Kin Tschang-yeul
Waterdrops, 1970s
228 x 182cm
Signed on the side
This serene and meditative work from the 1970s by Kin Tschang-yeul, a seminal figure in Korean contemporary art, is part of his iconic Waterdrops series. Merging Eastern philosophy with Western technique, Kin masterfully renders hyperreal water droplets on textured surfaces, inviting the viewer into a quiet contemplation of transience and material illusion.
Each drop appears suspended in time—fragile, precise, and luminous—epitomizing Kin’s lifelong exploration of emptiness (śūnyatā) and impermanence, concepts deeply rooted in Buddhist thought. The canvas becomes a surface of reflection, both literal and metaphorical, where the viewer is drawn to consider what lies beneath appearances.
The 1970s mark a pivotal period in Kin's career, during which he solidified his signature visual language after moving to Paris. His rigorous technique—layering oil paint to achieve the transparency and refraction of water—gives the illusion of photographic realism while retaining a profound poetic silence.
Signed on the side, this work embodies Kin Tschang-yeul’s ability to merge the metaphysical with the material, transforming a simple water droplet into a timeless vessel of presence, perception, and philosophical depth.
Kim Tschang-Yeul is contemporary Korean artist known for his painted depictions of water droplets. This motif stems from traditions of Eastern philosophy, acting both as a therapy for the artist’s traumatic memories and a meditation on eternity. “My water drop paintings are accomplished under the encounters of my life experiences and my plasticizing experiences,” he explained. “Each clear, impeccable water drop is in its initial state since purification, as if it is a recurrence of absolute nothingness; the water drop is also what it finally returns to.” Born on December 24, 1929 in Maengsan, Korea, he served in the military during the Korean War, his experiences of war continue to haunt the artist’s life and work. Kim studied at the College of Fine Arts at Seoul National University before helping to found the Korean Art Informel movement in the mid-1950s, alongside Park Seo-Bo, Ha Chong-Hyun, and Chung Chang-Sup. Moving to New York in 1966, Kim attended the Art Students League for a few years before relocating to Paris. His exposure to international movements and schools of thought while abroad, led to his exploration of liquid forms, whose appearance straddles the boundary of abstraction and representation. In 2016, the Kim Tschang-Yeul Museum of Art opened in Jeju, South Korea, in honor of his life’s work. Kim lives and works between Seoul, South Korea and Paris, France. The artist’s works are held in the collections of the Albright-Knox Gallery in Buffalo, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C., the Seoul Museum of Art, and the National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo, among others.
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