Kim Whanki
| Whanki Kim | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
February 27, 1913 South Jeolla Province, South Korea |
| Died | July 25, 1974 (aged 61) New York City, U.S. |
| Nationality | Korean |
| Known for | Painting |
| Movement | Abstract art |
Kim Whanki, also Kim Whan-ki or Kim Hwan-gi (1913–1974, hangul: 김환기), was a pioneering abstract artist of Korea. Born February 27, 1913, in the village of Eupdong-ri on the island of Anjwado, Sinan County, South Jeolla Province, Kim died in New York City, USA, on July 25, 1974.
Kim belongs to the first generation of Korean Abstract artists, mixing oriental concepts and ideals with abstraction. With refined and moderated formative expression based on Korean Lyricism, he created his characteristic art world. His artworks largely dealt with diverse hues and patterns. Kim's early works were semi-abstract paintings which allowed beholders to see certain forms, but his later works were more deeply absorbed abstract paintings, filled with lines and spaces.
Respected domestically and abroad, the Whanki Museum, dedicated to Kim, opened in Seoul in 1992.
Growing up as the fourth child and only son of wealthy farmer Kim Sang-hyeon, Kim Whanki grew up comfortably and started studying abroad at the age of 19. His nephew's grandson is K-Pop male group BIGBANG main rapper, T.O.P.
In 1931, he enrolled in Nishikishiro High School in Tokyo and continued to study at the College of Arts at Nihon University from 1933 until 1936. He even stayed an additional year as an assistant before returning to Korea in 1937. Kim's time in Tokyo supported his identity as an Abstract artist. In his university years, he was influenced by his mentors, Togo Seiji and Fujita Tsuguji, who had created new waves of Cubism and Futurism in Japan after having had direct interaction with Cubists and Futurist artists in Europe. His works of 1937 and 1938, such as Rondo, Aria, and White Seagull, are said to show a clear turn towards abstraction with their compositions of pure geometric shapes consisting of repeated rhythmic circular and oblong shapes with squares intersecting or overlapping. It was in Japan that Kim had his first solo exhibition. It took place at the Amagi Gallery, right before he returned home to Seoul. Kim left Tokyo in 1937, but he continued to submit works to the inaugural show of the Free Painters Exhibition in Japan until 1940.
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