[Gallery Walk] "Capturing the Colors of Nature on Canvas... Art is Healing"

'Monochrome Master' Park Seo-bo Solo Exhibition
At International Gallery Until October 21

Artist Park Seo-bo.

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghyun Choi] "Today, the Earth is becoming like a hospital ward. Everyone is a patient. Everyone is filled with stress. In times like these, what is needed is the art of healing. When looking at a painting, the mind should feel at ease and become happy. Paintings should not give something to humans but, like a vacuum cleaner, absorb all the anguish and anxiety of the viewer."

Monochrome painting master Park Seo-bo (90, pictured) harshly criticized Western-style 21st-century art for lacking the power of healing. He said that he pursues art that captures the colors of nature on the canvas to bring a peaceful mind to the viewer. "My art does not attack the viewer," Park Seo-bo said. He means that one should not take the image emitted by the painting at face value but rather project their own wounds onto it.

Park Seo-bo is holding a solo exhibition titled ‘PARK SEO-BO’ at the International Gallery in Sogyeok-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, until October 31. This is his second solo exhibition at the International Gallery since 2010. In this exhibition, he introduces 16 works from the 2000s onward, known as the ‘color method’ (late method).

Installation view of Park Seo-bo's solo exhibition 'PARK SEO-BO' at International Gallery 1, Sogyeok-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul. (Photo by International Gallery)

While introducing his paintings hung in the gallery, Park Seo-bo repeatedly mentioned the word ‘nature.’ Regarding the colors of the paintings, he expressed them in his own way, naming them after natural inspirations such as ‘autumn leaf color,’ ‘persimmon color,’ and ‘air color,’ rather than simply red, blue, or white. Since the 2000s, he has focused on nature and shifted from the ‘pencil method’ of the 1970s, which involved repetitive lines on the canvas surface, and the ‘mid-period method’ of the 1980s, which expressed discontinuous lines on hanji paper, to a full-fledged ‘color method.’ He shared an anecdote about the turning point of his method before an exhibition in Japan.

"Around 2000, when I was holding a solo exhibition at a gallery in Tokyo, I went to see the autumn leaves at Mount Bandai in Fukushima Prefecture. When I climbed there, I couldn’t help but exclaim ‘Ah!’ The bright red autumn leaves in the valley felt like flames rushing at me to burn me to death. I felt the greatness of nature and decided that I must paint the emotions I felt then. I carefully observed how the autumn leaves changed from fluorescent when facing the sun to red again. The bright red leaves reflected on the water surface also showed different colors depending on the wind’s direction. Witnessing the harmony of nature, I learned a lot. Nature is my teacher."

Exhibition view of Park Seo-bo's solo exhibition held at International Gallery in Sogyeok-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul. (Photo by International Gallery)

Park Seo-bo emphasized three characteristics as the essence of monochrome painting. He said, "Monochrome painting is the purposelessness and infinite repetition of action, and the spiritualization of the traces (materiality) generated in the process," adding, "Not all paintings with a single color are monochrome paintings." He continued, "The state where a monk repeatedly strikes a wooden percussion instrument all day or a potter repeatedly spins the wheel is exactly that state," and criticized, "Western monochrome art lacks this spirituality."

In the Western art world, Park Seo-bo is called ‘the father of Korean contemporary art.’ Regarding this, Park Seo-bo said, "I think it is a recognition for having lived only in Korea and developed the monochrome painting movement in the 1970s," and proudly added, "Even Kim Whanki was never given such a title." He further said, "Westerners focus on expressing and projecting their thoughts, but I aim to empty everything," and added, "Recently, the West’s attention to Eastern art is also an attempt to fill the parts lacking in their own art history."

Since 2019, Park Seo-bo has been working on a large-scale 200-ho painting. In the past, he worked lying down on the floor with an easel, but now, due to joint problems, he works standing up. He paints about five hours a day at his home in Yeonhui-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. Park Seo-bo said, "I don’t have many days left to live on Earth, so I am doing my best not to regret it when I go to the grave," and added, "I will probably complete the work by the end of this year and be able to exhibit it at the Venice Biennale next year."