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“A New Response Regarding the Formative Quality of Painting - Hwa Jin Lee”

Kim, Chong Geun (Art critic)

For an artist, "new expression and change" are the most ideal and fascinating elements. It is only the passion
for pursuing these that can create new painting. Piet Mondrian, the master of Constructivist painting and a
representative painter of De Stijl, the movement of Neoplasticism, exemplified this pursuit. Starting with the
trivial object of a tree, Mondrian sought diverse styles by transforming the basic forms of objects, ultimately
creating a unique Neoplastic Abstraction known as "Cold Abstraction." Through constant simplification by
omitting and transforming his visual language, Mondrian achieved a new formative quality in painting with
radical composition and color.

Observing the innovative and fresh works of artist Hwa Jin Lee, I recall Mondrian. Particularly, her
compositions, which flash with unfamiliar shapes and images, evoke a sense of minimalism and deliver
a powerful simplicity and form that provide visual pleasure. Lee demonstrates originality, especially in
completing simplified and symbolic compositions compellingly with only a few boldly cast forms. Looking back
at her past works seen since the 1980s, there was a sense of freedom, as if drawn without any strict rules or
order. However, after more than 40 years, Hwa Jin Lee's images and forms, along with the balanced colors in
her divided compositions, fully embody the Neoplastic beauty of simplicity and restraint. Thus, we take note
of the formality in her paintings and become captivated by the amplified simplicity.
There is a striking boldness in her work where she merges unknown shapes, flowers, and faces. These forms

ultimately blend with geometric shapes, dramatically alleviating the monotony of intense abstraction in the
paintings. Lee's primary motifs are often thrown shapes, predominantly used blue tones and visual ovals
that are subtly matched with flowers or geometric forms. These elements are unmistakably the foundational
components of her profound and artistic paintings. The harmony between geometric shapes and figurative
images launches from a pattern that seems to synthesize the styles of Neoplasticism and representational
painting.
Open and free expression of blue tones is vividly presented in her works like < Dream of Love and Memory

>, < Nocturne at Sea >, and < Dream of Love >. At the same time, the distinctive elements of Lee's paintings
are, above all, the formal excellence that composes the canvas and its aesthetic composition. Fundamentally,
she has spent decades seeking her own painting style in the realms of figurative and abstract art. Now, she
has reached a point of refined maturity, crafting a harmonious beauty between geometric shapes and her
figurative forms through the horizon of unconscious free imagination—a journey that spans more than 40
years.
Thus, the subtle and striking contrasts and arrangements of colors in Lee's work blend harmoniously, creating
the softest and most mysterious atmosphere that painting can offer. Now, she demonstrates through these
paintings how figurative forms and abstract expressions can coexist on the same canvas without clashing,

a result of moments of thoughtful consideration. This formal elements ultimately succeeded in providing
harmony and stability to the painting, allowing for an exceptionally rich work of art. With the divided empty
space in the middle, the boldly located images and triangles in dynamic spaces reach beyond figurative art,
achieving abstraction. Her skillful use of blue tones conveys a sense of peace and exhilarating spatial depth.
The harmonious and calm atmosphere of the dominant blue tones, along with the aggressive triangles that
accompany a sense of mystery and elegance, also add dramatic elements to her paintings.
I would call this style the Neoplasticism that Hwa Jin Lee has established. She clearly reveals external forms,
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