Page 5 - 장선미 개인전 2025. 7. 2 – 7. 8 인사아트프라자갤러리

Nature, Scenes in Life - Jang Seon-mi

Kim Jong-geun (Art Critic)
Painter Marc Chagall, once known as the magician of color, said, “My communicating with it.
paintings stand on the border between fantasy and reality. I want to Perhaps, the relationship between nature and humans through art is
express dreams, memories, and the beauty of nature.” just like that. Through nature, the artist discovers the joy of human life
This is also a confession toward the philosophical message of his and life, and while searching for the meaning of life, he discovers the
desire to explore human existence and nature, which all artists dream harmony and balance that nature gives.
of. Whether her subject is forests or flowers, no matter where you look
Jang Seon-mi is also a naturalist painter with a realistic painting style at her work, you can easily find in the artist’s paintings that the nature
who has a deep interest in the theme of natural landscapes. that catches your eye has a simple yet harmonious and beautiful
This is not much different from the style of the Impressionist painters order.
who say that we paint like little birds chirping, capturing the moments And in such parts, the lyricism and beauty are even more felt in the
of light and shadow in the various changes of nature. perspective composition of flower paths or forest paths.
In this way, the characteristic of Jang Seon-mi’s paintings is that they Above all, the artist is putting forth her utmost sincerity in capturing
focus on capturing the surrounding scenery that we see closely in our the harmony and balance of forests and nature on the canvas.
daily lives in a realistic form. If we gain peace and comfort as well as the human mind and spirit
This is in line with the typical Impressionist painters who paint with through her paintings, it is the result of the artist’s agony and the
nature as their theme. power and vitality of her paintings.
We remember well that many painters throughout history have The artist recreates the scenery of a forest in the mountains or
considered nature as their greatest teacher. Henri Rousseau, Claude repeatedly captures the beauty of beautifully blooming wild flowers as
Monet, and Van Gogh did the same. a motif.
The reason why painters draw inspiration from nature and capture it Of course, in addition to these, the artist presents works of various
on canvas is because they find stability, peace, and comfort in nature. forms with different themes and captures a loving gaze toward nature.
Countless painters claim that they paint mountains, skies, trees, and The series of works themed as <Cornus Road> or <Golden Autumn
flowers because they live in their hearts. Forest> fully captures the artist’s heart that seeks to capture the
In the end, nature itself is not complete, and painters are those who warmth and energy of recovery that do not change even in the
change on their own, communicate with the world through the changing seasons.
scenery of that change, and express human emotions by borrowing <Namiseom Road>, which captures the scenery near Seoul; <Golden
the scenery of nature. Forest Road>, which is dyed in yellow autumn leaves; <Birch Forest>,
The great quotes left by many painters who deal with nature as their which exudes the scent of autumn. In this way, the artist faithfully
subject are all praise for the beauty of nature. Therefore, the artist captures the scenery of the four seasons and the atmosphere of the
may have an ultimate goal, like Piet Mondrian’s desire, “Nature is made natural forest on her canvases. Perhaps the most representative of
up of simple shapes and colors. I want to express the harmony and these are the works in the Forest series.
balance of nature through this.”
In addition, it is also striking that flowers, which are commonly
As is the case for all artists, nature provides endless and ever-changing preferred by female painters, are frequently featured as the
inspiration and a desire for creation to painter Jang Seon-mi. centerpiece. Of course, the scenes of playing musical instruments,
All of these things are generously revealed in his works. In particular, it such as in <Breath and Rhythm> and <Stairs with Flowing Melodies>,
is particularly noticeable in the Forest series, and it is a pleasure to see are also unique. If you look closely, you can see that these inner
the mysterious and profound atmosphere of nature faithfully express aspects best reflect the warmth of life that is embedded in the artist’s
its own impressions in harmony with the light. heart. Another one among them is a rather common landscape
In addition, the choice of materials and the change of the four painting, but it is also true that the image of a mother hen holding her
seasons that stand out in each painting also increase the value of chicks and taking care of them so that they can eat is reminiscent of
these landscapes, and these are also very important elements that are the family-like feelings of human society.
central to the painting. Looking at this landscape, it seems that the artist cannot deceive
That is why I recommend that the artist work while expressing the the sensibility of a heavenly painter who puts his emotions into the
subject matter intensively, like Kim Jong-hak, the painter of Seoraksan, painting.
or Lee Wal-jong, the painter who devotes himself to the middle of
Jeju life. His brushwork and technique are somewhat one-dimensional and
This is exactly the case when David Hockney, while painting the improvisational, but if the warm gaze looking at nature is consistently
landscape of a specific place, does not stop at one time, but visits the focused, if Jang Seon-mi’s unique individuality, characteristics, and
four seasons of spring, summer, fall, and winter and captures them on colors are combined, it is expected that a unique landscape painting
the painting. that expresses the beauty of nature will be built.
The artist has confessed his interest in nature from an early age. When people are deeply hurt and cannot even have time to heal their
“Nature has always been my teacher and friend. I have long captured wounds, they will experience the artist’s sensibility in Jang Seon-mi’s
on my painting the warmth of the wind I felt while walking through the paintings that capture nature.
fields as a child, the breath of the trees that changes with the seasons, All painters love nature so much and paint it preciously as if it were life
and the texture of emotions that spread through the sunlight.” itself in order to give us the great power of nature.
As this saying goes, Jang Seon-mi’s work intensively expresses Perhaps this is the biggest reason why all painters always wish to live
the impression of seeing nature closely, describing it directly, and quietly in a corner of nature like this.

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