Painting Spring for Us: Kang Namgu
By Kang Jennis Hyun-suk.
How do you realize that spring is coming? The warm air, the haze, or a ticklish scent of flowers? Yes, I agree that spring comes with flowers. The news of spring’s coming is delivered by the East Asian plum tree (maehwa, 매화). It blooms when the world is still white. The plum tree has two virtues. Its blossoms draw spring to the hearts and minds of the ice-cold souls who have endured the freezing winter. Another of its virtues is the sweetness of the scent it gives us. When spring comes, I enjoy plum blossom tea. You can pour warm water in your teacup and float a couple of plum blossom petals in it. It provides you with the taste of early spring.
The Gwangju Museum of Art in Unam-dong has a cultural center in it. The museum opens diverse art classes for the citizens of Gwangju – including lessons in pottery, water painting, oil painting, calligraphy, and croquis – and I am one of the beneficiaries, as I have been learning oil painting at the museum. Last year, COVID-19 prevented us from learning for a while, but classes restarted recently under strict safety conditions. Our oil painting class is led by Kang Namgu. Yes, he is my painting teacher. A few years ago, my friends and I decided to do something to make our lives more exciting. We discovered that there were a lot of art classes offered by the museum and so enrolled in the oil painting class. Because we all loved the thickness of expression in paintings like Van Gogh’s matière. For several years, I have had many opportunities to see Kang’s exhibitions. I think Kang is an artist who can paint the virtues of the plum tree. His paintings of them are powerful: The tree trunk is like a dragon twisting up into the air. Standing in front of his paintings, I can imagine the scent of the blossoms beyond the purple mist. That is why some people call him the Messenger of the Spring.
Visiting Kang’s Studio
I recently visited Kang at his studio on Art Street (예술의 거리) in downtown Gwangju. When I asked him about the history of his paintings for the Gwangju News, he took out his exhibition booklets from his bookshelf and told me about the changes in his style over the past few decades. It was a precious time to hear from the artist about his works. This is how our discussion progressed.
Jennis: A few years ago, I saw some of your artwork at your exhibition in the Yangnim Museum of Art. The pieces were quite different from your recent paintings.
Kang Namgu: During my master’s course at Chosun University, I was fascinated by the world of non-figurative, abstract artworks. It is not that difficult to open an exhibition these days because the increase in visitors has given rise to a large number of galleries. But in 1994, when I held my first individual exhibition, I had to go through an interview with my portfolio. Luckily, I was able to exhibit non-figurative works on huge canvases at Inje Gallery in Gwangju.
Jennis: To be honest, I’m not sure I know exactly what non-figurative artworks are. Are non-figurative works different from abstractions? Can I ask what an artist wants to express through non-figurative artworks?
Kang Namgu: Non-figuratives and abstractions are sometimes used to refer to the same thing, but they are slightly different. While the non-figurative is to break the shape of objects in search of the essence of Nature, for me, the abstraction is like an extraction of something from the artists’ mind. In my early days, I wanted to express the primitive vitality of human beings through spontaneous brushstrokes on a large canvas. I can say that I did a type of action painting at that time.
Jennis: Can I ask what made you move on to figurative art? When did the change begin?
Kang Namgu: All of a sudden, it came to me: I could not hold my paint brush anymore. It was after ten years of expressing the world of non-figurative artwork. I had been living like an office worker, going to work every morning and leaving the studio in the evening. I just could not do it any longer. The gap between an artist’s ideal works and the collector’s needs is sometimes painful for the artist. I could not sleep until late and went out to drive around without any destination in mind. I think it was the Seomjin River (섬진강) that I reached at dawn. I saw plum blossoms peering through the mist. The fantastic sight and the scent of the plum blossoms were so beautiful that I wanted to express that feeling on canvas. So, I picked up my brush again. After that, I went to Juam Dam, Mokpo, Muan, and Suncheon Bay to catch the mist on the mudflats, the mist on the rivers, and the mist on the paths. I felt that the mist was representing my thoughts in a fog.
Jennis: That sudden encounter with plum blossoms changed your art style. It might have been hard move away from the art world that you had built up so passionately. What was the response of critics and collectors to your fog paintings?
Kang Namgu: Two years after I started painting fog, I submitted my works to a fair called Art Seoul, and afterwards the Seoul Museum of Art contacted me about my paintings. They were interested in buying one of them. The positive response to my new style was a big boost for me. When the invitational exhibition was held at the Gwangju Shinsegae Gallery in 2007, I depicted more dreamy fog and more prominent plum blossoms.
Jennis: I am curious about how you depict the foggy landscape, which is behind the plum trees in your paintings.
Kang Namgu: I thought a lot about how to express the fog properly. Then I started using an airbrush. Some of my curious artist friends asked me about how to use an airbrush because there was no one using airbrushes for authentic paintings at that time. Actually, it was not easy to work with an airbrush; it took me three years to express fog the way I wanted.
Jennis: So, you paint plum blossoms in the fog, paths in the fog, misty mudflats, and mist over snow-covered fields. What are you attempting to say through your paintings?
Kang Namgu: I want to depict the scenery that I saw when I was young. To capture such scenes, I went all over the country that people rarely go to. Then the fog gradually cleared up and my paintings became clear.
Jennis: Looking at your latest works, your blossoms and flowers are becoming more vivid. Is there any reason you magnify the blossoms within their natural surroundings?
Kang Namgu: People say that my paintings have become more colorful since 2010. I love to paint red gems like seeds of pomegranates and many different kinds of flowers. Each flower or blossom has its own meaning of hope. I want to convey that hopefulness in my paintings.
Jennis: So, your paintings are like messages from your flowers and blossoms. Some artistic works express the world with realistic voices, and others give people a pause from the world. I think there are two types of paintings: Those that are made to please the collectors and the artist’s favorites. Do you have a favorite work as an artist?
Kang Namgu: Yes, there is a withered sunflower painting among the works I have done. The seeds under the withered petals are expecting new lives. Luckily, I still have that painting.
Jennis: How long does it take for a plum tree to blossom on your canvas?
Kang Namgu: It depends on the size of the work, but it takes about 100 days of daily work to complete a painting. When the background fog is dried, I do the body of the plum tree. I like old plum trees. The scent of the plum blossoms on old trees is mellow and sweet, and even stronger than that of young trees. My acquaintances who have old plum trees in their garden give me a call around the time their trees are blossoming. In spite of the bitter cold, their roots send water to the tips of their branches to prepare for their big day. When the buds start to bloom, my heart flutters. Each blossom of my paintings takes more than ten touches to create. I depict light and shadow on each petal.
Jennis: In the movies, we see artists working all day long, forgetting to have meals. What is your working style like?
Kang Namgu: When I absorb myself in my work, I sometimes sit for hours. Once my wife stopped by my studio, I did not recognize her coming. She said she waited for me to wake up from my absorption for more than two hours. After that day, my dinner table got fancy for some time.
Jennis: Wow, that is a touching story. The warm encouragement of your closest supporters might have led you to bloom as an artist and become so recognized. People say you are an artist who exhibits a lot. I am curious about your secret to proliferation.
Kang Namgu: After graduating, I worked at Jeonnam Art High School teaching young artists for a while. Then I became a full-time artist because I wanted to do more of my work. I thought a full-time artist should be a professional, so I regulated myself, working from 9–6 like a common office worker. I think professionals should commercialize their works. Instead of waiting for others to understand me, I proudly introduce my works through diverse methods. That is why I am constantly getting invited to invitational exhibitions. I usually have at least five exhibitions a year.
Jennis: Would you not have breaks if you continue to exhibit like that? Do you not need some time for rest?
Kang Namgu: After a big exhibition, I take a break. But just a couple of days is enough for me. Then, I start working on canvases for the next exhibition. Having time to think about what pictures to put on my next canvas is my rest.
Jennis: When an exhibition is over, visualizing the canvases for the next exhibition is the artist’s happiness. Wow, you draw my respect. What has been the most memorable exhibition for you?
Kang Namgu: I remember the invitational exhibition at the Sunchang Public Okcheongol Museum in 2017. Sunchang is my hometown. My parents were not much involved or much in the know when I held a big exhibition in Seoul or Gwangju. But they were very proud that their son was exhibiting in their county with the county’s magistrate attending! I thought I needed to work harder after seeing my hometown fans cheering me on. And last year’s invitational exhibition at the Gwangju Culture and Arts Center was also quite memorable. The title of the exhibition was “Hwayang-yeonhwa” (화양연화). The letters are from Chinese characters and mean “This moment is the most beautiful time in your life,” or more literally, “when life blooms as a flower.”
Jennis: Can I ask what your plans are for this year?
Kang Namgu: As an artist, it is nice to be able to make a lot of artwork, to have someone who likes my works, and to be invited to many galleries. This year, I have arranged to have successive invitational exhibitions: the first at the Itta Space gallery (잇다 스페이스) in Incheon, March 16–31; at the Art The Ocean gallery (아트 디 오션) in Yeosu, April 2 – May 27; and during June, I will meet you at the Starry Night Museum in Gwangsan-gu here in Gwangju.
Jennis: Congratulations on your upcoming exhibitions in those beautiful spaces. I think the artist who lives his life faithfully deserves the moniker “Hwayang-yeonhwa.” Thank you for your time, Mr. Kang.
After the Interview…
Kang Namgu is an artist who is loved by poets and writers in Gwangju. The oriental feelings of his paintings give inspiration to poets. I have translated one of the poems written about him:
Namgu, Your Flowers Are…
By poet Kim Juntae
Your flower is the flower before it blooms, / and the flower after it blooms. / Your flower is beyond the vegetative world / and leads to the insect world / of butterflies or cicadas / (the history of cicadas tells us they’ve existed on Earth / since the beginning days of the Devonian Period), / and to the animal world, and generating a spark. / Namgu, your flower is but yourself / and it is also me.
Kang has held 43 individual exhibitions and over 700 group exhibitions, and he has served as a judge at the Republic of Korea Art Competition. His collections can be found at the National Museum of Contemporary Art, the Government Art Bank, the Seoul Museum of Art, the Gwangju Museum of Art, and at Air Philippines. Email: namguk3@hanmail.net. Phone: 010-8617-6506.
Classes at the Gwangju Museum of Art
The Gwangju Museum of Art has a cultural center offering art classes. There are four sessions in a year, beginning in March, June, September, and December. You can sign up online. For more information about the art classes, call (062) 613-7181 or navigate to https://artmuse.gwangju.go.kr.
Location: 52 Haseo-ro (Unam-dong), Buk-gu, Gwangju 광주 북구 하서로 52 (운암동)
The Interviewer
Kang Jennis Hyunsuk is a curious but shy explorer who loves exploring art galleries and museums. She is also an amateur oil painter who has been painting for seven years. She thinks that learning to paint gave her an eye for enjoying artwork. She also loves to play with kids.