Collection
2008 Festival_2
Kwak Suk-Son
Description of the work
- Media Oil on Canvas
- Location LOTTE HOTEL SEOUL MAIN TOWER 1F
The “Festival” series by Kwak Suk-Son, installed on both sides of the escalators on the first floor of LOTTE HOTEL SEOUL, form a pair that render the identical subject of “flowers and butterflies” in different ways. As if providing a balance, the paintings are harmoniously placed to the left and right of the “Jangsaengdo,” flaunting its vivid colors and attracting the attention of passersby. If “Festival_1” retained an image of an oriental painting with simple, ordered lines, “Festival_2” plays up the effect of mineral pigments used in oriental painting, with depictions of vivid, exotic flowers in a more dynamic and naturalistic style. However, since both works depict 13 butterflies each that flutter among the flowers in a realistic fashion, it is more interesting to view them in comparison with each other. The artist, who has been painting flowers and butterflies for more than 30 years, depicts butterflies using his own allusive aesthetic as symbols of prosperity and progress among groups, organizations, and the whole country, and as heralds of the festivities held to pray for such prosperity.
About the author
Artist Kwak Suk-son, who says that imagining how a butterfly would feel looking for a flower fills him with delight, paints butterflies in the hope of sharing that happy moment with others through his works. During his studies at Hongik University, he learned traditional coloring techniques from the giants of Korean polychrome painting, Cheon Kyeong-Ja, Park Saeng-Kwang, and Cho Bok-Soon, and is known for insisting on those techniques and using traditional materials even now. Perhaps this is why the artist's work, while centering on Western motifs, exudes an oriental aesthetic in its colors and expression. Kwak participated in more than 40 exhibitions in Korea and abroad, including the New York Art Fair and the Triennale India. He was also the recipient of the Grand Prize at the 18th Federation of Artistic & Cultural Organization Arts and Culture Awards (Fine Art Division) in 2004, hosted by the Federation of Artistic & Cultural Organization of Korea. He also served as the 19th chairman of the Korean Fine Arts Association, and serves as a judge for various art exhibitions including the Grand Art Exhibition of Korea, and continues to work on behalf of the Korean art community as well as nurturing young artists.
Kwak Suk-Son (b. 1949, Republic of Korea)
M.A., Fine Arts Studies, Donguk University Graduate School
B.A., Oriental Painting, Hongik University
B.A., Oriental Painting, Hongik University
