Page 10 - 김연식 초대전 11. 27 – 12. 6 갤러리모나리자 산촌

2012.
As a jazz pianist with outstanding performance skills, he can be called an ‘all-round artist’ who crosses the boundaries of temple food, art,
and music.
Gustav Mahler(1860-1911)’s ‘Symphony No.9’ 3) is a composition full of atmospheres of resignation, transcendence, and internalization,
and appears to have had a special influence on him. <Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No.9> (960×240cm), which captures the feeling of
listening to Mahler’s Symphony No.9, is a reconstructed work reminiscent of <Mong-yu-do-won-do 夢遊桃源圖> by Ahn Gyeon(安
堅), a representative figure of the early Joseon Dynasty’s art world. This was implemented on a very large canvas in a panoramic format
using 40,000 razor blades. Here we can enjoy the beauty of sublimity and grandeur. Mahler pursues things outside of music and makes
an ambitious attempt to ‘speak’ beyond the apparent silence of music. 4) This context and attempt will bear fruit in Jeongsan Kim Yeon-
Sik’s <Symphony: Indramang> series presented in 2023. The main part covered this time is the fourth movement, which is a meaningful
conclusion to the finale of the series. This is a comprehensive summary of his art world. It follows; 1st movement <Infinite World in a
Cup>(2023. 5.21-5.30), 2nd movement <Drive of Waves and Particles>(2023. 6.20-6.29), 3rd movement <Swap>(2023. 9.28-10.7), and the
4th movement, <Moon, Wind, and Clouds> (2023. 11.27-12.6). The world of his works, which he unfolded over the course of a year, can
truly be said to be a remarkable display of artistic ability in terms of both quantity and quality. And this work is more meaningful because
it does not stay in one place but is the culmination of his art world.
In order to understand the reason why he introduced the symphony form into his art world, it is necessary to look at the meaning of the
symphony. ‘Symphony’, the Greek word ‘Symponia (συμφωνία)’ means ‘harmony of sounds or instrumental concert.’ Boethius (480-524),
the last Roman writer, philosopher, and music theorist, emphasized the beauty of harmony and balance in his De Institutione Musica.
According to him, ‘Music of the universe; Musica mundana’, ‘Music of humans: Musica humana’ and ‘Musica instrumentalis: instrumental
music’ are related to each other, and the order of the universe and harmony in nature reach their peak in music. It is the highest state
where the sounds of the universe, humans, and music come together and harmonize. From the perspective of Eastern thought, Confucius
has long viewed music as one of the harmonies of heaven and earth along with the major virtues of propriety, which can be said to be
very similar to the above perspective.
A symphony usually consists of four movements. In the first movement, there is a fast movement in sonata form, and in the second
movement, there is a slow movement in a format similar to the structure of a song. In the third movement, a minuet (elegant and slightly
fast form) was used until the classical era such as Haydn and Mozart, but since Beethoven first adopted the scherzo (a humorous, fast and
cheerful atmosphere), this flow has become common. And the last movement is a very fast movement in rondo or sonata form and ends
with a splendid finale. Looking at these in order, the progression is ‘fast→slow→elegant, slightly fast/humorous, fast and cheerful→very
fast.’ It is a scene of increasing passion. Like the form of a symphony, the overall structure of the work is an organic connection between the
microscopic world of molecules, the macroscopic image of the Earth, and even the universe. This is analogous to a symphony consisting
of four movements and is unfolding in a steady progression. It is analogous to the creation and extinction of nature as well as the flow
of human life. Extinction soon becomes a part of the preparing process for the next creation and continues in a cycle. In relation to the
artists’s musical knowledge, the exhibition <Debussy’s Moonlight>, which was held twice in 2011-2012, about 10 years before ‘Symphony:
Indramang’, is also noteworthy. Claude Debussy (1862-1918)’s <Moonlight> is a piece closer to post-romanticism than impressionism.
Paul-Marie Verlaine (1844-1896) expresses excited and trembling breathing and delicate senses by melting them into reality. Claude
Debussy was inspired by Paul-Marie Verlaine’s poem, “Moonlight.” The last verse of the poem is ‘The song mixes with the moonlight.’ which
adds to its meaning. This is because the artist’s pictorial elegance mixed with the moonlight touches our feelings and evokes emotion.

3) French Mahler scholar Henry-Louis de La Grange (1924-2017) viewed Mahler’s Symphony No.9 as “a meditation on the inevitable fate of humans,” and
perhaps I think this perspective would have had a significant influence on Yeon-Sik Kim.
4) Andy Hamilton, “Artistic Truth”, Royal Institute of Philosophy Supplement, vol. 71, Oct. 2012, p. 254.

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