※ The 2022 Gwangju Archival Exhibition is now held by the Gwangju Museum of Art. One of its series is the Exhibition of Painter Yim Jiksoon's paintings, drawings, photographies, video clips, leaflets, newspaper articles, personal letters, etc. to be held from April 19, 2022 through June 23, 2022.
Yim Jiksoon (雲昌 任直淳, 1921~1996), whose pen name was Unchang, is famous for his contribution to the formation and development of Western-style fine arts in Gwangju and Jeollanam-do. The 2022 exhibition of Yim Jiksoon's artworks has been organized with the help from numerous collectors and his inheritors in commemoration of his 100th birthday. An interview was arranged as useful guidance to the Exhibition for potential foreign lovers of Korean fine arts. 우리말 원문을 보시려면 이곳을 탭하세요.
Q : As I know, Painter Yim was born at Gwesan, Chungcheongbuk-do. What kind of relationship did Painter Yim have with Gwangju?
A : In 1961 at the age of 40, Painter Yim started to serve as a professor of fine arts at Chosun University, Gwangju. For the period of 14 years, he was highly prolific in bringing up students and producing his own works. Until then, contrary to the Korean-style fine arts,[1] Gwangju and Jeollanam-do could not cut a conspicuous figure in the Western-style one. Professors Oh Jiho and Yim Jiksoon made great strides in real life and representational paintings.
Q : It was surprising for a little boy from a remote country under the Japanese occupation to study fine arts abroad. Would you tell us what caused this to happen?
A : Certainly. At that time, his family was poor. When he was working for a dishware store, the employer-owner found an amazing talent from him and encouraged and supported his study abroad.
While studying at evening high school, he was working hard during daytime. His parents had to do extra work to send living expenses to their promising son.
Q : How productive was his study of fine arts in Tokyo?
A : In 1939, Yim was admitted to the prestigious Nippon School of Fine Arts for a major in oil painting. Surprisingly enough in 1940 and 1941 in a row, he was awarded notable prizes in the highly competitive nationwide Chosun Art Exhibition. After graduation from the Japan school in 1942 and long awaited liberation from the Japanese colonial occupation in 1945, Yim served as a school teacher of fine arts at girls high schools at Incheon and Seoul area.
Q : I'm curious what your motivation was to draw young ladies and flowers.
A : As a camera man does so, the painter likes to draw beautiful objects around him. They give the artist a sense of beauty and he wants to share it with his neighborhood. As a school teach, Yim used to draw pictures with his students. Some of them were willing to be models for their respectful teacher who was eager to draw colorful still life and human beings.
At the 2022 Exhibition, the relationship between Yim and Painter Cheon Gyeong-ja was the talk of the fine art community. The story began in the autumn 1974 just before Painter Yim left Gwangju.[2] At that time, Yim made a suggestion to his student at Chosun University to become a model for his picture in mind. She accepted reluctantly his suggestion, and came to his house after school, of which garden was decorated with some flowers and changing colors of leaves. She sat under the pomegranate tree in the yard for several days. The resultant picture has become one of the masterpieces of Painter Yim because it shows a free style of colorism and a strong sense of inner subjectivity, which Yim learned from the exhibition tours in Japan and France.
Q : The curriculum vitae of Yim shows an extraordinary prize winning capacity as a painter[2]. His career path also indicates he changed his job from a school teacher to a professor of fine arts, finally to a full time painter. What caused such change of career each time?
A : As you see in the novel 《Bare Tree》(나목) written Park Wan-seo, Park Su-geun, a famous legendary painter in Korea, had very difficult times after the Korean War. In the 1950s, ordinary painters couldn't make a living by engaging himself in painting and drawing. By this standard, Painter Yim was relatively fortunate. At a girls' high school, he had no problem in searching models for his picture of a gir sitting beside flowers. At Chosun University, he used to make a field survey with his students to observe and describe impressive scenes at Mt. Mudeung, Yeosu Port, Songgwang Temple, etc. At last, he encountered a very rare chance to make his dream come true.
Q : Wasn't it the Grand Prix or Presidential Prize of the National Fine Art Exhibition? Otherwise, what kind of incidents took place to meet with his sponsor?
A : The art history of the West shows that, after the wealthy sponsors from churches and the noble disappeared, the more art markets grew, the more art works were produced. Because there was thin layer of art consumers who understand the value of his works, Vicent van Gogh could sell few works during his lifetime and was driven to miserable status.
Fortunately, Painter Yim was one of a few prize winning[2] popular artists who were able to host regular exhibitions.
Q : Absolutely right. But the situation is almost same in the current affluent society. Was there any singularity moment in Painter Yim's case?
A : As we noticed, Painter Yim's character was reflected on his works. There were an increasing number of art collectors in favor of his works. Among others, Mr. Nakagawa (中川忍一), representative director of Mitsubishi Corp Seoul branch, was fascinated by Yim's exhibits at Shinsegye Gallery in 1968.
Starting this occasion, they made friends each other not to mention a collector and his favorite artist. In December 1972, Mr. Nakagawa arranged the first exhibition of Yim Jiksoon at Shimomura Gallery (下村畵廊) in Tokyo. It was a successful event where Painter Yim's paintings attracted much attention from the art circle in Japan. The next year, when Mr. Nakagawa was transferred to Mitsubishi Europe, President Nakagawa made a successful arrangement that Painter Yim might stay and study fine arts in Paris. Occasionally, Painter Yim could host exhibitions with good critical acclaim and sold his paintings to the European collectors. He got the fame that whatever pictures he made, they sold well.
Q : Come to the current Exhibition, how did you make partitions, section by section in colors?
A : In view of Painter Yim's artworks and work style by decade, there are three sections with emphasis on:
- In the 1950s to the early 1970s : 'Bloom in, and Pervaded with, Colors'
- Since the middle 1970s to the early 1980s : 'Constellation of Radiant Colors'
- Since the middle 1980s to the 1990s : 'An Internal Chord beyond the Visual Truth'.
A little glance at Yim's paintings shows his attention moved from the Eyes to the Mind.
Q : May I have a piece of advice how to observe his paintings from now on?
A : You may understand Painter Yim is called a 'Magician of Color' by observing his paintings with motifs of flowers, a girl sitting on a chair, still-life and landscape. You may notice representational descriptions with tough brush strokes.
In his late years, there appeared abstract descriptions and minimalized strokes of brush. Take two examples of Songgwang Temple in the Moonlight and the Landscape with two Pine Trees. Out of doubt, they usher viewers in contemplation in a different world.
Q : In terms of the archival exhibition, did you work with local and foreign collectors and Yim's inheritors on this occasion?
A : Of course. Painter Yim worked hard until his last days.[4] The Museum of Art are thankful to local collectors including Hyundai Gallery and Yim's inheritors who still possess a number of paintings, drawings and other documents. They lent generously those invaluable art works and documents for this exhibition. Most of all, we greatly appreciate Lee Kun-hee Collection's donation of some paintings related with Gwangju. Unfortunately, owing to the time and budget restraint, we couldn't get cooperation from foreign collectors including Nakagawa's inheritors.
Q : What's the products of this Special Exhibition?
A : This meaningful series of the archival exhibitions hosted by the Gwangju Museum of Art has attracted nationwide attention from mass media. On June 23, 2022, the academic symposium will be held by Yim Jiksoon's student-artists and numerous artists from Gwangju and Jeollanam-do.[4] Any interested person's participation is highly appreciated.
As you see, the Museum is located in the Gwangju cultural district with a good access from Honam Expressway.[5] Its location in the center of Jungwei Park ensures your cultural life and joyful leisure.
One more thing to be added is that, among Yim's descendants, there are some talented young men are exerting themselves to succeed the fame of Painter Yim.
Tho’ Painter is gone,
His art works give us
Limitless comfort for good.
화백은 가셨어도 작품은 남아 위안을 주네.
Note
1] Generally speaking, 'Namdo' refers to Jeollanam-do, as mentioned by Prof. Yu Hong-jun in his best-selling book "My Exploration of Cultural Heritage 1"《나의 문화유산 답사기 1》. Traditionally it has been also called "Regional Center of Art". It makes sense because Jeollanam-do was designated as the first place of forced exile of high ranking officials and scholars in the Joseon dynasty, who were usually eager to educate people in the neighborhood as exemplified by Jeong Yak-yong.
2] ‘Autumn and a Lady’(1974) owned by an individual collector has been off limits to the general. So, at the 2022 Gwangju Exhibition, it was disclosed the model is Yoo In-sook, daughter-in-law of famous Painter Cheon Gyeong-ja. Thanks to Prof. Yim's highly positive recommendation of her for a bride, Cheon permitted his elder son to get married to Yim's student-model. Later she became Painter Cheon's muse also. Yes, right. The model of Cheon's masterpiece, "Golden Rain (황금의 비)"(1982), was Yoo In-sook. Source: Hankyoreh Shinmun, "A Lady became the Same Muse of Two Painters", July 13. 2022.
3] Awards and honors of Unchang Yim Jiksoon
- The 2nd, 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th Special Selection prizes at the National Art Exhibition (국전/國展: 대한민국미술전람회)
- 1955 Education Minister prize, ditto
- 1957 Presidential prize (Grand Prix), ditto
- 1967 Presidential prize, Korea Literary and Artistic Awards
- 1970 Cultural Achievement Award, Jeollanam-do
- 1986 Presidential prize, Korea Literary and Artistic Awards
- 1993 Cultural Achievement Award, Seoul Special City
- 1993 Order of Bogwan Cultural Achievement and Presidential prize, Korea Literary and Artistic Awards
See the works and data at Yim Jiksoon homepage (www.yimjiksoon.com) in the order of year.
4] An academic symposium was held at the Gwangju Museum of Art on the topic of "Review of Yim Jiksoon's Works and Representational Art Trend in Gwangju Area"(임직순의 작품 세계와 광주 구상미술)" in the Afternoon, June 21, 2022.
5] As a matter of fact, it takes less than two hours to go to Gwangju by high-speed train, KTX or SRT. The destination Songjeong (Gwangju) Station. It is convenient to go to the Gwangju Museum of Art via the urban expressway and to exit at Seo (West) Gwangju IC. It's a pleasant one-day trip.
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