Artcore exhibit impresses lovers of contemporary art

Upon encountering Man Soo Lee’s exhibit “Tune,”, museum-goers immediately think of beauty, elegance and simplicity. the latest collection sponsored by LA Artcore. A professor of oriental painting at Sungshin University in Seoul, Lee has created an astounding collection of work that stresses the point of the individual existence of man.

The specific Korean word for the exhibit “sanjo” actually means “scattered tune,” which offers more direction to the meaning of the works on display. Buildings and people scatter across the paintings, yet strangely remain independent of each other. No item is of particular importance, but they’re all something every viewer can identify with.

“I chose these items — a church, flowers, a man playing a game — because they are all things I encountered in my childhood in Korea,” Lee said. “They are all a part of my individual existence.”

Whether having this individual existence displayed in the canvas was good or bad was highly debated amongst the crowd of visitors. Some thought the painting spoke volumes to the lives we all lead in our modern society.

Visitors noticed that in “Tune1304,” one could see many people walking through a black and white garden. Each person is alone, one is even texting on his phone, so they don’t interact.

Everyone could agree, though, that these modern touches are what make “Tune” so relatable. Even in contemporary art, one would be hard-pressed to find a subject using his or her smartphone in the piece. The presence of these modern objects especially juxtaposes the simplicity of the background as well as the traditional Korean elements, such as the structure of some of the buildings. Even if a viewer has never been exposed to the Oriental style of painting, these elements allow them to still relate to the work.

One can’t help but marvel at the planning that must have been involved to make these paintings a reality, not to mention the patience this method requires. The process of creating each work is very meticulous, the smallest one taking an entire week. For each of the isolated items, Lee places stencils on the canvas then paints layer upon layer over them. Once the final layer dries, he peels away the stencils and paints them in.

Some of the stencils blend into the background, filled in with a similar shade, while others, which are meant to stand out, are painted in colors that contrast the layered paint.

One is drawn to the large pastel shapes encompassing most of the paintings — a teardrop or a circle, defined and embossed into the background through the layering technique. An overall favorite and a centerpiece to the collection reminds one of a beautiful sunrise due to the large burnt orange circle that lay at the center of the painting.

To create texture, Lee manipulates the paint with a brush, each stroke mimicking grass, and shaves away layers with sandpaper to represent dirt. These vital concepts of nature help the paintings to embody the ambiance of a Korean tea garden.

Elements like these allude to Lee’s background in Oriental Painting. The mastery of texture, the attention to detail speaks volumes to his experience — Lee has been an artist for more than twenty years.

Lee’s work has been displayed and celebrated throughout Korea, and contemporary art lovers worldwide have had the pleasure of viewing his work. His art has travelled the globe, from Australia to the United States, China to Angola. As is many artists’ dream, though, Lee has always wanted to show his work in cities such as Los Angeles and New York. With the aid of LA Artcore, this dream is now a reality.

This nonprofit organization helps many artists like Man Soo Lee expand their audience by providing a space to display their work. For Lee, this exposure has captured the attention of art collectors as far as Venice, Italy desiring to have a painting from this beautiful collection.

“Our job [is] to give artists the opportunity to show their work by providing host museums—such as the Union Center for the Arts—to hold their exhibitions,” said Lydia Takeshita, a coordinator at LA Artcore.

“Tune” manages to bring elegance and beauty out of simplicity in a way that is unparalleled by most.

 

“Tune134” is at the LA Artcore Union Center for the Arts in Little Tokyo until Jan. 31.