Artist Kim Chang-yeol, Who Poured Artistic Spirit into 'Water Drops,' Passes Away

Droplets Embracing Light Painted on Monochrome Canvases Gain Global Fame
Devoted Over 50 Years to 'Droplet Painting' Reflecting Eastern Philosophy and Spirit
Expanding Cultural Exchange Between Korea and France, Awarded Chevalier Honor

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Kim Chang-yeol, an artist who introduced Eastern philosophy and spirit through his 'Water Drop Paintings,' passed away on the 5th at the age of 92.

The late artist gained worldwide fame by painting water drops that captured light onto monochromatic backgrounds or canvases adorned with characters. He was born in Maengsan, South Pyongan Province. At the age of sixteen, he moved south and studied at the Seongbuk Painting Institute, operated by the realism master Lee Kwae-dae. Although he entered Seoul National University’s College of Fine Arts by passing the qualification exam, he had to suspend his studies due to the outbreak of the Korean War and chose to pursue a career as a painter. In 1957, he co-founded the Modern Artists Association with Park Seo-bo, Ha In-du, Jung Chang-seop, and others, leading the then-prevailing movement of Informel (a postwar European abstract art emphasizing spontaneous acts and passionate expression, rejecting formal structures).

He began to attract global attention in the art world from the 1960s. He exhibited works at the Paris Biennale (1961) and S?o Paulo Biennale (1965), and from 1965 to 1969, he stayed in New York, studying printmaking at the Art Students League. With the help of 'video master' Nam June Paik, he participated in the 7th Avant-Garde Festival in 1969, which led him to settle in Paris, France. Using a stable as both his studio and lodging, he devoted himself to his work and first unveiled his 'Water Drop Paintings' at the Salon de Mai in Paris in 1972. The piece titled 'Event of Night' featured shimmering water drops floating on a deep blue monochrome background.

Painting 'Water Drop Paintings' was like destiny for him. In an interview during his lifetime, he said, "One morning, while washing my face, water splashed onto the back of the canvas, and the large and small water drops shone brilliantly in the sunlight." This work continued for nearly 50 years. From the 1980s, he expressed water drops on the rough surface of burlap instead of canvas. By filling the burlap with Chinese characters or color dots, he emphasized Eastern spirit. He also released the 'Return' series, where parts of the Thousand Character Classic written in printed script coexisted with transparent water drops on the surface. This was evaluated as embodying Eastern philosophy and spirit, elevating him to the ranks of world-renowned masters.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

He held over 60 solo exhibitions at major domestic and international museums and galleries, including the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (Korea), Samamoto Zenzo Museum (Japan), Mus?e Judd de Pommes (France), National Museum of China, and National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts. His works are exhibited at the Centre Pompidou (France), Tokyo National Museum of Modern Art (Japan), Museum of Fine Arts Boston (USA), Museum Bochum (Germany), National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (Korea), and Samsung Museum of Art Leeum. Recognized for his contributions to cultural exchange between Korea and France, he was awarded the French Order of Arts and Letters Chevalier in 1996. He also received the Silver Crown Cultural Medal from the Republic of Korea in 2013 and the French Order of Arts and Letters Officer in 2017. In 2016, the Kim Chang-yeol Museum was opened in Hangyeong-myeon, Jeju Island, where he had stayed to escape the Korean War.

He is survived by his wife, Martine Jilong, his son Kim Si-mong, a professor of French Language and Literature at Korea University, and Kim O-an, a photographer. The funeral is being held at Korea University Anam Hospital, with the burial scheduled for the morning of the 7th.

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