Yearnings for Hometown

Painter Jung tries to evoke nostalgic memories of hometown in his paintings

   
Painter Jung Young-mo is a very busy and unique artist. He has held 16 solo exhibitions in and out of the country and he uses very special paper for his paintings of a blue bird, huts and hills, which invariably appear in all of his art pieces.
According to one art critic, Jung chose the blue bird as an important element of his artwork because it immerses him in deep thoughts that make him realize that happiness is not so far away and gives him a little smile. He uses soft Korean paper as his canvases and takes a minimalist approach to express warmth, cleanliness, and softness rich in colors to create sensitive paintings. The painter likes the Korean papers because their characteristics coincide with some of his. The traditional, transparent papers have a special softness and absorb water and colors very well, the art critic continues.
The painter employs a minimalist technique, yet the composition of his paintings is very detailed, reflecting in geometric forms such objects as mountains, fields, trees and flowers,
thatched-roof huts and birds. Jung balances the composition of his paintings by having objects to sublimate each other. For example, he paints circles, semicircles, relief and ruggedness so that they can balance each other for harmony and precision. The painter uses primary colors, but they remain pure and simple as the painter leaves them alone to give out a refined sensation through geometric arrangement of objects as if to achieve the revival of canvases. His paintings of his hometown look fresh, as if he worked on them as soon as he arrived in the town. He touched and retouched those paintings to show his love for the town, reminding one of ancestors'roads through the harmony of colors to make his yearning for his native town ever more acute, the critic said.
The blue bird in his paintings is a magpie, which traditionally is believed to be the conveyor of good news, suggesting that remembrance, memories and hope are the secrets to happiness.
"when you bring your ears close to Jung's paintings, you can hear whispers that were lost in the paintings,"poet Jung Byung-kun said in his critique of the paintings. "You can hear the sound of wind sliding over hills, touching your sleeves, and the noise of the needles of pine trees shaking their hands. You can also hear the sound of butterflies around the cherry blossoms and the sound of laughter of children from a long hut. Its not only sounds, but also forgotten memories and fragrances from way back."Painter Jung graduated from the College of Arts, Chung-ang University in Seoul. To date he has held 16 solo exhibitions in various locations including Tokyo, Singapore and the United States. In addition, he displayed his paintings in over 200 group exhibitions including the Seoul International Art Fair.
He is a member of the Korea National Art Association, the Bukbu Artist Association, the HooSo Group and the Ilsan Artist Association and is the director of the Goyang Art Association. Handset: 010-3035-4020 or e-mail: darkjin617@hanmail.net nw

1. Grace: 116 x 91 cm
2. Story of Hometown: 53 x 45 cm:
3. The Land of Covenant: 160 x 130 cm.
4. Delight: 73 x 61 cm
5. Delight 2: 45 x 38 cm
6. Painter Jung Young-mo