Cheejoong Kim

Cheejoong Kim 1947-2012

Cheejoong Kim was a South Korean painter and educator based mainly in the Chungcheong area around the city of Daejeon, who travelled the World, frequently to Russia, China and Mongolia.

Despite or perhaps because of his color blindness, he developed a technique of using vibrant contrasting colors to create dreamy landscapes, often of mountains and rivers.

While using the western medium of oil, he pioneered his own style, which exudes an oriental ethos, unfurling the subject from his own perception and unique perspective. In other words, while he used the materials and methods of Western painting, his overall work exudes a Korean aesthetic; he was an artist known for

‘Korean lyricism.’

“I am still a nerd.”

“I am still a nerd. Like others, I did not have the courage to try new things, and I did not have the brilliance and sophistication. I just draw mountains and rivers, cows and children, and sunflowers that my hometown shows. Sometimes I am also tempted to be great or sophisticated, but it seems that I have a foolishness that I can tolerate well in my own way. I laugh, thinking to myself that maybe I am very fortunate to have such a thing. The things I want to draw recently are the mountains that press down on space, the river that embraces him kindly, and the misty clouds that mysteriously surround it and the thick sunlight. The secret spiritual encounters with them early in the morning and in the twilight evening make my soul tremble. Always thinking of the body that cannot follow the mind...… ”

– 1983 Shinshin Gallery solo exhibition. Mountains and rivers, in the work notes

  • 가을(Autumn), 72.7×60.6cm, Oil on canvas, 2009

  • 독도(Island, Dokdo), 53×40.9cm, Oil on canvas, 2005

  • 나팔꽃(Morning glory), 116.8×91cm, Oil on canvas, 2007

  • 꽃과 여인(Flower and Woman) 72.7×60.6cm, Oil on canvas, 2010 하

  • 여인(Woman), 53×45.5cm, Oil on canvas, 연도미상

  • 꽃과 여인(Flower and Woman), 59×59cm, Oil on canvas, 2000

  • 해바라기와 자매(Sunflowers and Sisters) Oil on canvas, 1978 © 대전시립미술관 소장

  • 남매(Siblings), 40.9×27.3cm, Oil on canvas, 1975