Kim Tschang Yeul

Kim Tschang-yeul (, 24 December 1929 – 5 January 2021) was a South Korean artist known for his abstract paintings of water droplets. He formed part of the Modern Artists' Association in South Korea and joined the Art Informel movement of the 1950s and 60s.

He is the father of French artist Oan Kim.

Early life Kim Tschang-yeul was born in Maengsan County, Heian'nan-dō, Korea, Empire of Japan in 1929. He was also taught to sketch by his maternal uncle and decided to pursue a career as an artist. After his hometown was taken over by the Soviet Civil Administration in 1946, he was arrested for possession of an anti-communist pamphlet, and left high school before graduating.

Art education After leaving school, Kim Tschang-yeul moved to Seoul, where he entered various private painting studios. Wanting to further his training, he enrolled in College of Fine Arts, Seoul National University, in 1948, but the onset of the Korean War in 1950 put a stop to his formal art education during his second year.

Post-war activities in South Korea and Art Informel As a result of the Korean War, Kim lost his sister, more than half of his classmates, and suffered from economic hardship for more than a decade. After serving in Jeju Island from 1952 to 1953, he was stationed in the Police Academy in Seoul from 1953, where he worked as a librarian. During this time, he was able to indirectly experience contemporary European Art Informel movement through Japanese painting albums, magazines, and art books.

Kim Tschang-yeul was also the founding member of Hyeondae Misulga Hyophoe (현대미술가협회, Contemporary Artists Association, 1957) that demanded reform of the conservative Korean art field and the government-hosted National Art Exhibition of Korea (대한민국미술전람회, 大韓民國美術展覽會, also referred to as Gukjeon, 국전). Rejecting what was considered a "feudal and premodern system ruled by conservative juries," the group experimented with European Art Informel and American Abstract Expressionism, and labelled their exhibitions as the "anti-National Art Exhibition of Korea."

In the fourth Hyeondaejeon Exhibition hosted by the Contemporary Artists Association in 1958, Kim exhibited his works alongside fellow members of the Contemporary Artists Association, such as Kim Seo-bong (김서봉, 金瑞鳳, 1930–2005) Kim Cheong-gwan (김청관, 金靑鱹?-?), Na Byeong-jae (나병재, 羅丙哉?-?), Lee Myeong-ui (이명의, 李明儀, 1925–2004), Lee Yang-no (이양노, 李亮魯, 1929–2006), Park Seo-bo (1931–), An Jae-hu (안재후, 安載厚, 1932–2006), Jang Seong-sun (장성순, 張成筍, 1927–2021), Jeon Sang-su (전상수, 田相秀, 1929-), Jo Dong-hun (조동훈, 趙東薰?~?), Ha In-du (하인두, 河麟斗, 1930-1989). The exhibition gained immense attention and was interpreted by art critic Bang Geun-taek (방근택, 方根澤, 1929–1992) as the collective emergence of Korean Art Informel.

Although Kim left the Korean art scene in the 1960s, he is still credited as forming part of the first generation of Korean Dansaekhwa artists, and has participated in various Dansaekhwa group exhibitions, both in South Korea and abroad.

International art scene After leaving the police force, Kim worked as a teacher at Seongru Art School and gradually turned to the international art scene.

Kim Tschang-yeul's participation in the Salon de Mai in Paris, 1972, was the most critical turning point in his career. For this exhibition, he submitted the famous water droplet painting, Event of Night (Événement de la nuit, 1972), which gained critical acclaim.

In the 1980s, Kim Tschang-yeul engaged in several prominent types of water-drop series, including the Poem of 100 Characters and Recurrence .

Water droplet paintings Critical analyses of Kim Tschang-yeul's paintings often refer to the subject of water droplets as multi-layered images of cleansing, purification, and "the evanescence of individual life."

The active employment of background of the canvas, paper, or any other material, in the formation of artistic expression, rather than a mere surface, is a common interest among Dansaekhwa artists. In Kim Tschang-yeul's works, "the water drops are not merely attached to the surface of a canvas, but rather fully entrusted to the canvas."

By the time Kim Tschang-yeul moved to Paris, he had turned to Buddhism, which deeply influenced his artistic narratives. The continuous links made to nature, as well as the apparent "dichotomy between nature and contemporary culture," as witnessed from the interaction between the droplets and space of the canvas form part of Kim's own understanding of the act of painting and of his painting subject matter: Kim explains that painting "clear, impeccable" water drops helps him contemplate and heal all anguishes, anxieties, and dark memories of his experiences from war.

Legacy Kim Tschang-yeul has been compared to Lee Ufan and Nam June Paik and described as a "towering figure of Korean modern art". He was named a chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in France, 1996, and received a silver crown (eun-gwan, 은관) of the Order of Cultural Merit from the South Korean Government in 2013.

Kim Tschang-yeul Museum was established in Jeju Island in September 2016. Kim Tschang-yeul donated 220 works to the museum, and his collection is also housed in various international museums and galleries, alongside works by Paik Nam June and Lee Ufan.