" (1970), won first prize in the Hankook Grand Prix Fine Art Exhibition, sponsored by the Korea Times in Seoul (pl. 5). This painting is one of the best examples of Kim's late period, and demonstrates the drastic changes of his style, from semi-abstract to completely abstract. Here, the canvas is divided by many squares, each containing a thinly painted dot. When Kim painted these dots, he said, he thought of all his friends, and he named each dot after one of them. This field-painting seems like an aerial view of high-rise buildings. Like most of Kim's work in the seventies, this painting is monochromatic in greyishblues, and the canvas as a whole reveals a delicate and lyrical quality. In this late series of works (plates 6-8), Kim often used horizontal and vertical lines to form squares of space enclosing tiny bleeding dots. Although the grids of this style of painting are not uniform or geometric, and the size (3-3, p. 24) and color of the dots varies, the compositions do not have the appearance of disorder that one might expect. Instead, the visual images seem to array themselves in a varied but precise order; chaos in order and ordered chaos. In this new style, Kim's composition was strikingly similar to that of the 'action painters' of the American 1960s. Few Korean painters have succeeded so well at approaching the style of occidental painting, while also preserving their own heritage.

Plate 7. Kim Whanki, "4-VI-73 No. 316" (1973), oil on canvas, 104 x 82 inches. Here the monochromatic field of squares and dots is further divided by lines which form abstract patterns suggestive of mountains. Private collection, New York.

Plate 8. Kim Whanki, "Duet" (1974). oil on canvas, 70 x 50 inches. One of Kim's last paintings, showing the division of the monochromatic field by even more abstract lines than in previous works. Collection of the Nagoya Museum of Modern Art.

Kim found in his last paintings a fineness and delicacy which emerged from the act of painting at its most fundamental level. The soothing, lyrical quality of these late paintings has great artistic merit. More than ever, he succeeded in creating spirituality in his work. Color variations were minimized in order to avoid confusion and distraction. In contrast to the paintings from the period of his stay in Paris — which betray an enclosed, shut-in feeling — Kim now used his own artistic vocabulary to express the universal. It seems that he was more open to the variety of materials offered in New York, and he reacted positively to them. The great transformation of his final years was perhaps prompted by his confrontation with the mechanisms of American technological civilization. For Kim, however, nature was not absorbed in civilization. Instead, it was further internalized. Kim managed the modern age by finding a transcendent artistic dimension, which overcame the American dualism of nature and civilization. In Kim's work this spirit of Korean nature can be seen clearly; a vital rhythm of human life that embraces nature and the universe.

Kim Bong-Tae is an artist residing in Los Angeles, where he is very active in the artistic community. Korean and Korean-American artists are frequently featured at his gallery, Scope Gallery, which is also in Los Angeles.

* Plates 1, 3, and 5 are reproduced from, Kyung Sung Lee, ed., Hanguk Misul, vol. 15: Geundae Misul [Korean Art, vol. 15: Modern Art] (Seoul: Dong Wha Publishing Co., 1975), plates 77, 78, and 79, respectively.