Creating an Ideal Landscape, a Paradise in Imagination

SEOJUNG ART Senior Curator Yunjung Lee

 

As one leaves the city behind, drawing closer to nature, strolls along untouched pathways, or gazes upon expansive plains, our attention tends to gravitate toward the subtle sounds resonating within the silence. These echoes are akin to a response, rousing our dormant inner selves, at times returning greetings with even louder echoes. Occasionally, we yearn for such experiences, embarking on distant journeys, craving a brief respite from the bustling world.

 

Younghwan Chung's art evokes the beginning of such journeys, pointing toward an elusive idealized realm. The forest, devoid of menacing elements, resembles a self-appointed sanctuary for inner serenity. Among the various factors contributing to this visual tranquility, the balance between horizontal and vertical elements plays a pivotal role. Noteworthy is the revelation of the role played by straight lines, serving as the central axis within the canvas. These lines provide the resilience to withstand disruptions to order, even when vibrant colors and dynamic visual elements are introduced. Our senses seek equilibrium and harmony, finding stability within, amidst the many pages that life accumulates. Although it may appear remote, akin to an uninhabited island, it is never truly silent; the myriad of colorful leaves instead imparts inner tranquility within Younghwan Chung's forest. From the standpoint of artificial beauty and an idealized realm, one can view the story of Chung's forest.

 

Rows of large and small trees, adorned with red and blue leaves, give life to Younghwan Chung's "Mindscape" series, an enduring body of work. Even within ever-changing landscapes, these trees stand resolute, much like the artist himself, anchoring themselves in the center of the canvas. They blend with unreal hues, conjuring a vague paradise, a realm of imagination that remains just beyond reach. These impeccably rendered trees, devoid of disturbances, make us forget the true appearance of nature. Traces of short brushstrokes tenaciously persist within the layering process, dictating leaf sizes, branch thickness, and the contrasts concealed within areas of darkness. The rhythm transferred through these brushstrokes harmonizes with the surrounding sounds, eventually culminating in a grand symphony.

 

Commencing from the concealed regions enshrouded in darkness, the act of layering serves as a subject for contemplation, a vehicle for profound connection, and a conduit for solitude for the artist. Yet, the completed work transforms into an intimate and personal space, an idealized realm, by avoiding being any specific place.

 

 

In ≪Echo in the Silence≫ Younghwan Chung's landscapes neither feature human presence nor harbor any trace of humanity. While the artist's work broadly falls within the landscape painting genre, an exploration of its origins reveals diverse facets, including the presence or absence of flora and fauna, the prominence of realistic techniques, and stages of portrayal. Though landscape painting has evolved considerably from its 14th-century Italian fresco origins to contemporary times, its definition likely hinges on the extent to which the landscape, as a subject, is viewed as 'ideal' and the adeptness with which it is assimilated. Since the grandeur inherent in nature can never be faithfully depicted, ample room exists for imagination beyond the scope of the naked eye. Chung appears to have discovered meaning in expressing paradise through artificially crafted beauty—a beauty born of a calculated process. Though it may resemble an existing space, it remains separate from elements that harm nature, frozen in time, emanating colors rarely seen in reality. The echoes rendered within Chung's forest, far from conveying loneliness, convey a sense of exhilaration. This is both an attempt at profound communion with nature and a method of transforming the sensibilities born at the artist's fingertips into a realm of paradise. At this intersection, the artist's message, ultimately aimed at providing comfort and tranquility, condenses and finds expression through his unique mode of communication.

 

Younghwan Chung's practice bears semblance to ink painting, capturing the moment when sensory experiences materialize as landscapes. The vitality inherent in nature emerges through spontaneous brushwork, harmonizing with meticulous and vibrant hues.

 

While the realistic portrayal of individual elements might suggest representation of specific subjects, the equilibrium within the canvas remains practically undisturbed. Similar to how our perception blurs the rest when we focus on a particular spot, the artist sidesteps the natural hierarchy enforced by texture, enabling a natural flow dictated by perception through the emphasis on the primary and secondary subjects, a departure from conventional pictorial compositions. This aligns with the artist's intention of awakening an unreal sensation in the viewer, where each element authentically reveals its presence without losing its individual glow.

 

Within the lush forest enveloping the exhibition space, viewers can sketch the distant, and perhaps elusive, idealized realm. The tranquility derived from a space that does not actually exist lingers in the heart, like a bloom that never ceases, bridging the divide between existence and non-existence.