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Park, Seung-Soon Painting as Language The canvas is full of magnetism, drawing the eyes of the viewer at various levels of visual gratification. Subtle and thoughtful, the composition has the feeling of a safe landing. Sensual and sensitive, the colors, the lines and points, the blots, the delicate and tantalizing traces like lasting wounds find their place on the canvas. Or rather, they dangle there, shining and fresh. Splendid and bright, and closely and gently bound together, the colors fill the canvas as if in their own space, own bodies. The canvas, the fabric is the earth; the texture and surface of the colors, the traces and blots of the brush are human beings and nature, their vitality and life. The painting is formulation in visual language of the praise of life, of the romantic's story. The work is true to its abstract form, and the viewer's enjoyment of it is full. It prompts one to rethink the meaning of painting. What is painting? What is it which makes something a painting? Why are we moved, why is there enjoyment, attraction in pondering what is, after all, a flat surface? Why, especially, in today's world of endless visual spectacles? In contemplating Park Seung-soon's work, the first moment of perception is a compression of the basic language of the formative arts, flowing, at the same time, in natural movements to extensions and rearrangements. Faithful to her perceptions and sensitivities, the scattering of the colors, the brushwork, the drawing and scribbling come together th form a narrative., Theses elements, these traces melt into the formative organization to create a delicate harmony. The impression on the viewer is one of fulfillment, of richness, of visual gratification. The eyes are soothed and the heart is moved by the small traces and exquisite indications. The colors with narrative nuances and organic forms in suggestive appearance and disappearance impress as if they are standing upright in very clear formation within a vague screen. There are no forms of organic images as such, but the space is filled with idiosyncratic formations and organizations suggestive of nature and human beings appearing and disappearing in continuous variation. This is a constant characteristic of Park Seung-soon's work. She shows us through colors, the body of colors the traces in space by which images are formed. Through colors of her own creation, the canvas is transformed into a space of greater depth, multiple levels and change. The effect is amplified by the brush work as well as the silk screen technique of overlapping color planes and surfaces. Furthermore, the sharp boundaries of the color surfaces are blurred with drawing lines and sultry traces, adding life to the canvas. Thus, although the work is abstract, the dry language of abstraction, mystical conceptualization and formal logic are overcome, and the canvas is full of warm and emotive language. In a subdued but solid manner, it portrays a deeply-rooted confidence and conviction in formative systems, a compassion for the attraction and complications of two- dimensional painting, and the belief in the power of art as an expression of the affectionate longing for human beings and nature. The complexity therein is bearable, as it comes not from conceptual confusion but from the abundance in the interplay of rich taste and clarity of texture. The work is thus far removed from a simple exploration into the physical conditions of the canvas or from the practice of vague imitation and expression. She appears absorbed in her attempt to widen the gap between the two sides and expand its realm, where in the experience and feeling of human beings, their perceptions and sentiments in their intangible totality can be given the most beautiful and effective expression using the language of formative arts as the vehicle and tools. A painting cannot surpass the energy of painter, it cannot be free from the intuition and feelings contextualized by physiological conditions. On this score, Park Seung-Soon deserves a fundamentalist's appraisal. Her paintings are unrelated to fashion or recent trends. Her thesis is only with herself, the canvas, and the tradition of painting. This fact, however, can be a limitation, keeping the style stubborn, as she tries to upgrade, to reach a higher level of perfection within a certain category of painting of her own choosing. Park Young-taek
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